The book of Revelation is of the genre of mystical Jewish writings, called Torat ha

Sod. As such, it cannot be properly interpreted without an understanding of the

concepts and terminology involved in this form of study and writing.
Unfortunately, due to 1900 years of gentile "control" of the texts of the "New
Testament," (this too being a biased name for books of the early Messianic
writers), along with a non-Jewish understanding of God, Messiah and the Bible in
general, the methodology of understanding such writings as Revelation had been
lost.

In the book of Daniel, it is prophesied that in the end times, knowledge would
increase. This "knowledge" is called da'at, and has to do with Torah-based
spiritual understanding given by God. The recent return of Jews and gentiles to
Torah-based faith in Yashua the Messiah (as we have seen in the past 30 years
or so), has been accompanied by a renewal of a Hebrew understanding of the
texts of the Bible, including those in what is called the "New Testament." The
result is that important truths, hidden away for close to two millennia, are being
revealed by God in these days leading up to the return of the Messiah, Y’shua.

This book of Revelation Study draws greatly on extra-Biblical Jewish writings.

Materials for this Revelation study include; the Talmud, Midrash Rabbah, as well
as the Zohar, Bahir, Sefer Yetzirah, and other ancient writings. We will also
reference the books of Enoch and Jasher, as well as the writings of Maimonides
and Nachmanides. Modern rabbinic commentaries will also be presented, as well
as insight from books by prominent Jewish teachers such as Norman Lamm,
Aryeh Kaplan, Gershom Scholem, Yehuda Liebes, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, and
others.

A considerable amount of time will be spent researching "background" material

before getting to the actual text analysis. This is especially important with this
study, as Revelation cannot be properly grasped without an appropriate
understanding of many deep Hebrew concepts which are rooted in the Bible's
most mystical passages. This background material encompasses a wide range of
topics and is being presented in a particular sequence. These lessons are
meant to be read in the order they are presented. Following God's
example from Scripture, each lesson will build upon what was previously
learned, "precept upon precept."

If you desire a clearer understanding of what John, the Jewish writer of the
mystical text of Revelation was talking about, we welcome you to take part in
this study.
For this is the way of wisdom -- to acquire ideas one after another until, in the
end, there emerges one complete concept for which all of the prefaces were
necessary.

From Da'ath Tevunoth (The Knowing Heart)

Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzatto

BACKGROUND ARTICLES

Section I - Israel

• The Twelve Tribes of Israel

• Comparative Listings of the Tribes of Israel

• The Relationship Between Ephraim and Dan

Section II - The Temple and Priesthood

• The Pattern of Things Above

• The Placement of the Tribes and their Elders

• Metatron

• Melchizedek and the Heavenly Priesthood

• The High Priest Anointed for War

• The Priestly Garments

• The Sacrificial System

• Sacrifices in Ezekiel's Temple

• Comparison of Past and Millennial Temples

Section III - The Moedim

• The Moedim (Appointed Times - an Introduction)

• Shabbat (Sabbath) and the Millennium

• Yom Kippur and the New Covenant

• Shemita, Yovel Year

• Shabbat and Mikdash

Section IV - Spiritual Dimensions

• Spiritual Time, Space, Mass, Light and Energy

• The "Biblical" View of Time

• The Realm of Angels and Spiritual Space

• Angel Case Study: Book of Daniel

• Angel Case Study: Jacob's Ladder

• The Kingdom Offer

• Ezekiel's Chariot: Spiritual Elements and the Divine Name

• Ezekiel's Chariot: the Heavenly Realms

• The Shekina: Menorah, Temple, Bride of Messiah

• The Shekina: New Jerusalem, Messiah, the Wedding Feast

• The Sabbath as the Millennial Bride

• The River of Eden and Tree of Life - Part 1

• The River of Eden and Tree of Life - Part 2

Section V - The Mysteries of God

• Studying the Mysteries of God: Introduction

• Names and Arrangement of the Sephirot

• An Overview of the Sephirot

• Tipheret - the Image of the Eyn Sof

• Tipheret - King, Judge, Enemy of Satan, Atonement, "Son"

• Tipheret - Living Waters, Father, Bridegroom, High Priest

• The Unique Name of God

• The Kingdom of God - Part 1: the Shema

• The Kingdom of God - Part 2: the Chariot and the Shekinah

• The Kingdom of God - Part 3: Unification of the Name

• As Above, so Below

• Yesod - Foundation, Tzaddik, Covenant

• Yesod - Relationship with Tipheret and Malkut

 • Yesod - Living Water, Rock, Manna, "the Way, the Truth and the
Life"

Section VI - Messiah

• Part 1 - The Tzaddik

• Part 2 - Atonement

• Part 3 - Divine Aspects

• Part 4 - Atonement and Salvation through Time

• Part 5 - Tikkun

• Part 6 - Tikkun of the Torah

• Part 7 - Messianic Figures and Ideas

• Part 8 - The Role of Man

Section VII - Tree of Life / Additional Studies

• The Tree of Life and the Four Worlds

• The World of Azilut (Emanation)

• The World of Beriah (Creation)

• The World of Yezirah (Formation)

• The World of Asiyyah (Action)

• The Work of Creation

• The Work of the Chariot

• Approaches to Study: Literal, Allegorical, Metaphysical

• Mysteries of the Temple

Section I - Israel

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

The twelve tribes of Israel are mentioned in Revelation, chapters 7 and 21. Their
mention is far more than a "curiosity" (as it is treated in most studies of
Revelation.) Rather, God's prophetic plan through history and concluding in
Revelation centers around Israel, as represented by the twelve sons of Jacob and
their progeny. There are several important points to take note of in their history
that help explain what God's plan for them (and the world) is all about.

BLESSINGS AND PROPHECIES

Although Israel and the Jewish people can trace themselves back to Abraham,
they are commonly called the children of Israel, with "Israel" being another name
for Jacob the grandson of Abraham. (A name given to him by Adonai.) Before
Jacob died, he met with his sons and two of his grandsons to talk to them about
what would happen to them (their descendants) in the last days and convey
certain blessings. (Genesis ch. 48 & 49.) One item of significance regarding this
final episode, was that Jacob took the inheritance of the first born son, Reuben,
and divided it up between the other sons. This was very much due to Reuben's
sin (Genesis ch. 35:22) and his own lack of leadership ability.

To Judah, he gave the kingship, as well as the "leadership" role among the
brothers. This was also a rebuke of Simeon and Levi, as they were #2 and #3 in
line. This may have been due to the violent course of action they had taken
following the rape of their sister Dinah (Genesis chapter 34). Judah was the
fourth son of Leah. Regardless of his mistakes, it was he that showed the best
leadership ability and commanded the respect of his brothers. It was from Judah
that the kingship (scepter) would not pass until Shiloh (Messiah) would come
(Genesis 49:10). As prophesied, Y’shua the Messiah came from the tribe of
Judah.

To Joseph he gave a "double portion" of the land inheritance, passing it on to

Manasseh and Ephraim, his sons. This was due to Joseph's righteousness as he
displayed throughout his time in Egypt and to his family when they were
reunited (Genesis chapters 39-47).

M'LOH HA GOYIM - THE FULLNESS OF THE GENTILES

Jacob's blessing over Joseph's children is especially important with regard to

prophecy (Genesis ch. 48). At this event, Jacob deliberately switches what would
be their normal order of blessing. He gives the younger son, Ephraim, the
"higher" blessing of the older son. What is critical here is verse 19, where Jacob
prophecies that Ephraim's descendants would be among the nations. The term
he uses is m'loh ha goyim, or "fullness of the gentiles." If this phrase sounds
familiar, it is because Paul uses it in Romans 11:25, when speaking of the final
redemption of Israel. Paul is not speaking of "the gentiles" when he uses this
term, rather he is referring to the return the exiled ten tribes. (This will be
covered in detail in our Romans study this summer.)

The name "Ephraim" itself alludes to the future dispersion among the gentiles,
and subsequent redemption:

Genesis 41:52: And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has
caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

Midrash Rabbah Exodus I:33: It is the custom of the righteous to name their
children from some event which has occurred. What does it say in the case of
Joseph? And he called the name of the first-born Manasseh, for God hath made
me forget all my toil, and all my father's house (Gen. XLI, 51). And the name of
the second called he Ephraim; for God hath made me fruitful in the land of my
affliction (ib. 52), so that he should always be mindful of the miracles God had
done unto him.

There is an interesting teaching in the Zohar concerning a vision of the future

that Jacob had at the time he blesses the two boys. Jacob sees that through
Ephraim, Israel would fall into terrible idolatry:

Soncino Zohar Volume I p. 228a - When Jacob was about to bless Joseph's
sons, he saw by the Holy Spirit that Jeroboam the son of Nebat would issue from
Ephraim, and he exclaimed, “Who are these?”, the word “these” (eleh) being an
allusion to idols. The reason is that besides the evil serpent there is one that
rides on it, and when they are joined together they are called “these”, and they
visit the world with all their hosts.

It is also interesting to note in the above quotation from the Zohar, that there is
an evil entity (spiritual idolatry) that rides upon the back of the serpent. This is
similar language to Revelation chapter 17, where the "whore" (spiritual idolatry)
rides upon the beast.

ISRAEL IS DIVIDED

Towards the end of his reign, King Solomon fell into the sin of idolatry,
worshiping Ashtoreth, Milcom (Molech) and Kemosh. For his idolatry God told
Solomon,

I Kings 11:5 - "Since this is your mind, and you have not kept my covenant and
my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from
you, and will give it to your servant."

God sent the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam, of the tribe of Ephraim, whom Solomon
had made ruler over the laborers of the house of Joseph. Ahijah prophesied that
God would take 10 tribes and give them to Jeroboam and if he would listen to all
that God commanded him, and walk in the ways of the Lord, and do what is right
in God's sight, keeping His statutes and commandments, that God would build
for Jeroboam a sure house, as He had built for David, and would give Israel to
him. Immediately upon hearing this, Solomon sought for the death of Jeroboam.
(I Kings 11: 26-40)

Upon Solomon's death the people of Israel gathered at Shechem to make

Rehoboam, Solomon's son king. Jeroboam who, until now, was in Egypt was sent
for. He came together with the people to petition Rehoboam to ease the yoke
that Solomon had placed upon the people of Israel. Rehoboam disregarded the
counsel of his father's advisors, and instead listened to his friends whom he had
grown up with. Rather than easing their burdens, he promised to be even harder
than his father had been. The people rebelled and the ten northern tribes broke
away from the Davidic kings of the tribe of Judah, and under the leadership of
Jeroboam, the Ephraimite, set up a new kingdom.(I Kings 12:1-20)

Just as God had prophesied to Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah, Jeroboam
was king of ten tribes, and was well established, for Rehoboam's attack was
stopped by God Himself. Instead of doing as God had instructed, Jeroboam
sought to secure his position through establishing a system of idolatry that would
ensure no contact between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern
kingdom of Judah.

The ten northern tribes quickly fell into the same idolatry for which Solomon had
been judged. Jeroboam made two golden calves and set one in Beth-El, a city of
Ephraim, and the other in Dan, the principle city of the tribe of Dan. Jeroboam
had reason to create his own system of worship. As all the men of Israel were
required to appear in Jerusalem for the feasts of Pesakh (Passover), Shavuot
(Pentecost) and Succot (Tabernacles) each year, this would likely lead to a
reunification of the northern and southern kingdoms, because Jerusalem lay in
the southern kingdom of Judah. Jeroboam halted this pilgrimage and filled the
void of the true Temple worship by creating his own temple, priesthood and
system of worship. (I Kings 12: 22-33)

The northern kingdom of Israel was never able to repent of their idolatry and for
this they were judged by God. Taken captive, Ephraim and its kingdom were
eventually scattered throughout the nations never returning to Israel, just as
Jacob has prophesied. Hosea, who was a prophet to the ten northern tribes,
speaks of their sin and future reunification, especially in chapters 11-13.

EPHRAIM AND DAN IN REVELATION

Ephraim and Dan both sinned with regard to Jeroboam's actions. Ephraim's sin
was the institution of a false system of worship. (Jeroboam was an Ephraimite.)
Dan's sin was one of "accommodation," as the tribe of Dan allowed the golden
calf to reside within its territory.

This sin committed by Ephraim and Dan is significant, as these two tribes are not
among those listed in Revelation chapter 7. Although there are different
groupings of the tribes throughout Scripture, this is the only time where Ephraim
and Dan are missing (replaced by Joseph and Manasseh). Searching Scripture, it
would seem that the sin of idolatry within the land of Israel, has its "payback" in
the last days, when these two tribes are deprived of the opportunity to testify of
the Messiah. It should be noted however, that according to Ezekiel, both tribes
receive their land grant in the Millennium.

There is an interesting verse in the Zohar that links Ephraim to the "church" at
Laodicea found in chapter three of Revelation:

Soncino Zohar Volume II p. 67b - “And Ephraim said, Yet I am become

rich, I have found me out power”, namely, the celestial unholy power which
presided over the act of idolatry committed by Jeroboam (I Kings XII, 28), without
which he would not have been able to succeed. Now, when this king and this
priest of the “other side” are subdued, and their power broken, all the “other
sides” follow suit, and are also subdued and broken, and acknowledge the
sovereignty of the Holy One, and in this way He alone rules above and below, as
it is written: “And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa. II, 11).

The phrase "... I am become rich" is quite similar to Revelation 3:17, and is
related to the last days when the Lord's name will be made one (echad - see
below. See also the book of Hosea, especially chapters 11-13.)

THE REUNIFICATION OF EPHRAIM AND JUDAH

One of the important results of the end-time events that lead to the return of the
Messiah is the reunification of the "lost tribes" of Israel/Ephraim with their
brethren. "All of Israel" (the entire twelve tribes) cannot be saved unless they are
all brought back into a unity (echad). It is necessary for those of Israel who are
"lost" among the nations (Ephraim, the "fullness of the gentiles") to come back
in, and only then can this happen. This is the point of the "mystery" of Romans
11:25.

The concept of "echad" (unity) is key to understanding not only Revelation but all
of Scripture. (This will be covered in great detail later in this study.) Although
Scripture says that God is echad (Deuteronomy 6:4), we also know that at the
present time, things are not as they should be between Him, Israel and the rest
of His creation. That is why the prophet Zechariah says that, "In that day, the
Lord's name will be one."

So, although Deuteronomy 6:4 is a statement of fact, it is also a prophecy that

will be fulfilled at the return of Y’shua HaMaschiach and beginning of the
Messianic kingdom.

Shiloh: Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b - The world was created only on David's
account .24 Samuel said: On Moses account;25 R. Johanan said: For the sake of
the Messiah. What is his [the Messiah's] name? — The School of R. Shila said: His
name is Shiloh, for it is written, until Shiloh come.

Ashtoreth: Principal female divinity of the Phoenicians, called Ishtar by the

Assyrians and Astarte by the Greeks and Romans. Closely related to Asherah and
 Venus.

Talmud, Shabbath 56b - Rather it is as was taught: R. Jose said, and the high
places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of
corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the
abomination of Moab. Now, is it possible that Assa came and did not destroy
them, then Jehoshaphat, and he did not destroy them, until Josiah came and
destroyed them! But surely Assa and Jehoshaphat destroyed all the idolatrous
cults in Palestine? Hence [the explanation is that] the earlier are assimilated to
the later: just as the later did not do, yet it was ascribed to them, to their glory,
so the earlier ones too did not do, yet it was ascribed to them, to their shame.
But it is written, And Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord? —
But because he should have restrained his wives, but did not, the Writ regards
him as though he sinned.

Kemosh, Milcom (Molech): The fire god of Ammonites. Essentially identical

with the Moabite god Kemosh. The worship of Molech included child sacrifice.
Molech was fashioned with the face of calf, with outstretched hands upon which
infants were burned. The country of the Ammonites was his possession according
to Jeremiah 49:1.

http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/rev1.htm

Comparative Listings of the Tribes of Israel

Gene Gene Exod Num Num Num Deut Deut. Judg I Ezeki Ezeki Revel
sis sis us bers bers bers . 33:7- es Chro el el ation
35:2 49:3- 1:1-5 1:3- 1:16- 25:5- 27:1 26 5:12- n. 47:13 48:3 7:4-8
2-25 28 15 50 62 2-13 19 2:1-2 - 1-35
48:30

Reub Reub Reub Reube Reube Reube Reub Reube Reub Reub Reube Reub Reube
en en en n n n en n en en n en n
Sime Sime Sime Simeo Simeo Simeo Sime Sime Simeo Sime Simeo
on on on n n n on on n on n
Levi Levi Levi Levi Levi Levi Levi Levi Levi Levi
Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah Judah
Issac Issac Issac Issach Issach Issach Issac Issach Issac Issac Issach Issac Issach
har har har ar ar ar har ar har har ar har ar
Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebul Zebulu
un un un un un un un un un un un un n
Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja Benja
min min min min min min min min min min min min min
Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan Dan
Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht Napht
ali ali ali ali ali ali ali ali ali ali ali ali ali
Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad Gad
Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher Asher
Josep Josep Josep Josep Josep Josep Josep Josep Josep Josep Josep Joseph
h h h h h h h h h h h
Ephrai Ephrai Ephrai Ephrai Ephra Ephrai
m m m m im m
Manas Manas Manas Manas Manas Manas
seh seh seh seh seh seh

Genesis 35:22-25 - 22And it came to pass, when Israel lived in that land, that
Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard it. Now
the sons of Jacob were twelve; 23The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn,
and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun; 24The sons of
Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin; 25And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant;
Dan, and Naphtali; 26And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant; Gad, and
Asher; these are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Padan-Aram.
Genesis 49:3-28 - 3. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the
beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of
power; 4. Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your
father’s bed; then defiled you it; he went up to my couch. 5. Simeon and Levi
are brothers; instruments of cruelty are their swords. 6. O my soul, do not come
into their council; to their assembly, let my honor not be united; for in their
anger they slew a man, and in their wanton will they lamed an ox. 7. Cursed be
their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them
in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. 8. Judah, you are he whom your brothers
shall praise; your hand shall be in the neck of your enemies; your father’s
children shall bow down in your presence. 9. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the
prey, my son, you are gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as
an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 10. The staff shall not depart from Judah,
nor the scepter from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and to him shall the
obedience of the people be. 11. Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass’s colt to
the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of
grapes; 12. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. 13.
Zebulun shall live at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of
ships; and his border shall be to Sidon. 14. Issachar is a strong ass couching
down between two burdens; 15. And he saw that resting was good, and that the
land was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to
tribute. 16. Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. 17. Dan
shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that bites the horse heels,
so that his rider shall fall backward. 18. I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.
19. Gad, a troop shall overcome him; but he shall overcome at the last. 20. Out
of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. 21. Naphtali is
a hind let loose; he gives goodly words. 22. Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful
bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall; 23. The archers fiercely
attacked him, and shot at him, and hated him; 24. But his bow abode in
strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the
mighty El of Jacob; from there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel; 25. By the
Elohim of your father, who shall help you; and by the Almighty, who shall bless
you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies under,
blessings of the breasts, and of the womb; 26. The blessings of your father have
prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors to the utmost bound of the
everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the
head of him who was separate from his brothers. 27. Benjamin is a ravenous
wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the
booty. 28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel; and this is it what their father
spoke to them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he
blessed them.
Exodus 1:1-5 - 1And these are the names of the sons of Israel, who came to
Egypt, with Jacob, every man with his household. 2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and
Judah, 3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and
Asher. 5And all the souls who came from the loins of Jacob were seventy souls;
for Joseph was in Egypt already.
Numbers 1:3-15 - 3From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go
forth to war in Israel; you and Aaron shall count them by their armies. 4And with
you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one chief of the house of his
fathers. 5And these are the names of the men who shall stand with you; from the
tribe of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6From Simeon: Shelumiel the son of
Zurishaddai. 7. From Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8From Issachar:
Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9From Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon. 10From the
sons of Joseph: of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh:
Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11From Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni.
12
From Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13From Asher: Pagiel the son of
Ocran. 14From Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15From Naphtali: Ahira the son of
Enan.
Numbers 1:16-50 - 16These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of
the tribes of their fathers, chiefs of thousands in Israel. 17And Moses and Aaron
took these men who were pointed out by their names. 18And they assembled all
the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they
registered by families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of
the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19As the Lord
commanded Moses, so he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20And the
sons of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, according to their
families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by
their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to
go forth to war; 21Those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Reuben, were
forty six thousand and five hundred. 22From the sons of Simeon, by their
generations, according to their families, by the house of their fathers, those who
were counted of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls,
every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to
war; 23Those who were counted of them, from the tribe of Simeon, were fifty
nine thousand and three hundred. 24From the children of Gad, by their
generations, according to their families, by the house of their fathers, according
to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were
able to go forth to war; 25Those who were counted of them, from the tribe of
Gad, were forty five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26From the sons of Judah,
by their generations, according to their families, by the house of their fathers,
according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all
who were able to go forth to war; 27Those who were counted of them, from the
tribe of Judah, were seventy four thousand and six hundred. 28From the sons of
Issachar, by their generations, according to their families, by the house of their
fathers, according to the number of then names, from twenty years old and
upward, all who were able to go forth to war; 29Those who were counted of
them, from the tribe of Issachar, were fifty four thousand and four hundred.
30
From the sons of Zebulun, by their generations, according to their families, by
the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty
years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war; 31Those who were
counted of them, from the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty seven thousand and four
hundred. 32From the sons of Joseph, namely, from the sons of Ephraim, by
their generations, according to their families, by the house of their fathers,
according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all
who were able to go forth to war; 33Those who were counted of them, from the
tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. 34From the sons of
Manasseh, by their generations, according to their families, by the house of
their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and
upward, all who were able to go forth to war; 35Those who were counted of
them, from the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty two thousand and two hundred.
36
From the sons of Benjamin, by their generations, according to their families,
by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from
twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war; 37Those who
were counted of them, from the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty five thousand and
four hundred. 38From the sons of Dan, by their generations, according to their
families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names,
from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war; 39Those
who were counted of them, from the tribe of Dan, were sixty two thousand and
seven hundred. 40From the sons of Asher, by their generations, according to
their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the
names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war;
41
Those who were counted of them, from the tribe of Asher, were forty one
thousand and five hundred. 42From the children of Naphtali, throughout their
generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the
number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to
go forth to war; 43Those who were counted of them, from the tribe of Naphtali,
were fifty three thousand and four hundred. 44These are those who were
counted, which Moses and Aaron counted, and the princes of Israel, being
twelve men; each one was for the house of his fathers. 45So were all those who
were counted of the people of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty
years old and upward, all who were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46All those
who were counted were six hundred three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
47
But the Levites, according to the tribe of their fathers, were not counted
among them. 48For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying, 49Only shall you not
count the tribe of Levi, nor take a census of them among the people of Israel;
50
But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of Testimony, and over
all its utensils, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the
tabernacle, and all its utensils; and they shall minister to it, and shall camp
around the tabernacle.
Numbers 25: 5-62 - 5Reuben, the eldest son of Israel; the sons of Reuben;
Hanoch, from whom comes the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of
the alluites; 6From Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; from Carmi, the family
of the Carmites. 7These are the families of the Reubenites; and those who were
counted of them were forty three thousand seven hundred and thirty. 8And the
sons of Pallu; Eliab. 9And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram.
These are the Dathan and Abiram, who were regularly summoned to the
congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of
Korah, when they strove against the Lord; 10And the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, the time
the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; and they became a sign. 11And the
sons of Korah did not die. 12The sons of Simeon according to their families; from
Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; from Jamin, the family of the Jaminites;
from Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; 13From Zerah, the family of the
Zerahites; from Saul, the family of the Saulites. 14These are the families of the
Simeonites, twenty two thousand and two hundred. 15The sons of Gad according
to their families; from Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; from Haggi, the
family of the Haggites; from Shuni, the family of the Shunites; 16From Ozni, the
family of the Oznites; from Eri, the family of the Erites; 17From Arod, the family
of the Arodites; from Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18These are the families of
the sons of Gad according to those who were counted of them, forty thousand
and five hundred. 19The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died
in the land of Canaan. 20And the sons of Judah according to their families were:
from Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; from Perez, the family of the
Perezites; from Zerah, the family of the Zerahites. 21And the sons of Perez were:
from Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; from Hamul, the family of the
Hamulites. 22These are the families of Judah according to those who were
counted of them, seventy six thousand and five hundred. 23From the sons of
Issachar according to their families; from Tola, the family of the Tolaites; from
Puva, the family of the Punites; 24From Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; from
Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25These are the families of Issachar
according to those who were counted of them, sixty four thousand and three
hundred. 26From the sons of Zebulun according to their families; of Sered, the
family of the Sardites; from Elon, the family of the Elonites; from Jahleel, the
family of the Jahleelites. 27These are the families of the Zebulunites according to
those who were counted of them, sixty thousand and five hundred. 28The sons of
Joseph according to their families were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29From the
sons of Manasseh; from Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir fathered
Gilead; from Gilead come the family of the Gileadites. 30These are the sons of
Gilead; from Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites; from Helek, the family of the
Helekites; 31And from Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and from Shechem, the
family of the Shechemites; 32And from Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites;
and from Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33And Zelophehad the son of
Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of
Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34These are the
families of Manasseh, and those who were counted of them, fifty two thousand
and seven hundred. 35These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families;
from Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; from Becher, the family of the
Becherites; from Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36And these are the sons of
Shuthelah; from Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37These are the families of the
sons of Ephraim according to those who were counted of them, thirty two
thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph according to their
families. 38The sons of Benjamin according to their families; from Belah, the
family of the Belahites; from Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; from Ahiram,
the family of the Ahiramites; 39From Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites;
from Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40And the sons of Belah were Ard
and Naaman; from Ard, the family of the Ardites; and from Naaman, the family
of the Naamites. 41. These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families;
and those who were counted of them were forty five thousand and six hundred.
42
These are the sons of Dan according to their families; from Shuham, the family
of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families. 43All
the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were counted of them,
were sixty four thousand and four hundred. 44From the sons of Asher according
to their families; from Jimnah, the family of the Jimnites; from Ishvi, the family of
the Ishvites; from Beriah, the family of the Beriahites. 45From the sons of Beriah;
from Heber, the family of the Heberites; from Malchiel, the family of the
Malchielites. 46And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47These are
the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were counted of them;
who were fifty three thousand and four hundred. 48From the sons of Naphtali
according to their families; from Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; from Guni,
the family of the Gunites; 49. From Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; from
Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50These are the families of Naphtali
according to their families; and those who were counted of them were forty five
thousand and four hundred. 51These were the counted of the people of Israel, six
hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty. 52And the Lord
spoke to Moses, saying, 53To these the land shall be divided for an inheritance
according to the number of names. 54To the more numerous you shall give a
larger inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give a smaller inheritance; to
every one shall his inheritance be given according to those who were counted by
him. 55However the land shall be divided by lot; according to the names of the
tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56According to the lot its possession shall
be divided between many and few. 57And these are those who were counted of
the Levites according to their families; from Gershon, the family of the
Gershonites; from Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; from Merari, the family
of the Merarites. 58These are the families of the Levites; the family of the
Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of
the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. And Kohath fathered Amram. 59And the
name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother
bore to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their
sister. 60And to Aaron was born Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61And
Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the Lord. 62And
those who were counted of them were twenty three thousand, all males from a
month old and upward; for they were not counted among the people of Israel,
because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel.
Deuteronomy 27:12-13 - 12 These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the
people, when you are come over the Jordan; Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and
Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin; 13 And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal
to curse; Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
Deuteronomy 33:7-26 - 6Let Reuben live, and not die; and let not his men be
few. 7And this is the blessing of Judah; and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of
Judah, and bring him to his people; let his hands be sufficient for him; and be
you a help to him from his enemies. 8And of Levi he said, Let your Thummim
and your Urim be with your pious one, whom you did test at Massah, and with
whom you fought at the waters of Meribah; 9Who said to his father and to his
mother, I have not seen him; nor did he acknowledge his brothers, nor knew his
own children; for they have observed your word, and kept your covenant. 10They
shall teach Jacob your judgments, and Israel your Torah; they shall put incense
before you, and whole burnt sacrifice upon your altar. 11Bless, Lord, his
substance, and accept the work of his hands; strike through the loins of those
who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they rise not again. 12And
of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall live in safety by him; and the
Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall live between his shoulders.
13
And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things
of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that couches beneath, 14And for the
precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by
the moon, 15And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the
precious things of the lasting hills, 16And for the precious things of the earth and
its fullness, and for the good will of him who lived in the bush; let the blessing
come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him who was
separated from his brothers. 17The firstling of his herd, grandeur is his, and his
horns are like the horns of a wild ox; with them he shall push the people
together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim,
and they are the thousands of Manasseh. 18And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice,
Zebulun, in your going out; and, Issachar, in your tents. 19They shall call the
people to the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness; for
they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hidden in the
sand. 20And of Gad he said, Blessed be he who enlarges Gad; he lives as a lion,
and tears the arm with the crown of the head. 21And he provided the first part
for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he
came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his
judgments with Israel. 22And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s cub; he shall leap
from Bashan. 23And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full
with the blessing of the Lord; possess you the west and the south. 24And of
Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his
brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. 25Your shoes shall be iron and bronze;
and as your days, so shall your strength be.
Judges 5:12-19 - 12Awake, awake, Deborah; awake, awake, utter a song; arise,
Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam. 13Then he made him
who remains have dominion over the nobles among the people; the Lord made
me have dominion over the mighty. 14Out of Ephraim was there a root of them
against Amalek; after you, Benjamin with your tribes; from Machir came down
leaders, of Zebulun those who handle the marshal’s staff. 15And the princes of
Issachar were with Deborah; Issachar, and also Barak; into the valley they
rushed forth, at his feet. In the divisions of Reuben great were the resolves.
16
Why then did you sit among the sheepfolds? To hear the bleating of the flocks?
For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. 17Gilead dwells
beyond the Jordan; and why did Dan remain by the ships? Asher continued on
the sea shore, and abode by his bays. 18Zebulun was a people who risked their
lives to the death, and Naphtali likewise, on the high places of the field. 19The
kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the
waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of silver;
I Chronicles 2:1-2 - 1These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and
Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, 2Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad,
and Asher.
Ezekiel 47:13-48:30 - 13. Thus says the Lord God: This shall be the border,
according to which you shall divide the land for inheritance to the twelve tribes
of Israel; Joseph shall have two portions. 14. And you shall inherit it, one as well
as another; concerning which I raised my hand to give it to your fathers; and this
land shall fall to you for inheritance. 15. And this shall be the border of the land
toward the north side, from the Great Sea, by the way of Hethlon, as you go to
Zedad; 16. Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of
Damascus and the border of Hamath; middle Hazar, which is by the coast of
Hauran. 17. And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-Enan, the border of
Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the
north side. 18. And the east side you shall measure from Hauran, and from
Damascus, and from Gilead, and between the land of Israel and the Jordan, from
the border to the east sea. And this is the east side. 19. And the south side
southward, from Tamar to the waters of Meribot-Kadesh, to the river, as far as
the Great Sea. And this is south side towards the Negev. 20. The west side also
shall be the Great Sea from the border, as far as opposite the entrance to
Hamath. This is the west side. 21. And you shall divide this land for yourselves
according to the tribes of Israel. 22. And it shall come to pass, that you shall
divide it by lot for an inheritance to you, and to the foreigners who sojourn
among you, who shall father children among you; and they shall be to you as
those born in the country among the people of Israel; they shall have
inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23. And it shall come to pass,
that in whatever tribe the foreigner sojourns, there shall you give him his
inheritance, says the Lord God.
(48) 1. And these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast
of the way of Hethlon, as one goes to Hamath, Hazar-Enan, the border of
Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and
west; a portion for Dan. 2. And by the border of Dan, from the east side to the
west side, a portion for Asher. 3. And by the border of Asher, from the east side
to the west side, a portion for Naphtali. 4. And by the border of Naphtali, from
the east side to the west side, a portion for Manasseh. 5. And by the border of
Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, a portion for Ephraim. 6. And by
the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west side, a portion for
Reuben. 7. And by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, a
portion for Judah. 8. And by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west
side, shall be the offering which you shall offer of twenty five thousand reeds in
width, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side to the west
side; and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. 9. The portion that you shall
designate to the Lord shall be of twenty five thousand in length, and of ten
thousand in width. 10. And for them, for the priests, shall be this holy portion;
toward the north twenty five thousand in length, and toward the west ten
thousand in width, and toward the east ten thousand in width, and toward the
south twenty five thousand in length; and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in
its midst. 11. It shall belong to the priests who are sanctified of the sons of
Zadok; who have kept my charge, who did not go astray when the people of
Israel went astray, as the other Levites went astray. 12. And it shall be to them a
section set apart from the designated portion of the land, a thing most holy, by
the border of the Levites. 13. And opposite the border of the priests the Levites
shall have twenty five thousand in length, and ten thousand in width; all the
length shall be twenty five thousand, and the width ten thousand. 14. And they
shall not sell any of it, nor exchange, nor alienate that choice portion of the land;
for it is holy to the Lord. 15. And the five thousand, that are left in the width over
against the twenty five thousand, shall be for common use for the city, for
dwelling, and for open land; and the city shall be in its midst. 16. And these shall
be its measures; the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south
side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and
five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred. 17. And the
open lands of the city shall be towards the north two hundred and fifty, and
towards the south two hundred and fifty, and towards the east two hundred and
fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty. 18. And the remnant in length
corresponding to the designated holy portion shall be ten thousand eastward,
and ten thousand westward; and it shall be alongside the designated holy
portion; and its produce shall be for food to those who work in the city. 19. And
those who work in the city shall work in it from all the tribes of Israel. 20. And
the designated portion shall be twenty five thousand by twenty five thousand;
you shall designate the holy portion square, including the possession of the city.
21. And the remnant shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of
the holy portion, and of the possession of the city, in front of the twenty five
thousand of the designated area to the east border, and westward opposite the
twenty five thousand to the west border, opposite the portions for the prince;
and it shall be the holy area; and the sanctuary of the house shall be in its
midst. 22. And thus the possession of the Levites, and the possession of the city,
shall be in the midst of that which is the prince’s; between the border of Judah
and the border of Benjamin, shall be the portion of the prince. 23. As for the rest
of the tribes, from the east side to the west side, Benjamin shall have a portion.
24. And by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon
shall have a portion. 25. And by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the
west side, Issachar shall have a portion. 26. And by the border of Issachar, from
the east side to the west side, Zebulun shall have a portion. 27. And by the
border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad shall have a portion.
28. And by the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be
from Tamar to the waters of Meribot-Kadesh, and to the river toward the Great
Sea. 29. This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for
inheritance, and these are their portions, says the Lord God. 30. And these are
the exits of the city: on the north side, there is a four thousand and five hundred
measures.
Ezekiel 48:31-35 - 31. And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the
tribes of Israel; three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah,
one gate of Levi. 32. And at the east side there is a measure of four thousand
and five hundred; and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of
Benjamin, one gate of Dan. 33. And at the south side there is a measure of four
thousand and five hundred; and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of
Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. 34. At the west side there is a measure of four
thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of
Asher, one gate of Naphtali. 35. It shall be eighteen thousand measures
around; and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.
http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/rev1a.htm

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EPHRAIM AND DAN

The information on this page is presented to better clarify the relationship

between Ephraim and Dan following the time of Solomon, what their sin was,
how Jacob foresaw this sin, and the connection to Laodicea in Revelation chapter
three.

The relationship position of the tribes with regard to the Mishkan (Tabernacle)
and to their corresponding angels will also play a role later in this study.

Dan's standard is to the north

Midrash Rabbah Num. II, 18 ff. ... AND THEY SHALL SET FORTH THIRD; a
meet adjunct to Torah and to penitence is power1; for a man should exert his
powers in acquiring Torah and in mastering his evil propensities. The North is the
region whence darkness issues forth into the world, and on that side shall be the
tribe of Dan. Why? For it was that tribe which darkened the world with idolatry,
when Jeroboam made the two golden calves. Idolatry is darkness, as it is said,
And their works are in the dark (Isa. XXIX, 15). Jeroboam went round to all Israel
[inviting them to embrace idolatry] but none of them would agree, except the
tribe of Dan, as it is said, And the king took counsel, and made two calves of
gold... and the other put he in Dan3 (I Kings XII, 28 f.). For this reason the Holy
One, blessed be He, commanded that he should pitch his camp in the North.
Hence it is written, ON THE NORTH SIDE SHALL BE THE STANDARD OF THE CAMP
OF DAN, etc.

The Four Cardinal Directions:

South = Michael corresponds to Rueben
North = Uriel corresponds to Dan
East = Gabriel corresponds to Judah (Kingship)
West = Raphael corresponds to Ephraim

And next to him the tribe of Asher, lighting up the darkness, as it is stated, And
of Asher he said: Blessed be Asher... and let him dip his foot in oil4 (Deut. XXXIII,
24). Therefore Scripture says, AND THOSE THAT PITCH NEXT UNTO HIM SHALL BE
THE TRIBE OF ASHER (Num. II, 27). Next to him was Naphtali, with the blessing of
ample sustenance, as it is written, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, etc. (Deut.
XXXIII, 23). Therefore Scripture says, AND THE TRIBE OF NAPHTALI... ALL THAT
WERE NUMBERED OF THE CAMP OF DAN... THEY SHALL SET FORTH HINDMOST
BY THEIR STANDARDS (Num. II, 29 ff.). It teaches that all who worship idols go
backwards and not forwards.’ It is, therefore, stated, ‘The Lord by wisdom
founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens’ (Prov. III, 19).
As the Set-Apart One, blessed be He, created the four cardinal directions and
four standards corresponding to them, so also did He set about His throne four
angels-Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. Michael at His right,
corresponded to Reuben. Why was his name called Michael (Mi ka'el)? When
Israel crossed the Red Sea Moses’ began to chant, Who (mi) is like unto Thee,
etc. (Ex. XV, 11); and when he completed the Torah he said, There is none like
unto God (ka'el), O Jeshurun, etc. (Deut. XXXIII, 26). From the two expressions
‘mi (who) is like unto Thee’ and ‘none ka'el (like unto God) ' you obtain the
combination mi ka'el. Uriel at His left, corresponding to Dan, who was on
the north side. Why was his name called Uriel? On account of the Torah, the
Prophets, and the Hagiographa, by means of which the Set-Apart One, blessed
be He, makes atonement for him [Dan] and gives light unto Israel, as it is said,
Arise, shine, for thy light is come (Isa. LX, I). David also said, The Lord is God,
and hath given us light (Ps. CXVIII, 27). This explains the name ‘Uriel’. Scripture
also states, Though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light unto me (Micah VII, 8).
Gabriel in front, corresponded to the kingship of Judah and to Moses
and Aaron who were on the east side. Why was his name called Gabriel? It is
written concerning Judah, For Judah prevailed (gabar) above his brethren, etc. (I
Chron. V, 2), and concerning Moses it is written, And he called unto (el) Moses1
(Lev. I, 1), and it is also written, And his name is called Pelejoez-el-gibbor (Isa. IX,
5).2 This explains the name Gabriel. Raphael corresponded to Ephraim. Why
was his name called Raphael? In order to symbolize the healing of the breach
made by Jeroboam who sprang from Ephraim who was on the west; also in
allusion to Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee (Num. XII, 13). Thus has been
explained the name Raphael.

Dan's inheritance given in Ezekiel is to the north

Ezekiel 48:1 - And these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the
coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goes to Hamath, Hazar-Enan, the border of
Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and
west; a portion for Dan.

Jeroboam the Ephraimite places two golden calves one in Beth-El and in
Dan

I Kings 12:19-33 - And Israel rebelled against the house of David to this day.
20. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that
they sent and called him to the congregation, and made him king over all Israel;
there was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. 21.
And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah,
with the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand chosen men, who
were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom back to
Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 22. But the word of God came to Shemaiah the
man of God, saying, 23. Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah,
and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people,
saying, 24. Thus said the Lord, You shall not go up, nor fight against your
brothers the people of Israel; return every man to his house; for this thing is from
me. They listened therefore to the word of the Lord, and turned and went their
way, according to the word of the Lord. 25. Then Jeroboam built Shechem in
Mount Ephraim, and lived there; and went out from there, and built Penuel. 26.
And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of
David; 27. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of Adonai at Jerusalem,
then shall the heart of this people turn back to their lord, to Rehoboam king of
Judah, and they shall kill me, and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28. And
the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to them, It
is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel,
which brought you out of the land of Egypt. 29. And he set one in Beth-
El, and the other he placed in Dan. 30. And this thing became a sin; for the
people went to worship before the one, as far as Dan. 31. And he made a house
of high places, and made priests from among all the people, who were not of the
sons of Levi. 32. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the
fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the
altar. So he did in Beth-El, sacrificing to the calves that he had made; and he
placed in Beth-El the priests of the high places that he had made. 33. And he
offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-El the fifteenth day of the
eighth month, in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained
a feast to the children of Israel; and he offered upon the altar, and burned
incense.

Jacob sees the idols of Jeroboam when he blesses, Ephraim and

Manasseh

Soncino Zohar Volume I, p. 228b - When Jacob was about to bless Joseph's
sons, he saw by the Holy Spirit that Jeroboam the son of Nebat would issue from
Ephraim, and he exclaimed, "Who are these?", the word "these" (eleh) being an
allusion to idols. The reason is that besides the evil serpent there is one that
rides on it, and when they are joined together they are called "these", and they
visit the world with all their hosts. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is called
"this", and is symbolized by the covenant of the holy imprint which is ever on a
man's body. Hence we find written, "These also shall forget" (Is. XLIX, 15), and
again, "For these I am weeping" (Ibid. 16), that sin being the cause to us of
endless weeping; or alternatively, because this place was allowed to gain
dominion over Israel and to destroy the Temple, the word "I" (ani) in this case
referring to the Ruach HaQodesh (Set-apart Spirit). It may be asked, on this
hypothesis, what are we to make of the words "These are the words of the
covenant"? The answer is that the word "these" is here also appropriate, because
the words of the covenant are established by "these", since they are the abode
of all curses, which await all who transgress the covenant. Similarly it is written,
"These are the precepts which the Lord commanded", because the object of all
the precepts is to purify man so that he should not stray from the right path and
should keep far away from there. Hence, too, it is written, "These are the
generations of Noah", because they included Ham the father of Canaan, who was
accursed. The spirit of eleh is the "dross of gold". Aaron in the wilderness offered
gold, which was his own affinity, since he was endowed with the strength of fire,
and fire and gold are all one, but the unclean spirit which haunts the
wilderness found at that time a place on which to fasten, and so Israel,
after being freed at Mount Sinai from the primeval defilement which
brought death into the world, afterwards incurred it again and brought
death upon themselves and all their descendants. Hence, when Jacob saw in
his mind's eye Jeroboam son of Nebat, who made an idol and said, "These are
thy gods, O Israel", he trembled and said, "Who are these?". Hence when he
came afterwards to bless them, he first blessed Elohim and then blessed them
from that source.

Ephraim declares "I am rich" (Revelation 3:17)

Soncino Zohar Volume II p. 67b - "And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I
have found me out power", namely, the celestial unholy power which presided
over the act of idolatry committed by Jeroboam (I Kings XII, 28), without which he
would not have been able to succeed. Now, when this king and this priest of the
"other side" are subdued, and their power broken, all the "other sides" follow
suit, and are also subdued and broken, and acknowledge the sovereignty of the
Holy One, and in this way He alone rules above and below, as it is written: "And
YHWH alone will be exalted in that day" (Isa. II, 11). In just the same way YHWH
broke here on earth the power of an "old and foolish king", namely Pharaoh, who,
when Moses said to him, "The God of the Hebrews hath met with us", replied, "I
know not the Lord," but when the Set-Apart One, desiring that His Name should
be glorified on earth as it is in heaven, punished him and his people, he came
and acknowledged the Holy One. Subsequently his priest also, namely Jethro, the
priest of On, i.e. idolatry, was also humbled, so that he came and acknowledged
the Set-Apart One, saying: "Blessed be YHWH, who hath delivered you.... Now I
know that YHWH is greater than all the gods..." (Ex. XVIII, 10, 11). So when that
king and that priest acknowledged the Qodesh One, blessed be He, and were
humbled before Him, He was exalted above and below, and then, and then only
did He give forth the Torah, as undisputed sovereign over all.’

Jeroboam's Idolatry leads to Rome and Greek Italy

Talmud, Shabbath 56b - Rab Judah said in Samuel's name: When Solomon
married Pharaoh's daughter, Gabriel descended and planted a reed in the sea,
and it gathered a bank around it, on which the great city of Rome was built.24 In
a Baraitha it was taught: On the day that Jeroboam brought the two golden
calves, one into Bethel and the other into Dan, a hut was built, and this
developed into Greek Italy.

Section II

THE PATTERN OF THINGS "ABOVE"

INTRODUCTION
Scripture speaks of several "Temples" in the Bible, all of which are an image of
the Heavenly Temple. The first such representation was the "Tabernacle"
(Mishkan) as first seen in the book of Exodus, beginning in chapter 25. The last
earthly Temple is mention in the book of Ezekiel.

We are told by Ezekiel to study this Temple, as it contains great mysteries about
YHWH and His creation. The Tabernacle/Temple, and its associated priesthood,
feasts, services and implements, is literally a parable, involving elements of both
time and space, given to us by YHWH Himself.

Finally, we have Adonai Himself represented as the "Temple" of New Jerusalem

in Revelation 21:22. It is said that of the 613 commandments given from Elohim
in the Torah, all but 90 have something to do with the Temple. Hence, this is a
critical area of study.

THE PATTERN OF THE TEMPLE

The Bible gives indication that Moses was caught up in the Shekinah of YHWH in
verses such as Exodus 24:15-18. While in the presence of YHWH (in Heaven?)
Moses was shown heavenly items to which he was to use as the pattern for their
earthly counterparts:

Exodus 25:8-9 - "And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among
them. According to the pattern of the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern
of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it."

The book of Hebrews attests to the same thing:

Hebrews 8:5 - "... who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as
Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the Tabernacle. For
He said 'See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the
mountain'."

Extra-Biblical Jewish writings state that the Tabernacle and its

furnishings/implements are indeed an image of what is in heaven:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 149a - "... the structure of the
Tabernacle corresponds to the structure of heaven and earth."

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 231a - "Now, the Tabernacle

below was likewise made after the pattern of the supernal Tabernacle in all its
details. For the Tabernacle in all its works embraced all the works and
achievements of the upper world and the lower, whereby the Shekinah was
made to abide in the world, both in the higher spheres and the lower. Similarly,
the Lower Paradise is made after the pattern of the Upper Paradise, and the
latter contains all the varieties of forms and images to be found in the former.
Hence the work of the Tabernacle, and that of heaven and earth, come under
one and the same mystery."

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 235b - "Now, the lower and
earthly Tabernacle was the counterpart of the upper Tabernacle, whilst the latter
in its turn is the counterpart of a higher Tabernacle, the most high of all. All of
them, however, are implied within each other and form one complete whole, as
it says: "that the tabernacle may be one whole" (Ex. XXVI, 6). The Tabernacle
was erected by Moses, he alone being allowed to raise it up, as only a husband
may raise up his wife. With the erection of the lower Tabernacle there was
erected another Tabernacle on high. This is indicated in the words "the
tabernacle was reared up (hukam)" (Ex. XL, 17), reared up, that is, by the hand
of no man, but as out of the supernal undisclosed mystery in response to the
mystical force indwelling in Moses that it might be perfected with him."

Menacoth 29a - "It was taught: R. Jose b. Judah says, An ark of fire and a table
of fire and a candlestick of fire came down from heaven; and these Moses saw
and reproduced, as it is written, And see that thou make them after their
pattern, which is being shown thee in the mount. Will you then say the same [of
the tabernacle], for it is written, And thou shalt rear up the tabernacle according
to the fashion thereof which hath been shown thee in the mount! — Here it is
written ‘according to the fashion thereof’, whilst there ‘after their pattern’."

b.Hag. 12b - ZEBUL is that in which [the heavenly] Jerusalem and the
[heavenly] Temple and the Alter are built, and Michael, the great Prince, stands
and offers up thereon an offering, for it is said: I have surely built you a house of
habitation [ZEBUL] a place for you to dwell in forever (1Kn. 8:13) And where do
we derive that it is called heaven? For it is written: Look down from heaven, and
see, even from your holy and glorious habitation. (Is. 63:15)

The same concept is found when speaking of the first Temple. Here David
receives the heavenly design idea and passes it along to his son Solomon, whom
YHWH had chosen to do the building:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 164a - Then he began to

expound to them this verse: A song of degrees for Solomon (li-shelomoh). Except
YHWH build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except YHWH guard the
city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Ps. CXXVII, 1-2). Said he: ‘Was it Solomon
who composed this Psalm when he built the Temple? (for li-shelomoh could be
understood to mean "of Solomon"). Not so. It was King David who composed it,
about his son Solomon, when Nathan came to him (David) and told him that
Solomon would build the Temple. Then King David showed unto his son Solomon,
as a model, the celestial prototype of the Temple, and David himself, when he
saw it and all the activities connected with it, as set forth in the celestial idea of
it, sang this psalm concerning his son Solomon.

On a related note, Jewish tradition forbids the construction of a building designed

to look like the Temple, as well as the seven-branched Menorah:

RoshHaShannah 24b - Abaye replied: The Torah forbade only those attendants
of which it is possible to make copies, as it has been taught: A man may not
make a house in the form of the Temple, or an exedra in the form of the Temple
hall, or a court corresponding to the Temple court, or a table corresponding to
the [sacred] table or a candlestick corresponding to the [sacred] candlestick, but
he may make one with five or six or eight lamps, but with seven he should not
make, even of other metals.

Jewish literature has a lot to say about the heavenly Temple, including numerous
references to a mysterious figure known as "Metatron," who is given such an
exalted position, that at times he is even "confused" with YHWH Himself. This
Metatron figure bears a great likeness to Y’shua.

The book of Hebrews (especially chapters 4-8) also alludes to the heavenly
tabernacle and priesthood and how they correspond to the earthly ones. Our
Hebrews study, scheduled for the summer of 2000 will address this in detail.

THE "24 ELDERS"

God gives the arrangement of the tribes, as they were to be grouped around the
Tabernacle, in Numbers, chapters 2. In the following chapter, He goes into
further detail, giving the assignments of the tribes of the three children of Levi as
well as their children (a total of eight grandchildren). The tribes of Levi did not
have a place with the other twelve, rather these children and grandchildren were
placed in the area closest to the Tabernacle. The three children were Merari,
Gershon and Kohath. The eight grandsons of Levi were; Libni, Shimei, Amram,
Izehar, Hebron, Uzziel, Mahli and Mushi (see Numbers 3:17-20).

This resulted in a final total of 24 groups, represented by 24 elders, (all

mentioned by name) who surrounded the Tabernacle. The breakdown is as
follows:

(1) Moses' family

(12) The 12 tribes
(3) The tribes of the 3 sons of Levi
(8) The tribes of the 8 grandsons of Levi

There is an obvious parallel to the book of Revelation:

Revelation 4:4 - "Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the
thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting."

Alternatively, the twenty-four elders could be associated with either the 24

courses of the priesthood that each served twice a year for one week throughout
the year. Some also consider the possibility of them being the heads of the 12
tribes plus the 12 Talmidim (‘taught ones’) of Y’shua (the 12 "apostles.")

As the twelve tribes can be seen in the diagram above surrounding the
tabernacle, so too in Revelation are these tribes part of the "gates" surrounding
New Jerusalem as seen in Revelation:

Revelation 21:12-13 - "Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates,
and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the
children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates
on the south, and three gates on the west."
Note that these are the gates that only those who followed His commandments
(Torah) may pass through (Revelation 22:14).

THE MYSTERY OF THE "ARK OF THE COVENANT"

YHWH's presence would manifest itself above the ark of the covenant, first
mentioned in Exodus 25. YHWH, in his holiness could not reside in this "unclean"
earth, nor in the same fashion with His chosen people after the sin of the golden
calf. Therefore, He had to create a special means for Himself to be manifest
among His people as their atonement.

Midrash Rabbah Exodus 50:4 - Why was the ark-cover called kapporeth?-
Because it made atonement (me-kapper) for Israel.

There is an interesting concept in Judaism that the ark weighed nothing. (It is
said that it actually "carried" its bearers along.) Figuring the dimensions and
construction materials of the ark, and its contents, the weight of it would have
been far too much for the four carriers to bear -- in fact it would have snapped
the poles or broken off the golden rings they passed through!

It is also said that the ark took up no space. The reference below shows that
when they placed the ark in the sanctuary and measured from the sides of the
ark to each wall, the sum of those measurements equalled the distance
measured directly from one wall to the other!

Megilah 10b - R. Levi further said: We have a tradition from our ancestors that
the ark took up no room. It has been taught to the same effect: ‘The ark which
Moses made had round it an [empty] space of ten cubits on every side’. Now it is
written, And in front of the Sanctuary was twenty cubits in length [and twenty
cubits in breadth], and it is also written, And the wing of the one cherub was ten
cubits and the wing of the other cherub was ten cubits. Where then was the ark
itself? We must therefore conclude that it stood by a miracle [without occupying
any room].

All of this would indicate that although it was originally built by human hands,
and it could be seen and touched, the ark was truly "not part of our world," it
resided in "spiritual space."

The Placement of the Tribes and Their Elders

YHWH gives the arrangment of the tribes, as they were to be grouped around the
Tabernacle, in Numbers, chapters 2. In the following chapter, He goes into
further detail, giving the assignments of the tribes of the three children of Levi as
well as their children (a total of eight grandchildren). The tribes of Levi did not
have a place with the other twelve, rather these chidren and grandchildren were
placed in the area closest to the Tabernacle as shown above by the names
Merari, Gershon and Kohath (the three children). Not shown are the names of the
tribes of the eight grandsons of Levi; Libni, Shimei, Amram, Izehar, Hebron,
Uzziel, Mahli and Mushi (see Numbers 3:17-20).

This resulted in a final total of 24 groups, represented by 24 elders, (all

mentioned by name) who surrounded the Tabernacle. The breakdown is as
follows:

(1) Moses' family

(12) The 12 tribes
(3) The tribes of the 3 sons of Levi
(8) The tribes of the 8 grandsons of Levi

METATRON
(Last updated 6/23/00)

Jewish literature has a lot to say about the heavenly Tabernacles/Temples,

including numerous references to a mysterious figure known as Metatron, who
is given such an exalted position, that at times he is even associated with God
Himself.

In the Soncino Zohar glossary, Metatron is given the following two definitions:

• The chief of the Chieftains, the power charged with the sustenance of
mankind

• The head of the "world of creation," called also the "servant" or the "body"
of the Shekinah

As seen in the citations below, Metatron also bears a great likeness to Y’shua in
that:

• The heavenly Temple is His

• He is compared to Joshua and to God

• He teaches Jews the mysteries of the Torah

• He performs an atoning work for Israel

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page I43a - ‘This song King Solomon
poured forth when the Temple was erected and all the worlds, above and below,
had reached their perfect consummation. And although concerning the exact
time of its singing there is some difference of opinion among the members of the
Fellowship, we may be certain that it was not sung until that time of absolute
completion, when the Moon-the Shekinah-came to her fulness and was revealed
in the full perfection of her radiance, and when the Temple had been erected in
the likeness of the Temple that is above. The Holy One, blessed be He, then
experienced such joy as He had not known since the creation of the world. When
Moses set up the Tabernacle in the wilderness, another such was raised in the
heavenly spheres, as we learn from the words: "And it came to pass... that the
Tabernacle was reared up", the reference being to the other Tabernacle, to that
which was above, namely the Tabernacle of the "Young Man", Metatron,
and nothing greater. But when the first Temple was completed another Temple
was erected at the same time, which was the centre for all the worlds, shedding
radiance upon all things and giving light to all the spheres. Then the world was
firmly established, and all the supernal casements were opened to pour forth
light, and all the worlds experienced such joy as had never been known to them
before, and celestial and terrestrial beings alike broke forth in song. And the
song which they sang is the "Song of Songs", or, as we might render, "Song of
the Singers", of those musicians who chant to the Holy One, blessed be He.

The following section would indicate that there are in fact two heavenly
tabernacles (in addition to the earthly one):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 159a - ‘From this we see that the
Holy One, blessed be He, actually gave Moses all the arrangements and all the
shapes of the Tabernacle, each in its appropriate manner, and that he saw
Metatron ministering to the High Priest within it. It may be said that, as the
Tabernacle above was not erected until the Tabernacle below had been
completed, that "youth" (Metatron) could not have served above before
Divine worship had taken place in the earthly Tabernacle. It is true that
the Tabernacle above was not actually erected before the one below; yet Moses
saw a mirroring of the whole beforehand, and also Metatron, as he would be
later when all was complete. The Holy One said to him: "Behold now, the
Tabernacle and the ‘Youth’; all is held in suspense until the Tabernacle below
shall have been built." It should not be thought, however, that Metatron himself
ministers; the fact is, that the Tabernacle belongs to him, and Michael,
the High Priest, it is that serves there, within the Metatron's
Tabernacle, mirroring the function of the Supernal High Priest above, serving
within that other Tabernacle, that hidden one which never is revealed, which is
connected with the mystery of the world to come. There are two celestial
Tabernacles: the one, the supernal concealed Tabernacle, and the
other, the Tabernacle of the Metatron. And there are also two priests: the
one is the primeval Light, and the other Michael, the High Priest below.

In this next section, Metatron is compare to Joshua (much the same as Y’shua
often is) as well as to God Himself:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 164a - Then he began to

expound to them this verse: A song of degrees for Solomon (li-shelomoh). Except
the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord guard
the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Ps. CXXVII, 1-2). Said he: ‘Was it
Solomon who composed this Psalm when he built the Temple? (for li-shelomoh
could be understood to mean "of Solomon"). Not so. It was King David who
composed it, about his son Solomon, when Nathan came to him (David) and told
him that Solomon would build the Temple. Then King David showed unto his son
Solomon, as a model, the celestial prototype of the Temple, and David himself,
when he saw it and all the activities connected with it, as set forth in the
celestial idea of it, sang this psalm concerning his son Solomon. There is also yet
another interpretation, namely, that "for Solomon" (li-shelomoh) refers to Him
"whose is the peace" (shalom), and this psalm is a hymn above all hymns, which
ascends higher than all. "Except the Lord build the house": King David saw all
the seven pillars upon which that house, the Universe, stands-for they stand row
upon row-and above them all is the Master of the House, who advances with
them, giving them power and strength, to each in turn. It is concerning this that
King David said: "Except the King, whose is the peace, and who is the Master of
the House, build the house, they labour in vain that build it"-that is to say, the
pillars. Except the Lord-the King, whose is the peace-guard the city, "the
watchman waketh but in vain". This is the pillar upon which the Universe stands,
namely the "Righteous" who keeps waking guard over the City. The Tabernacle
which Moses constructed had Joshua for its wakeful and constant
guard; for he alone guarded it who is called the "young man", namely
Joshua, of whom it says: "Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man,
departed not out of the Tent" (Ex. XXXIII, 11). Later in its history it was
another "young man" who guarded it, namely Samuel (I Sam. 1l, I8), for
the Tabernacle could be guarded only by a youth. The Temple,
however, was guarded by the Holy One Himself, as it is written, "Except
the Lord guard the City, the watchman waketh but in vain". And who is
the watchman? The "young man", Metatron. And you, holy saints, ye
are not guarded as the Tabernacle was guarded, but as the Temple was
guarded, namely, by the Holy One Himself; for, whenever the righteous are
on a journey the Holy One guards them continually, as it is written: "The Lord
shall keep thy going out and thy coming in from now and forever" (Ps. CXXI, 9).’
Then they accompanied him on his journey for a distance of three miles, and,
parting from him, returned to their own way, and they were moved to quote
these words concerning him. "For he shall give his angels charge over thee to
keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands" (Ps. XCI, 11,
I2); and "Thy father shall be glad and thy mother rejoice" (Prov. XXIII, 25).

Here Metatron teaches the mysteries of Torah, something associated in Judaism

to the Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 169b - Then they all rejoiced for
that whole day in the words of the Torah, and the inhabitants of the town
appointed the young man to be their head. On the next day R. Jose and R. Hiya
rose and blessed them all, and departed on their way. As they came near to R.
Simeon, he lifted up his eyes, and seeing them, said: ‘To-day did I behold you
with the eyes of the spirit, and I saw that ye dwelt for two days and a night in the
Tabernacle of that Youth, Metatron, and the Youth taught you of the
supernal mysteries in the joy of the Torah. Blessed are ye, my children!’
When they had told him all that had happened to them, he said: ‘Happy are ye,
and happy is my lot, for well do I recollect the day when his father, Rab Saphra,
accompanied me on my way, and when I parted from him I blessed him with this
blessing-that he might have a son who should be a scholar, but not that he
himself should live to see it. Happy, my children, is your lot! Concerning you it is
written: "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord" (Isa. LIV, 13). There is,
however, another interpretation of this verse. Does God teach all the children of
the Israelites the Torah? Yes, indeed, for when these little ones learn, the
Shekinah comes and lends to each of them power and energy to study; for
without the help of the Holy One the strain on these babes would be too great.’

In Midrash Rabbah we find reference to Metatron and the two Tabernacles, as

well as His performing acts of atonement:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:12 - When the Holy One, blessed be He, told
Israel to set up the Tabernacle He intimated to the ministering angels that they
also should make a Tabernacle, and when the one below was erected the other
was erected on high. The latter was the tabernacle of the youth whose
name was Metatron, and therein he offers up the souls of the righteous
to atone for Israel in the days of their exile. The reason then why it is
written ETH THE TABERNACLE is because another tabernacle was erected
simultaneously with it. In the same strain it says, The place, O Lord, which Thou
hast made for Thee to dwell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have
established (Ex. XV, I7).
Lastly, there is a very interesting connection made between Moses' rod and
Metatron:

Soncino Zohar, Bershith, Section 1, Page 27a - Similarly of Moses it is

written, "And the staff of God was in his hand." This rod is Metatron, from one
side of whom comes life and from the other death."

MELCHIZEDEK AND THE HEAVENLY PRIESTHOOD

As the Tabernacle, Temple and their implements are modeled after heavenly
examples, so too is the priesthood itself. Extra-Biblical Jewish sources speak of a
heavenly priesthood around Melchizedek, who is closely associated with Shem,
the son of Noah.

Mas. Nedarim 32b - R. Zechariah said on R. Ishmael's authority: The Holy One,
blessed be He, intended to bring forth the priesthood from Shem, as it is written,
And he [sc. Melchizedek] was the priest of the most high God. But because he
gave precedence in his blessing to Abraham over God, He brought it forth from
Abraham; as it is written, And he blessed him and said. Blessed be Abram of the
most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the most high
God. Said Abraham to him, ‘Is the blessing of a servant to be given precedence
over that of his master?’ Straightway it [the priesthood] was given to Abraham,
as it is written, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I
make thine enemies thy footstool; which is followed by, The Lord hath sworn,
and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,’
meaning, ‘because of the words of Melchizedek.’ Hence it is written, And he was
a priest of the most High God, [implying that] he was a priest, but not his seed.

The priesthood of Melchizedek is traced back to Adam. There is a teaching that

the firstborn of each family was originally in the role of priest. Following the sin
of the golden calf, this priesthood was tainted and given over to the Levites. This
is also taught in the book of Hebrews.

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers IV:8 - TAKE THE LEVITES, etc. (III, 45). Our Rabbis
have said: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, order the firstborn Israelites to
be redeemed by means of the Levites? Because originally, before the tribe of
Levi arose, the firstborn performed the sacrificial service. As our Rabbis have
learned: Before the Tabernacle was erected the high places were permitted and
the sacrificial service was performed by the firstborn. From the moment when
the Tabernacle was erected the high places were forbidden and the service was
confined to the priests. There is proof that the firstborn offered the sacrifices
before the tribe of Levi took office. Go back to the beginning of the creation of
the world. Adam was the world's firstborn. When he offered his sacrifice, as it
says: And it pleased the Lord better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs (Ps.
LXIX, 32) - he donned high priestly garments; as it says: And the Lord God made
for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them (Gen. III, 21).
They were robes of honour which subsequent firstborn used. When Adam died
he transmitted them to Seth. Seth transmitted them to Methusaleh. When
Methusaleh died he transmitted them to Noah. Noah arose and offered a
sacrifice; as it says: And he took of every clean beast... and offered burnt-
offerings on the altar (Gen. VIII, 20). Noah died and transmitted them to Shem.
But was Shem a firstborn? Japheth, surely, was the firstborn; as it says: Shem...
the brother of Japheth the elder1 (Gen. X, 21)! Why then did he hand them on to
Shem? Because Noah foresaw that the line of the patriarchs would issue from
him. There is proof that Shem offered sacrifices; since it says: And
Melchizedek, king of Salem * brought forth bread and wine; and he was priest
of God the Most High (Gen. XIV, 18). Now was it to him that the priesthood was
given? The priesthood, surely, was not given to any man until Aaron arose. What
then is the meaning of the statement here, ‘and he was priest’? Because he
offered sacrifices like priests. Shem died and handed it on to Abraham. But was
Abraham a firstborn?5 The fact is that because he was a righteous man the
birthright was transferred to him, and he offered sacrifices; as it says: And
offered him up for a buntt-offerteg in the stead of his son (Gen. XXII, 13).
Abraham died and handed it on to Isaac. Isaac arose and handed it on to Jacob.
But was Jacob a firstborn? No; but you find that Jacob prudently took it [the
birthright] from Esau. He said to him: Sell me first thy birthright (Gen. XXV, 31).
Do you suppose perhaps that it was for no good reason that Jacob asked Esau to
sell him the birthright? No! Jacob wished to offer sacrifices and could not,
because he was not the firstborn. Said Esau: ‘What can I expect of this
birthright? ' As it says: Behold I am at the point to die; and what profit shall the
birthright do to me?

* Identified with Shem (footnote from Soncino Midrash Rabbah)

The Zohar has something to say about Melchizedek as well:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 87a - AND MELCHIZEDEK KING

OF SALEM BROUGHT FORTH BREAD AND WINE. R. Simeon adduced here the text
"In Salem also is his tabernacle" (Ps. LXXVI, 3). He said: ‘When God decided to
create the world, He first produced a flame of a scintillating lamp. He blew spark
against spark, causing darkness and fire, and produced from the recesses of the
abyss a certain drop which He joined with the flame, and from the two He
created the world. The flame ascended and encircled itself with the Left, and the
drop ascended and encircled itself with the Right. They then crossed and
changed places, going up and down alternately until they were closely
interlocked, and there issued from between them a full wind. Then those two
sides were made one, and the wind was set between them and they were
entwined with one another, and so there was harmony above and harmony
below; the grade was firmly established, the letter he was crowned with vau and
vau with he, and so he ascended and was joined in a perfect bond. This is
alluded to in the words "Melchizedek (lit. king of righteousness) king of Salem"
(lit. completeness), i.e. the king who rules with complete sovereignty. When is he
completely king? On the Day of Atonement, when all faces are illumined.
According to another explanation, "Melchizedek" alludes to the lower world, and
"king of Salem" to the upper world; and the verse indicates that both are
intertwined inseparably, two worlds like one, so that the lower world also is the
whole, and the whole is one. "Brought forth bread and wine": signifying that both
of these are in it. AND HE WAS PRIEST OF GOD MOST HIGH: i.e. one world
ministers to the other. "Priest" refers to the Right, and "Most High God,’ to the
upper world; and hence a priest is required to bless the world. For this lower
world receives blessings when it is associated with a High Priest; hence there is a
special force in the words "and he blessed him and said, Blessed is Abram to the
Most High God". After this model it behoves the priest on earth to intertwine his
fingers when blessing in the synagogue in order that he may be linked with the
Right and that the two worlds may be linked together. BLESSED IS ABRAM. The
words of the text are a prototype of the formula of blessing (used by the
Israclites). "Blessed is Abram" (in the sense we have given to it) corresponds to
"blessed art Thou ". "To the Most High God" corresponds to "O Lord our God".
"Possessor of heaven and earth" corresponds to "king of the universe. Further,
AND HE BLESSED HIM indicates the course of blessing from below to above;
BLESSED IS THE MOST HIGH GOD indicates from above to below. AND HE GAVE
HIM A TENTH OF ALL: so that he should cleave to the place where the link was
formed with the lower world.’

As they were going along they came across R. Yesa and a certain Judean with
him who was explaining the text "To David: Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my
soul" (Ps. XXV, 1). He said: ‘Why is the inscription of this psalm simply "to David"
and not "A Psalm of David"? It is because the real meaning is "for the sake of
David", i.e. of his grade. "Unto thee, O Lord", i.e. upward-striving; "my soul", i.e.
David himself, his original grade; "I lift up": to wit, I cause to ascend, since David
was ever striving to rise to a higher grade and to link himself to it firmly.
Similarly it was for the sake of his grade that David uttered the words "To David:
Bless the Lord, O my soul" (where the word eth indicates his desire to be linked
above) "and all that is within me bless his holy name" (Ps. CIII, 1), referring to
the "beasts of the field" which are called "inwards".’ Said R. Eleazar to R. Yesa, ‘I
see that you have come in company with the Shekinah.’ He said, "Assuredly it is
so. I have been walking with him three parasangs, and he has told me ever so
many excellent things. I hired him as a porter, not knowing that he was the
shining light which I have discovered him to be.’ R. Eleazar then said to the man,
‘What is your name?’ He said: ‘Joezer’. Whereupon he said: ‘Let Joezer and
Eleazar sit together.’ So they sat down on a rock in that field. The Judean then
commenced to discourse on the text I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy
transgressions, for mine own sake, and thy sins I will not remember (Is. XLIII, 25).
He said: ‘The word "I" occurs here twice: once in reference to Sinai (cf. "I am the
Lord thy God", Ex. XX, 2), and the other in reference to the creation of the world
(cf. "I have made the earth and created man upon it", Is. XLV, 12), to show that
there is no division between the upper and lower worlds. "That blotteth out thy
transgressions": not merely removing them, so that they shall never be seen
more. "For mine own sake": i.e. for the sake of the mercy which I dispense, as it
is written, "For the Lord thy God is a merciful God" (Deut. IV, 31). Another
explanation of the words"that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake"
is as follows. Sinners in this world impair the influence of the upper world, for
when they sin, mercy and the supernal light depart, and the stream of blessing
does not descend to this world, and this grade (of mercy) does not take up the
blessings from above in order to convey them to the lower world. Hence God
acts "for His own sake", in order that the stream of blessing should not be
withheld. Similarly it is written, "See now that I, I am he" (Deut. XXXII, 39), to
show that there is no division between the upper and the lower. See now, in this
way, when there are righteous men in the world, blessings are sent to all worlds.
When Abram came, blessings were sent to the world, as it is written, "And I shall
bless thee, and be thou a blessing, i.e. that blessing should be found both above
and below for his sake. When Isaac came he taught the world that there is a
judge executing judgement above to punish the wicked, and he invoked justice
upon the world in order that its inhabitants might fear God. When Jacob came he
obtained mercy for the world and perfected men's faith in God. Hence in the
days of Abram MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM (salem=completeness), i.e. God
whose throne was then established in its place and whose sovereignty therefore
became complete, BROUGHT OUT BREAD AND WINE, i.e. produced the
appropriate food for the whole world, and did not withhold blessing from all the
worlds; from the upper grades He brought forth food and blessings for all the
worlds. AND HE WAS A PRIEST TO THE MOST HIGH GOD, the whole thus being in
the most perfect order; to show that as the wicked upset the world and cause
blessing to be withheld, so the righteous bring blessing to the world and for their
sakes all its inhabitants are blessed. AND HE GAVE HIM A TENTH OF ALL, to wit,
of those blessings which issue from "all", the source of all the blessings which
descend upon the world.

The subject of the Melchizedek priesthood will be covered in greater detail in our
study on the book of Hebrews beginning later this year. An excellent study on
Hebrews may be found at www.nazarene.net. It provides information such as
this:

Sha’ul identifies Y’shua with the Melchizadek figure in Ps. 110:4. While the
Talmud identifies Melchizadek as a son of Shem (b.Nedarim 32b) the Qumran
community had a more mystical view. In a document found among the Dead Sea
Scrolls (11Q13) Melchizadek is presented as a future Messianic figure who would
redeem those that are his. This Melchizadek is called in the Qumran document
"El" and "Elohim," moreover Is. 61:1-2 is quoted in reference to him with
"Melchizadek" substituted for YHWH. The redemption of this Melchizadek figure
is also tied, in the Qumran text to the Day of Atonement. It is also significant that
the Qumran community believed in two Messiah's "the Messiahs of Aaron and
Israel" (1Qs 9:10-11) A priestly Messiah and a kingly Messiah.

THE HIGH PRIEST ANOINTED FOR WAR

A subject not mentioned in most Bible studies, is that of the "second High Priest,"
who was called the (High) Priest Anointed for War. Scripture only gives a brief
non-specific mention to this person and his role:

Deuteronomy 20:1-3: When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies,
and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of
them: for YHWH thy Elohim is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt. And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest
shall approach and speak unto the people, And shall say unto them, Hear, O
Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts
faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them.

This High Priest did not serve in the Tabernacle/Temple as did the High Priest we
read much more about in the Tenakh. Rather, his assignment centered around
the caring and preparedness of the men going to battle -- to assure they were
prepared physically and spiritually, even sending home those he deemed unfit to
fight.

The first Priest anointed for war that we find mention of, was Phineas, the
grandson of Aaron:

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XX:2 - Elisheba the daughter of Amminadab did

not enjoy happiness in the world. True, she witnessed five crowns [attained by
her relatives] in one day: her brother-in-law was a king, her brother was a prince,
her husband was High Priest, her two sons were both Deputy High Priests,
Phinehas her grandson was a Priest anointed for war.

Talmud - Mas. Sotah 43a - Thus it states: And Moses sent them, a thousand of
every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas* — ‘them’ refers to the Sanhedrin;
‘Phinehas’ was the [priest] Anointed for Battle;

* Num. XXXI, 6.

Elsewhere in Midrash Rabbah (below) we find reference to the same person, this
time called, "the War Messiah." What is interesting here is the footnote, which
links the Priest Anointed for War to the coming Messiah. This is especially
significant regarding Yeshua, as the first time He came as the Temple High Priest
(in order to be the final Yom Kippur sacrifice for sin) whereas He will return the
second time as the "War Messiah" to smite His enemies (i.e., Isaiah 59:17 where
He wears the "garments of vengeance."):

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs II:33 - MY BELOVED SPOKE AND SAID
UNTO ME. He spoke through Elijah and said through the Messiah. What did he
say to me? RISE UP, MY LOVE, MY FAIR ONE, AND COME AWAY. R. Azariah said:
FOR LO, THE WINTER (HA-SETHAW) IS PAST: this refers to the kingdom of the
Cutheans which seduces (mesithah) the world and leads it astray by its
falsehoods, as we read, If thy brother, the son of thy mother, entice thee--
yesitheka (Deut. XIII, 7). THE RAIN IS OVER AND GONE: this refers to the
subjection of Israel. THE FLOWERS APPEAR ON THE EARTH: the conquerors have
appeared on the earth. Who are they? R. Berekiah said in the name of R. Isaac:
As it is written, And the Lord showed me four craftsmen (Zech. II, 3), namely,
Elijah, the Messiah, Melchizedek, and the War Messiah.* THE TIME OF THE
ZAMIR IS COME: the time has come for Israel to be delivered; the time has come
for uncircumcision to be cut off; the time has come for the kingdom of the
Cutheans to expire; the time has come for the kingdom of heaven to be
revealed, as it says, And the Lord shall be king over all the earth (ib. XIV, 9). AND
THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE IS HEARD IN OUR LAND: Who is this? This is the voice
of the Messiah

* Lit.,the priest anointed for war’, an expression originally applied to the priest
who accompanied the troops. Cf. Suk. 52a, where instead of ' War Messiah ' we
have ' Messiah son of Joseph’. The two are probably identical, Messiah the son of
Joseph being regarded as the forerunner of the Messiah during the wars that will
precede his advent.

The grouping of Elijah, the Messiah, Melchizedek, and the War Messiah together
(in the above section), is also interesting as the last three are linked to Y’shua,
who was and again will be preceded by Elijah the prophet.

There are distinctions made in Talmud between the two High Priests. As might be
expected, the Temple High Priest is given a higher "rank" than his counterpart.
However the following section of the Talmud, shows distinctions drawn between
the Deputy Temple High Priest and the High Priest Anointed for War, with the
former taking precendent regarding issues of defilement, but the latter's life
being considered more important (if one had to choose between the two of
them) as he has a responsibility to many people:

Talmud - Mas. Nazir 47b - The question was propounded: As between [the
High Priest] anointed for a war, and the deputy [High Priest], which is of superior
sanctity? Does the [High Priest] anointed for war take precedence, because he is
qualified to go to war, or does the deputy take precedence, because he is
qualified to perform the Temple service?* — Come and hear: For it has been
taught: The only difference between a [High Priest] anointed for war and a
deputy is that if they were both walking by the way and encountered a meth
mizwah, the [High Priest] anointed for war is to defile himself, but not the
deputy. But has it not been taught: A [High Priest] anointed for war takes
precedence of a deputy? — Mar Zutra replied: As far as saving his life is
concerned, the [High Priest] anointed for war has a superior claim for many
[people] depend upon him, but as regards defilement, the deputy is of superior
sanctity, as has been taught: R. Hanina b. Antigonus said that the reason the
office of deputy to the High Priest was created, was that should any
disqualification happen to him [the High Priest], he can enter and minister in his
stead.

* But once a priest had been anointed for war, he could no longer take part in the
Temple service.

THE PRIESTLY GARMENTS

In chapter 28 of Exodus we have God's instruction concerning the priesthood and

the garments of the priest. These garments themselves contain a great deal of
meaning, some of it easily understood through Scripture and some of it less so.
Of particular interest are the garments of the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) worn
only on the feast of Yom Kippur. Whereas the regular attire of the High Priest was
made up of eight separate garments, on Yom Kippur He would wear only four
garments, all of them white.

The feast of Yom Kippur has a definite connection to the events in the book of
Revelation that usher in the New Covenant. The book of Hebrews offers a lot of
insight into Y’shua's role as High Priest and as the final Yom Kippur salvation
sacrifice. (This will be part of our Hebrews study later this year.)

Isaiah shows that God Himself dresses as a High Priest for the dual purpose of
atonement for faithful Israel and judgment for adulteress Israel and the nations:

Isaiah 59:15-17 - Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh
himself a prey: and YHWH saw it, and it displeased him that there was no
judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no
intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness,
it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an
helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of
vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

At the same time His garments are red with the blood of judgment. There is a
connection between the garments of vengeance and the Lord's Day of
vengeance:

Isaiah 63:1-6 - Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments
from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of
his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art
thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in
the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there
was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my
fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will
stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the
year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and
I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought
salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in
mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their
strength to the earth.

The language is the same as found in Revelation 14:14-20 and 19:11-15:

Revelation 14:14-20 - And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the
cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and
in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with
a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the
time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat
on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And
another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp
sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire;
and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy
sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are
fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine
of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of
the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six
hundred furlongs.

Revelation 19:11-15 - And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he
doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were
many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The
Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule
them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness
and wrath of Almighty God.

Using Hillel's second rule of interpretation, Gezerah Shavah, (where similar

terminology is used in different verses and it follows that the same
considerations apply to both), we see that Isaiah was speaking of Yeshua as well.

THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM

Sacrifices were offered before the first Tabernacle was built. Sacrifices were
offered by: Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses.

• According to Midrash, Adam repented of his sin and God showed him how
to reconcile himself through the sacrifice of an ox.

• Abel sacrificed one of his best sheep as a freewill offering to God.

• Noah took 7 pair of each clean animal onto the ark, enabling him to have
enough to sacrifice with.

• Abraham built 4 altars and sacrificed on them.

• Isaac built one altar.

• Jacob built two altars.

• Moses sacrificed before the Tabernacle was built. Once after a battle
against Amalek, and also at the foot of Mount Sinai before the giving of
the Torah.

In Judaism, it is taught then when a Jew sins against God, Satan in heaven
demands of
God to "take away the soul" of the sinner. God replies that he accepts the
sacrifice in place of the sinner’s death. When the sinner truly repents, God
accepts the sacrifice of the animal.
Only peaceful animals are allowed for sacrifice – ox, sheep, goats, pigeons and
turtledoves, and only healthy strong ones are taken.

All sacrifices – animal or flour – were salted.

There are five kinds of sacrifices:

1. Olah / The offering that is completely burnt

2. Mincha / The flour offering

3. Shelamim / The peace offering

4. Chatat / The sin offering

5. Asham / The trespass offering

The first three of these are free will offerings a Jew could bring to God any time
they wished. The last two were required whenever a Jew sinned.

OLAH

An unblemished male; either a bull, ram or goat was used if a person was able to
afford one. The owner would bring the animal to the Temple courtyard. He would
then lean over the animal, place his hands on the animal’s head and confess the
sins for which he was bringing in the offering. Two cohanim were present; one to
hand the knife to him and the other to catch the blood. After making a
confession over the animal’s head, the person making the offering would then
take the knife and cut the throat of the animal. The blood was collected and was
sprinkled on the four corners of the alter. The organs of the animal were then
removed and washed along with the rest of the body. The body and its organs
were then burnt whole upon the altar. If a person could not afford to bring these
animals then he could bring instead a turtledove or pigeon. The bird was brought
to the cohen who killed the bird by pinching off the back of its neck. None of this
offering was eaten. It also functioned to forgive sins:

• For wrong thoughts

• For failing to fulfill some mitzva of the Torah

• For sins that can be corrected by performing a mitzva

MINCHA (Gift)

If a person was so poor that he could not even afford a bird then he could bring
Mincha offering (Mincha means gift). The Mincha offering was an offering of flour,
about 5 lbs. The flour was placed in a special pan into which some oil had been
poured. More oil was poured over the flour and mixed with a sweet spice. The
pan was then handed to the cohen who brought the pan to the alter where it was
measured out, three hands full, which was burnt on the alter. The flour was not
allowed to rise, could not be sweetened and must be salted. The person offering
this sacrifice eats none of his offering. The priests do eat the leftovers. It was
taught that when the priests eat of this sacrifice, God forgave the sins of Israel.

There was also another Mincha done by the priest once in his lifetime prior to his
beginning service in the Temple in order to prepare him. This one was
completely burnt and not eaten. The High Priest also offered a Mincha for himself
every day. This would direct his thoughts to YHWH and make him worthy to ask
for forgiveness of Israel’s sins.

SHELAMIM (Peace offering)

The Shelamim, or peace offering was not brought to atone for sin, but instead to
express happiness and gratitude to God. An ox or cow, ram or female sheep
were used as an offering. They were slaughtered in the same fashion as the
Olah, except the person would give thanks to YHWH and sing praises when he
laid his hands on the animal’s head. The blood that was collected was sprinkled
on the four corners of the altar. Part of the animal was burned on the altar while
the owner and the cohanim ate the rest. This sacrifice was also offered whenever
Elohim rescued you from a dangerous situation (Shalmay Toda) specifically:

• Recovering from a serious illness

• Crossing the desert safely

• Returning safely from an ocean voyage

• Freed from prison

CHATAT (Sin offering)

The chatat was slaughtered on the north side of the altar – same place as the
Olah, possibly to not embarrass the sinner.) This was required for sin done "by
mistake," i.e.,

• A person did not know the Torah’s commandment (i.e., they did not know
they should not work on the Sabbath.) Ignorance of Torah is not an excuse
to YHWH.

• A person is mistaken about some facts related to the above (i.e., they did
not know that it was Shabbat that day.) Neither is negligence is not an
excuse with YHWH.

ASHAM (Trespass offering)

There are six reasons for offering an Asham:

• When a person steals

• When a person misuses Temple items

• When a person has uncertainty about possibly committing a sin

• For the High Priest who sinned

 • For when the Sanhedrin sins

• For when the King sins

THE SALVATION SACRIFICE OF YOM KIPPUR

The sacrifice of Yom Kippur is separate and distinct from all the other sacrifices
offered during the year. While the others reconciled the sinner on a day to day
basis with Adonai, Yom Kippur is the day that Adonai would forgive all the sins
of all the people in every generation – in essence this was their salvation
sacrifice.

Yom Kippur is the only time that the High Priest would enter into the presence of
God in the Holy of Holies, doing this four times in all that day. He would remove
four of his eight garments – all those with gold – and enter only with four white
linen garments. He would change his clothes five times, dipping himself in a
Mikveh each time.

Special offerings were made in addition to the regular ones:

• An offering for all the people paid for with public funds (Korban Mussaf)

• The High Priest’s personal sacrifice paid for with his own money

• The two goats – one sacrificed to Hashem and the other sent to Alazel
after all the sins of the people were "placed" upon it

The High priest would turn to the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Holy
of Holies, and sprinkled the blood of the bull sacrifice one time upward, then
seven times downward. He would repeat this process with the blood of the goat
sacrifice one time upward, then seven times downward.

He then entered the Holy of Holies, took blood from the bull and the goat and put
some on the four corners of the threshing floor. He also sprinkled this on the
altar, repeating the process of sprinkling once upwards, then seven times
downward.

The miracles/signs that took place, showing God’s approval and forgiveness:

• Drawing of lots always produced "LaHashem" in the right hand

• The red ribbon tied to the scapegoat always turned white

• The Center light of the Menora always burned until morning

• Fire on the copper altar never went out even when it wasn’t properly
stoked

• Priests felt full even after eating only a small part of the offerings

• The smoke of the incense offering would fill the Holy of Holies
The Talmud however, records that many of these miracles ceased to occur about
40 years before the destruction of the second Temple, and never returned. This
of course coincides with the time of the death of Yeshua:

Yoma 39b - During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the
lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-
coloured strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine; and the doors
of the Hekal would open by themselves, until R. Johanan b. Zakkai rebuked
them, saying: Hekal, Hekal, why wilt thou be the alarmer thyself? I know about
thee that thou wilt be destroyed, for Zechariah ben Ido has already prophesied
concerning thee: Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy
cedars.

SACRIFICES IN EZEKIEL'S TEMPLE

Burnt offerings, Meat (Meal) offerings, Peace offerings, Sin offerings, Drink
offerings and Trespass offerings all continue in Ezekiel's temple on a daily basis
and during the remaining festivals. These are literal sacrifices. The common
interpretation is that these are performed as memorials or remembrances. The
reason this is taught is because the literal sacrifices does not fit into standard
Christian theology, which teaches that Jesus (Y’shua) took all sacrifices away.

The scriptures are very clear however about what things are done as memorials
and remembrances.

The following scripture verses show what are done as memorials:

• Exodus 3:15; 12:14; 13:9; 17:14; 28:12, 29; 30:16; 39:7

• Leviticus 2:2, 16; 5:12; 6:15; 23:24; 24:7

• Numbers 5:15, 18, 26; 10:10; 16:40; 31:54

• Joshua 4:7; Nehemiah 2:20; Esther 9:28; Psalms 9:6; 135:13; Hosea 12:5;
Zechariah 6:14

• Matthew 26:13; Mark 14:9; Acts 10:4

Likewise the following scriptures show what are done as remembrances:

• Exodus 17:14; Numbers 5:15; Deuteronomy 25:19; 32:26

• 2 Samuel 18:18; 1 Kings 17:18; Job 13:12; 18:17

• Psalms 6:5; 30:4; 34:16; 38:1; 70:1; 77:6; 83:4; 97:12; 102:12; 112:6

• Ecclesiastes 1:11; 2:16; Isaiah 26:8; 43:26; 57:8; Lamentations 3:20

• Ezekiel 21:23-24; 23:19, 21; 29;16; Malachi 3:16

• Mark 11:21; Luke 1:54; 22:19; John 14:26; Acts 10:31; 1 Corinthians 4:17;
11:24-25;
 • Philippians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 3:6; 1 Timothy 4:6; 2 Timothy 1:3, 5, 6;
2:14

• Hebrews 10:3, 32, 2 Peter 1:12, 13, 15; 3:1; Jude 1:5, Revelation 16:19

The word "memorial" does not appear at all in the book of Ezekiel. The word
"remembrance" does appear in the book of Ezekiel but not in the last nine
chapters which describe Ezekiel's temple. Since it is Ezekiel that sets the
standard (through this vision from YHWH) as to what is to be done and how it is
to be done, anything that says anything different is to be rejected.

Ezekiel tells us why these sacrifices are to be performed:

Ezekiel 45:17 (KJV) - And it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, and
meat offerings, and drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and in
the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin
offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt offering, and the peace offerings,
to make reconciliation for the house of Israel.

Here it is made very plain that these sacrifices are to be performed to make
reconciliation. They are not performed as memorials or remembrances.

What is not understood by most people is that there are apparently two levels of
atonement: a higher Atonement of Salvation (the Yom Kippur sacrifice that
Y’shua fulfilled on Pesakh), and a lower atonement of Reconciliation which will
not be fulfilled until after His Millennial reign.

You may read in Hebrews 10:3 the following verse: "But in those sacrifices there
is a remembrance again made of sins every year." The context in which this is
written is the Yom Kippur sacrifice. This will be addressed in detail in our
upcoming Hebrews study.

Daily Offerings

In Exodus 29:38-42 and Numbers 28:3-10 it says that two lambs of a year old are
to be offered as sacrifices every day; one in the morning and one in the evening.
Curiously, in Ezekiel's temple only ONE lamb is to be offered every day; in the
morning (Ezekiel 46:13-15). Perhaps the "other lamb" (Yeshua) is there with
them every day in place of this one lamb?

Half Shekel Tax

This was given as a support for the temple and as a ransom (or redemption
price) for the souls of those twenty years and older, particularly those who would
go to war. For both reasons this will no longer be necessary in the Millennium.

Nazarite Vow (Numbers 6:1-21)

During the time a Nazarite has his vow he is to abstain from:

• Anything made from grapes

 • Cutting his hair

When the days of his separation are fulfilled he is to:

• Offer a year old male lamb for a burnt offering

• Offer a year old female lamb for a sin offering

• Offer one ram for peace offerings

• Offer a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil,
and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat (meal)
offerings, and their drink offerings.

• Shave his head at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and burn
it under the peace offering.

The apostle Paul (Shaul, pronounced Shah-ool) undertook two such vows:

Acts 18:18 - And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his
leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and
Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

"Having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow" describes a Nazarite
vow. The difficulty here is that he shaved his head in Cenchrea, not at the
temple. However, the Mishnah (a Jewish commentary on the Torah) says in Nazir
2:5 that a fellow Nazarite may take the hair of another Nazarite to Jerusalem and
offer it in his stead. Whether this is what happened here or not is uncertain.

In Acts 21:20-28 it is said that there was a report that Shaul was teaching the
Jews living amongst the Gentiles to forsake Moshe and the Torah. Knowing this
report to be false the Messianic Jews in Jerusalem told Shaul to take with him
four men who had taken a Nazarite vow and to pay their expenses so they could
fulfill their vows. At this point he could have disavowed having anything to do
with Torah by refusing to do as they asked. But, he didn't. He paid their
expenses willingly in order to prove that the report had been false.

Apparently, however, Shaul did not take a vow for himself but just paid their
expenses which is no small matter for four men. Unfortunately, this process was
interrupted when the other Jews rioted after recognizing him and having heard
the same false report.

http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/rev2g.htm

Comparison of Past and Millennial

Temples
 Second Ezekiel's Millennial
Description Tabernacle First Temple
Temple Temple
T H E A P P O I N T E D F E S T I V A L S
Shabbat (Sabbath) X X X X
Pesakh (Passover) X X X X
Unleavened Bread X X X ?
Bikkurim (Firstfruits) X X X
Shavuot (Pentecost) X X X
Rosh HaShannah X X X First month (Nisan) ?
Yom Kippur (Day of
X X X
Atonement)
Succot (Tabernacles) X X X X
Sabbatical Year X X X ?
Year of Jubilee X X X X
New Moons X X X X
T H E T E M P L E F U R N I S H I N G S
O U T S I D E
Court of the
X X X Outer and Inner Courts
Tabernacle/Temple
Court of the Priests X X
Court of the Israelites
X
(men)
Court of the Women X
Court of the Gentiles X
The Altar of Sacrifice X X X X
TEN plus one
The Laver X X ?
Sea
The Lots (for Yom
X X X ?
Kippur)
I N S I D E
The Table of
X X X
Showbread
The Golden
X X X
Lampstand (Menorah)
The Altar of Incense X X X
 The Veil X X X
The Ark of the Ark plus 2
X Missing
Covenant Cherubim
T H E P R I E S T L Y G A R M E N T S
C O M M O N P R I E S T S
Tunic (broidered coat) X X X X
Drawers (underwear) X X X X
Turban (Mitre) X X X X
Girdle (belt) X X X X
H I G H P R I E S T PRINCE? MESSIAH?
Tunic (broidered coat) X X X
Drawers (underwear) X X X
Turban (Mitre) X X X
Girdle (belt) X X X
The Breastplate (of
X X X
Ephod)
The Apron (of Ephod) X X X
The upper Garment
X X X
(Robe of Ephod)
The Frontlet (Gold
X X X
plate on Turban)
T H E S A C R I F I C E S
Burnt offerings X X X X
Meal offerings X X X X
Peace offerings X X X X
Sin offerings X X X X
** Two ** Two ** Two One Lamb (morning
Daily offerings
Lambs Lambs Lambs only)
Drink offerings X X X X
Trespass offerings X X X X
Red Heifer X X X ?
Half Shekel X X X ?
Nazarite Vow X X X ?

** One lamb in the morning and one in the evening

Section III - The Moedim

THE MOEDIM (APPOINTED TIMES) - AN INTRODUCTION

(Last updated 12/8/00)

The Moedim (moe-eh-DEEM - "Appointed Times"), are typically called, "Jewish

holidays" but in the Bible are referred to as God's feast days. These include:
Pesakh (Passover), Matzah (Unleavened Bread), Yom Habikkurim (First Fruits),
Shavuot (Pentecost), Rosh HaShannah, Yom Kippur and Succot (Tabernacles).
Also given consideration in this section are the Shabbat (Sabbath) and the Yovel
Year (Jubilee Release). Knowledge of the mystical meaning of these appointed
times is critical to an understanding of events taking place in the book of
Revelation.

We will also look beyond the three dimensions of the world we live in, including
the relationship between time and space, and how these are tied to the Sabbath
and the Tabernacle/Temple. The Moedim are spoken of throughout Scripture but
presented as a group in Leviticus chapter 23. We will especially focus on how
they are dealt with in the Millennium.

PESAKH/MATZAH/YOM HABIKKURIM
(PASSOVER/UNLEAVENED BREAD/FIRST FRUITS)

Although Y’shua died on Pesakh as the Pesakh Lamb, he actually fulfilled the
Yom Kippur sacrifice (see below on Yom Kippur). Passover will still be celebrated
in Ezekiel's Temple for seven days (Ezekiel 45:21-24). The feast of Unleavened
Bread is done in conjunction with Pesakh.Historically, Y’shua died on Pesakh, was
in the ground during Unleavend Bread

SHAVUOT
(FEASTS OF WEEKS / PENTECOST)

In Judaism, Shavuot is traditionally understood to be the day that God gave the
Torah to Moshe (Moses) on Mount Sinai. It is also on this day that YHWH poured
the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) on the 120 Jews in the upper room in Acts 2,
apparently indicating that the Torah has been written upon their hearts.
(Jeremiah 31:33). Shavuot however, is missing from Ezekiel's Temple.

Click here for more information on Shavuot and the Millennium.

The "spring" feasts are associated with Y’shua's first coming. Y’shua died on
Passover. He was in the ground on Unleavened Bread. He was resurrected on
Yom HaBikkurim (First Fruits). The Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) came to His
disciples on Shavuot.

ROSH HASHANNAH
(HEAD OF THE YEAR)
This marked the beginning of the Civil year (not the religious year) and is a day
of blowing shofars. It was celebrated on the first day of the seventh month. This
festival also seems to be missing from Ezekiel's Temple, however on the first day
of the first month (beginning of the religious year) there is a festival for cleansing
the sanctuary (Ezekiel 45:18-19). When the Children of Israel were getting ready
to leave Egypt, God told Moshe that the month of Nisan (nee-sahn') was to be
the first month of the year for them (Exodus 12:2). It was only later that the
seventh month became accepted by the Hebrews as the month for marking the
years.

Apparently, in Ezekiel's Temple, God is restoring the beginning of the religious

year to its rightful place, marking our freedom from the world system.

YOM KIPPUR
(DAY OF ATONEMENT)

Every year on this day only, the High Priest entered past the Veil into the Holy of
Holies to make atonement for our souls. For this reason the Veil represents the
Yom Kippur sacrifice. The Bronze Altar represents the actual sacrifices
themselves. The only thing needed to properly perform most sacrifices is an
altar. When the exiles began returning from Babylon, they immediately rebuilt
the altar and began to sacrifice on it. Only after this did they rebuild the Temple,
and lastly the city walls.

The Yom Kippur sacrifice however, requires the Temple as well as the altar. At
the moment Yeshua died on the cross, the Veil of the Temple was torn in two,
from top to bottom, indicating that the requirements of the Yom Kippur sacrifice
had been fulfilled and it was no longer necessary to perform this sacrifice
(Hebrews 6:4 is centered around this.) However, the altar was left intact,
indicating that the other sacrifices were not done away with (as can be seen by
the fact that Paul still sacrificed.)

The Romans later destroyed the (second) Temple and altar, but this does not
indicate the end of the sacrificial system. (If it did, then the system would have
ended with the destruction of the first Temple, hundreds of years earlier, and
Yeshua's sacrifice would have been in vain.) In Ezekiel's Temple, there is no Yom
Kippur sacrifice, however other daily sacrifices are still performed, including
sacrifice for sin.

SUCCOT
(TABERNACLES)

This is the most joyous of all the Lord's festivals and the one that all the nations
will be required to go up to Jerusalem to celebrate during the time of Ezekiel's
Temple (Zechariah 14:16-21). Succot (which is itself the seventh festival) is
related to the Messianic Age.

Succot is to be celebrated for seven days. However, in Leviticus 23:36 it is

written of Succot:
"For seven days present offerings made to the LORD by fire, and on the eighth
day hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. It
is the closing assembly; do no regular work."

In the midst of describing a seven-day festival, God mentions an "eight day." This
"extra" day is called Shemini Atzeret ("the eighth conclusion"). It is celebrated on
the eighth day of the feast of Tabernacles, on the day of Tishrei 22. On Tishrei
23, is Simcha Torah, meaning "rejoicing in the Torah". The Jewish people
celebrate Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah as one day. It is considered the
eighth day of the celebration of Succot and represents Olam Haba, the time that
comes after the Millennium. The eighth day is therefore, a picture of eternity --
and rejoicing in eternity is associated with the Torah.

SHABBAT (SABBATH) AND THE MILLENNIUM

The concept of Shabbat is unique among the cultures of the world. Nowhere else
can you find instruction from a supreme being to "take a day off" from one’s
regular activities. The "fourth commandment" is found in Exodus 20:8-11,
Leviticus 23:3,32 and Deuteronomy 5:12-14. It is also mentioned in numerous
other texts including Isaiah 58:13-14 where we are told that we honor Adonai by
keeping the Shabbat.

Shabbat’s origins go back to creation. Genesis 2:1-3 where Elohim worked for six
days then rested on the seventh day. As with much of what the Bible presents to
us, Shabbat is a foreshadowing, reflection or picture of what exists in heaven and
what those who follow YHWH will enjoy (in its heavenly capacity) one day.

Scripture tells us that there is a greater Shabbat yet to come where things will be
restored, to a state much like the original Garden of Eden. This period of time is
known as the Messianic kingdom.

There are parallels drawn to the seventh day Shabbat in Genesis in that are
found in Scripture:

Acts 3:21: And he shall send Messiah Y’shua, which before was preached unto
you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world
began.

Romans 8:18-23: For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of
God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of
him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall
be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in
pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
2Peter 3:3-9: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,
walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?
for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word
of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in
the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are
kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is
not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance.

Revelation 20:2-7: And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive
the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he
must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And
when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Revelation 21:1-8: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I
John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be
no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the
water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his
God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
Isaiah 65:17-19: For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the
former shall not be remembered, nor come to mind. But be glad and rejoice
forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her
people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and the voice
of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.

Isaiah 66:22-24: For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make,
shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass, that every new moon, and every sabbath, shall all
flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look
upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against me; for their
worm shall not die, nor shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be a loathing
to all flesh.

Extra-biblical writings also include a teaching that draws a parallel between the
seven days of creation and the timeline of human history since creation.

2000 years from Adam to Abraham

2000 years from Abraham to Messiah
2000 years in the Messianic age
1000 years of Shabbat rest (Millennium-Messianic Kingdom)
= 7000 years corresponds to the 7 days of creation where God rested on the
seventh

There is much about this theme in Jewish literature:

Midrash Rabbah Genesis 12:6: Why do we recite a blessing over a lamp [fire]
at the termination of the Sabbath? Because it was then created for the first time.
R. Huna in Rab's name, and R. Abbahu in R. Johanan's name said: At the
termination of the Day of Atonement, too, we recite a blessing over it, because
the fire rested the whole day. R. Berekiah said in the name of R. Samuel b.
Nahman: Though these things were created in their fulness, yet when Adam
sinned they were spoiled, and they will not again return to their perfection until
the son of Perez [viz. Messiah] comes;

Soncino Zohar 1:119a: A star in the east will swallow seven stars in the north,
and a flame of black fire will hang in the heaven for sixty days, and there shall
be wars towards the north in which two kings shall perish. Then all the nations
shall combine together against the daughter of Jacob in order to drive her from
the world. It is of that time that it is written: "And it is a time of trouble unto
Jacob, but out of it he shall be saved" (Jer. XXX, 7) ...

... From that time the Messiah will begin to declare himself, and round him there
will be gathered many nations and many hosts from the uttermost ends of the
earth. And all the children of Israel will assemble in their various places until the
completion of the century. The Vau will then join the He, and then "they shall
bring all your brethren out of all the nations for an offering unto the Lord" (Is.
LXVI, 20). The children of Ishmael will at the same time rouse all the peoples of
the world to come up to war against Jerusalem, as it is written, "For I will gather
all nations against Jerusalem to battle, etc." (Zech. XIV, 2), also, "The kings of
the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and
against his anointed" (Ps. II, 2); and further, "He that sitteth in heaven laugheth,
the Lord hath them in derision" (Ibid. II, 4). ...

... Happy are those who will be left alive at the end of the sixth millennium to
enter on the Sabbath. For that is the day set apart by the Holy One on which to
effect the union of souls and to cull new souls to join those that are still on earth,
as it is written, "And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written unto
life in Jerusalem" (Is. IV, 3).’

Sanhedrin 97a: R. Kattina said: Six thousand years shall the world exist, and
one [thousand, the seventh], it shall be desolate, as it is written, And the Lord
alone shall be exalted in that day. Abaye said: it will be desolate two [thousand],
as it is said, After two days will he revive us: in the third day, he will raise us up,
and we shall live in his sight. It has been taught in accordance with R. Kattina:
Just as the seventh year is one year of release in seven, so is the world: one
thousand years out of seven shall be fallow, as it is written, And the Lord alone
shall be exalted in that day,’ and it is further said, A Psalm and song for the
Sabbath day, meaning the day that is altogether Sabbath — and it is also said,
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past. The Tanna
debe Eliyyahu teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two
thousand there was desolation, two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the
next two thousand years is the Messianic era,

Tamid 33b: On sabbath they used to say, a psalm, a song for the sabbath day:
a psalm, a song for the time to come, for the day that will be all sabbath and rest
for everlasting life.

The Haftorah reading for Pesakh Shabbat is Ezekiel 37:1-14, the vision of the
"dry bones" depicting the final restoration of Israel leading into the Shabbat rest
and Millnnium shown in the subsequent chapters.

The book of Ruth is read at Shavuot, the festival most associate with the
initiation of the Messianic Kingdom. Ruth presents the theme of Gentile
salvation, another feature of the Messianic Kingdom.

The salvation of gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom can also be found in other
Scriptures, such as: Genesis 12:3, 18:14, 22:18, 26:4, Isaiah 11:10, 19:6, 54:1-3,
60:1-3; Hosea 1:1-10; Amos 9:11; Malachi 1:11; Psalm 72; Psalm 87; Philippians
2:10 (quoting Isaiah 45:23), Zechariah 14:9-19.

This theme is also be found in the Talmud in Sukkah 55b:

Mishnah. On the first festival day of tabernacles there were offered thirteen
bullocks, two rams and one he-goat.1 fourteen he-lambs therefore remained for
the other eight courses of priests. On the first day, six offered two each and the
remaining [two] one each. on the second day five [courses] offered two each and
the remaining [four] one each. on the third day four [courses] offered two each
and the remaining [six] one each. on the fourth day three offered two each and
the remaining [eight] one each. on the fifth day offered two each and the
remaining [ten] one each. on the sixth day one offered two and the remaining
[twelve] one each. on the seventh day all were equal. on the eighth day they
again cast lots as on the other pilgrim festivals. It was enjoined that [the course]
that offered bullocks on one day should not offer them on the morrow, but that
they should take their turns in rotation.

GEMARA. Must we say that our Mishnah represents the view of Rabbi, and not
that of the Rabbis, since it has been taught, For the bullock which is offered on
the Eighth Day lots are cast as at first, these are the words of Rabbi, but the
Sages ruled, One of the two courses which did not have a third turn in the
bullocks offered it? — You may even say that it represents the view of the
Rabbis, for do not two courses also require the casting of lots? Whose view is
followed in that which has been taught, All the courses repeated a second and a
third time, with the exception of two courses who repeated a second time but
not a third one? Must we say that it follows that of Rabbi, and not that of the
Rabbis? — You may even say that it follows that of the Rabbis, but the statement
that they did not repeat a third time refers to the bullocks of the Festival. What
then does this teach us? — It is this that we were taught, that he who offered
bullocks on the one day shall not offer them on the morrow, but they must all
take their turns in rotation. R. Eleazar stated, To what do those seventy bullocks
[that were offered during the seven days of the Festival] correspond? To the
seventy nations.

YOM KIPPUR AND THE NEW COVENANT

By James Scott Trimm

©1997 All Rights Reserved, Reprinted with permission
The Society for the Advancement of Nazarene Judaism:
P.O. Box 471, Hurst, Texas 76053
www.nazarene.net

In Hebrews 8 through 10, Paul gives a midrash involving The Messiah and the
Yom Kippur ceremony (described in Lev. 16). We can be certain that the subject
is Yom Kippur because it is only on this day that the golden censor is placed in
the holy of holies (Heb. 9:4 & Lev. 16:12), and that the High Priest enters the
holy of holies. Now, Hebrews tells us that the earthly holy of holies is a shadow of
the heavenly holy of holies (see Heb.8:2, 5). In the earthly holy of holies is the
ark of the Covenant, Book of the Covenant and Tablets of the Covenant. These
are symbols of the Old/Mosaic Covenant. In the heavenly holy of holies then, is
kept the New Covenant (see Heb. 8:2, 5-6; 9:11-15,also Heb. 8:8-11 quotes Jer.
31:31-34 on the New Covenant).

Now, there is an important parallel between Lev. 16; Heb. 8-9 and Rev. 5. In Heb.
8 and Rev 5, the Messiah is at the right hand of the throne in the heavenly holy
of holies. In both Hebrews 8-9 and Rev. 5, the Messiah is also able to do
something because of his death and blood. In Rev. 5, he opens the 7 sealed
book, in Heb. 8, he becomes mediator of the New Covenant (compare Rev. 5 & 6
with Heb. 8:3, 6; 9:12, 15). Moreover, in Lev. 16:14, blood is sprinkled on the
mercy seat 7 times, while in Rev. 5 & 6, Messiah opens seals 7 times because of
his blood. It would seem then that the opening of the sealed book in Rev. 5 is
synonymous with becoming mediator of the New Covenant in Heb. 8-9 and the
fulfillment of the meaning of the Yom Kippur ceremony of Lev. 16.

Now, let us look in more detail at the sealed book in Rev. 5. The Book of
Revelation often draws material from the prophets of the Tenakh. In this case the
"sealed book" seems to be a reference to a book mentioned in Is. 29:

• For YHWH has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep...

• The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is
sealed...

• therefore, behold I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a

marvelous work and a wonder...

• In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the
blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

(Is. 29:10, 11, 14, 18)

Thus, with the revealing of this sealed book, the apostasy ends. This parallels
what we learn in the olive tree parable (Rom. 11:16-27).This parable speaks of
the apostasy of Israel as a "deep sleep" (Rom 11:8 = Is. 29:10). This olive tree
parable goes on to say that this apostasy will end at a time called THE FULLNESS
OF THE GENTILES (Hebrew MILO HAGOYIM = "a multitude of nations" (Gen.
48:19) referring to Joseph's seed ). This is the time of the making of the New
Covenant (compare Jer. 31:31, 34 & Rom. 11:27).
In Rev. 5& 6 we learn that the book is sealed with seven seals. These are seven
things which must happen before the book can be opened. These 7 seals
correspond to the curses which Israel is to go through for not having kept the
Law (Deut 28-29; Lev. 26). These seven seals also parallel the material in Mt. 24
as follows:

Seal: Mt. 24 Deut. 28 Lev. 26

1 Rev 6:1-2 Mt. 24:5
2 Rev. 6:3-4 Mt. 24:6-7a Deut. 28:49 Lev. 26:17-25
3 Rev. 6:5-6 Mt. 24:7b Deut. 28:18,38,51 Lev. 26:16,20,26
Deut. 28:21-22,26-
Lev. 26:16,
4 Rev. 6:7-8 Mt. 24:7c 27,
21,22,25,31
35,52,55,57
5 Rev. 6:9-11 Mt. 24:8-24
Deut. 28:23-24,62,
6 Rev. 6:12-17 Mt. 24:29-31 Lev. 26:19
64
7 Rev. 7
Now, just as the Yom Kippur ceremony of Lev. 16 makes atonement for the sins
of the children of Israel (Lev. 16:16-21), the Messiah in Rev. 5, passes judgement
on Israel for having violated Torah. These judgements are the seals. Once the
judgements of Dt. 28-29 are made, then we can come to Dt. 30:1-4

Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing
and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all
the nations where YHWH your G-d drives you, and you return to YHWH your G-d
and obey his voice, according to all that I have commanded you today, you and
your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, And YHWH your G-d will
bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you
again from all the nations where YHWH your G-d has scattered you.

Then we reach a parallel to Mt. 24:31=Mk 13:27 (remember Mt. 24 parallels the
seven seals):

If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there YHWH
your G-d will gather you, and from there he will bring you. (Dt. 30:4)

Then the text goes on to parallel Jer. 31:31-34 (which speaks of the New
Covenant):

Then YHWH your G-d will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed,
and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your
fathers. And YHWH your G-d will circumcise your heart and the heart of your
descendants, to love YHWH your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul,
that you may live. (Dt. 30:5-6)

All of this is further demonstrated in Rev. 10:1-11 where the sealed book is
revealed. Here the voice of the seventh angel points to the seventh trumpet and
the beginning of the Kingdom of the L-rd (Rev. 10:7 & 11:15) just as in Rev.
22:12 Messiah comes with his reward... i.e. the sealed book he was worthy of in
Rev. 5, also the New Covenant.

SHEMITA, YOVEL YEAR (JUBILEE RELEASE)

The "Shemita" year occured every seventh year (Sabbatical year) during which
the land was to remain fallow. After every seventh Shemitah the fiftieth year was
to be sanctified as a Yovel year (Jubilee), a very holy year. On the 10th of Tishrei
(Yom Kippur) of the Jubilee year, God commanded a horn to be blown:

Lev. 25:8-10 - And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee,
seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be
unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee
to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall
ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the
fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants
thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his
possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. (1)

The forgiveness of debts and return of slaves is also called the "Jubilee release."

Israel failed to fulfill the Shemita and Yovel year requirement from the very
beginning:

Jeremiah 34:13-17 - Thus saith YHWH, the Elohim of Israel; I made a covenant
with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondmen, saying, At the end of seven years let ye go every
man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath
served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers
hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. And ye were now turned, and
had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour;
and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my
name: But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his
servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at
their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto
you for servants and for handmaids. Therefore thus saith YHWH; Ye have
not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and
every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith YHWH, to
the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be
removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

God warned what He would do in response to disobedience:

Leviticus 26:23 - I will disperse you among the nations, and will draw out a
sword after you; your land will be desolate and your cities destroyed. Then the
land will enjoy her rests, as long as it remains desolate.

The 70 years of Babylonian captivity were punishment for the 70 sabbatical

years Israel missed from the time they entered the land to the destruction of the
first Temple (490 years). During the captivity God causes the land to receive its
appropriate rest, remaining desolate for seventy years.

Not fulfilling Shemita and Jubilee is a symptom of Israel's diseased spiritual

status. The "sign of the Covenant" (the Torah) became a curse. This is a reason
Messiah had to come and renew the Covenant, only on better terms, reverting of
the Torah back to its original intention -- a blessing:

Hebrews 8:6-8 - But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how
much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon
better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no
place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith,
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

There is a relationship between Israel correctly following God in faith, the people
of Israel being in their land, and the Temple of Israel standing. Two of these are
only in partial fulfillment today (a remnant of faith and some being in the land),
and the Temple is completely missing.

Israel's falling away, occurred in three stages:

1. Their faith became perverted

a) Prophets were sent to warn them

b) The righteous are taken out

2. They were driven from the Land

3. The destruction of the Temple came

The Tikun Olam (restoration/unification of the upper and lower worlds) can only
occur after you have all three of these "pillars" back in place. This will happen in
the Millennium, when the Temple, and sacrificial system are restored. What is
needed for sacrifice? A priesthood, redemption of Israel's first born (lost at the
sin of the golden calf and accomplished through Yeshua's death) and physical
possession of the land. We will cover this in more detail in later sections of this
study.

The Shemita and Jubilee years were significant for different reasons. Shemita
was what God used to "keep time," whereas Jubilees is more directly associated
with the end of a time period and the Olam Haba (world to come).

The Shemita can be seen as a time tracking mechanism in Daniel's famous

prophecy about the Messiah:

Daniel 9:20-27 - And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin
and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD
my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer,
even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being
caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he
informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to
give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the
commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly
beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and
prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto
the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two
weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And
after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and
the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured
upon the desolate.

In the above prophecy, Daniel calculates the time of Messiah's arrival in terms of
"weeks." Both the language and the context indicate that these "weeks" are
actually groups of seven years and not days, which is the Shemita cycle. Messiah
would come at some point during or after the 69th Shemita cycle. The 70th (and
"final") Shemita cycle, associated with the events in Revelation, Matthew 24 and
other Scriptures, hangs mysteriously in the future.

YOVEL YEAR AND SHAVUOT

The Yovel year is the culmination of everything achieved in the forty-nine years
leading up to it, similar to the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost), which follows the
forty-nine days of the Omer, following Pesakh (Passover), a time of spiritual
growth, where people focused on the Torah and celebrate their "arrival" on
Shavuot.

The Yovel year is also called a year of freedom (dror) -- the freedom of the
knowledge (called da'at) of the Fifty Gates of Understanding. This teaching lies in
Jewish mysticism and is specifically linked to attaining a higher understanding of
the Torah. (One of the key works Messiah is destined to do is to reveal the
greater truths of the Torah to all of His people):

Pirke Avos 6:2 - The Tablets are God's handiwork and the script was God's
writing engraved (charus) on the Tablets. Do not read "charus" (engraved), but
"cheirus" (freedom), for there is no freer man than one who engages in the study
of Torah.

Shavuot is significant in both the Tenakh ("Old Testament") and "New

Testament." At Sinai, the people; were gathered in God's designated place, they
heard the voice of God (each in their own language of which there were many),
and 3000 were killed for lack of faith.

Judaism also teaches that God's word proceeded as tongues of fire:

Talmud Shabbat 88b - The school of Rabbi Ishmael taught: (Behold My word is
like fire, declares the Lord,) and like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces
(Jer. 23:29) just as a hammer is divided into many sparks, so every single word
that went forth from the Holy One, blessed be He, split up into seventy
languages.

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus 20:18 - "The word that went out from
the mouth of the Holy One, may His Name be blessed, was like shooting stars
and lightnings and like flames and torches of fire."

An amazing image of tongues of fire upon the heads of angels, may be seen in
the painting, A Light to Jerusalem, by Baruch Nachshon. This image appears in
the 5760 Jewish Art Calendar provided by the Orthodox Lubavitch. It is placed on
the page with the months of Elul-Tishrei, when the fall feasts of Rosh Hashana,
Yom Kippur and Succot occur.

Click here to see the full sized (200k) image | Click here to see a reduced size
(50k) version

Conversely, in the book of Acts, Jews are again gathered in God's designated
place (the Temple), again hear the apostles in their own language, tongues of
fire again appear, and this time the same number (3000) are saved through
faith. This shows that Shavuot was not the beginning of some new religion (i.e.,
"the Church") to replace the faith of Israel (which would contradict God's own
word.). Rather, it was a direct confirmation of the faith of Israel, and its long-
awaited Messiah, by God. (His indicating "which way" the faith of Israel was to
continue.)

God makes it quite clear that the "New Covenant," is not "new" in the sense of
replacing the "old." It is a re-newal of the same covenant, that being the Torah-
based faith of Israel, only on better terms (Jeremiah 31:31-37, Hebrews 8:6), and
takes place in the Millennium. As of now, it is still in the process of "fading away"
(Hebrews 8:13). The "Law" written on the hearts of His people, is not a "new
law," but the same Torah.

YOVEL YEAR AND BESORAH (THE "GOSPEL")

What is the Gospel message? The standard Christian response to this question
has to do with the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah, and an
individual attaining salvation by "putting their faith" in Him. There are some
obvious problems with this definition:

• Scripture (Matthew 26:13; Mark 10:29; Luke 20:1) says that Yeshua
preached the Gospel Himself, prior to His death. He never preached
"believing in His resurrected self" to anyone.
 • The same goes for His disciples who also preached the Gospel before He
died. (Luke 9:6). Nowhere do we see them preaching believing in the risen
Messiah before Yeshua died - yet they are preaching "the Gospel."

• We are even told that the Gospel was preached to the children of Israel in
Moses' time:

Hebrews 4:2-6 - For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they
did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who
heard did not combine it with faith. Now we who have believed enter that rest,
just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, `They shall never enter
my rest.'" And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For
somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the
seventh day God rested from all his work." And again in the passage above he
says, "They shall never enter my rest." It still remains that some will enter that
rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go
in, because of their disobedience.

The Gospel is not a "new message" of the "New Testament." In its widest sense it
is everything the Torah points to; the Messiah and Tikun Olam. Specifically, it
relates to the Jubilee, which was given as a foreshadowing of the acceptable year
of the Lord. Y’shua pointed to this when was in the Temple and read the
following passage:

Luke 4:18-19 - The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Yeshua of course is quoting Isaiah chapter 61, which includes the additional
words, "and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn." Yeshua
stopped mid-verse, as He is first fulfilling the role of the Temple High Priest, and
only upon His return does He take on the role of the High Priest Anointed for
War.

Historically, Judaism acknowledged "dual roles" for the Messiah. Not

comprehending that Messiah may come twice (2) the "two Messiah" theory
evolved, made up of an kind and atoning Messiah ben Joseph, and a judging and
vengeful Messiah ben David.

YOVEL YEAR, MESSIAH AND THE WORLD TO COME

The Dead Sea Scrolls have provided an important link to the relationship Yeshua
may have had with the Qumran community, especially the sect of "John the
Baptist." We know Y’shua spent a lot of time in the Wilderness and that is where
people first heard the "announcement" of His arrival from John.

In Luke's gospel we see the disciples of John coming to Y’shua and asking Him if
He is the one they have been awaiting. Note carefully His reply:
Luke 7:22 - Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John
what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is
preached.

Here Yeshua does not give a simple, direct answer. In fact, you could say this is a
"coded message" meant for John's understanding. Y’shua's words are reiterating
the things Messiah was forecast to do, from Isaiah (the "Jubilee release"), with
one important difference. Nowhere does Isaiah in his descriptions of Jubilee
release, say that Messiah will raise the dead. However, an Isaiah scroll found at
Qumran, includes the resurrection reference. Yeshua was quoting from a Qumran
scroll, thus linking Himself and Luke's account to Qumran.

As John's origins were with the Qumran community in the "Wilderness" (as were
Y’shua's), they shared a common view of Isaiah's prophecy. John would
understand Y’shua's response as an affirmative one, telling him -- I am the
Messiah come to initiate the Jubilee release. This is the "Gospel" message.

To make the connection between between Messiah, Melchizadek, the Jubilee

Release, and the salvation atonement of Yom Kippur, we will now look at several
sources. The first of these was already mentioned -- the Isaiah prophecy that
indicates the Messiah will carry out judgment in the "Day of the Lord":

Isaiah 61:1-3 - The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and
the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto
them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be
called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be
glorified.

Next is Psalm 110, where we see "the Lord" speaking to "the Lord" and stating
His priesthood is in the order of Melchizedek, a heavenly, eternal priesthood -- as
opposed to the earthly Levitical priesthood. (This subject will be covered
extensively in our upcoming study on the book of Hebrews.) This "second Lord"
will be the one to bring judgment to the kings of the earth in the Lord's "day of
wrath."

Psalm 110 - The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I
make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength
out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in
the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning:
thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou
art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand
shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the
heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads
over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift
up the head.

Now we move to a mystical passage in the Zohar that ties the Jubilee year with;
Psalm 110, the Shekinah, the Tikun Olam (restoration) and the Millennium. This
section also refers to God's "right hand" creating the world:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 50b - According to another

explanation, “the Lord” refers to the Jubilee and “my lord” to the Sabbatical Year
(cf. Ex. XXI, 5, “I love my lord”). The words “sit at my right hand” are
appropriate, because the Right is located in the Jubilee, and the Sabbatical Year
craves to be linked with the Right. When it first came into being, the Sabbatical
Year was not linked securely (to the supreme power) through either the Right or
the Left. So when it sought to secure itself, the supreme power stretched forth
its right arm to meet it and created this world. It is because it is from the side of
the Left that it has no sure basis till the time of the seventh millennium, when at
length it will be linked through the Right. Then the Sabbatical Year, between the
Right and the Left, will be securely based, there will be a new heaven and a new
earth, and it will not depart from there for ever. According to this explanation,
we must take the words “sit at my right hand” to refer only to a specified period,
viz. “till I make thine enemies thy footstool”, but not in perpetuity; for when that
event has come to pass, it will not depart from there for ever, as it is written,
“for thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left” (Is. LIV, 3), all
being united. Similarly we can interpret the text “the heavens and the earth” to
mean that the higher Shekinah and the lower Shekinah will be joined in the
union of male and female; this has already been explained, as the colleagues
have noted.’

Finally, we turn to the writings of Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls) where the Yovel
year is tied to the Messiah of Isaiah 61, who is in turn directly associated with
Melchizedek.

Two very significant items here are;

• Use of "year of Melchizadek's favor" in place of, "year of YWHW's favor,"

thus equating Melchizedek to God.

• The statement that Melchizedek atones for the sins of the righteous and
executes judgment, which again are placing him in God's role.

Note: gaps in the scroll text are indicated by "...":

11Q13, Col. 2 - ... And concerning what Scripture says, "In this year of Jubilee
you shall return everyone of you, to your property (Leviticus 25:13). And what is
also written; and this is the manner of the remission; every creditor shall remit
the claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it of a neighbor who is a
member of the community, because God's remission has been proclaimed"
(Deuteronomy 15:2) the interpretation is that it applies to the Last Days and
concerns the captives just as Isaiah said: "To proclaim the Jubilee to the captives
(Isaiah 61:1) ... just as ... and from the inheritance of Melchizadek, for ...
Melchizadek, who will return them to what is rightfully theirs. He will proclaim to
them the Jubilee, thereby releasing them from the debt of their sins. He shall
proclaim this decree in the first week of the Jubilee period that follows nine
Jubilee periods. Then the "Day of Atonement" shall follow after the tenth Jubilee
period, when he shall atone for all the Sons of Light, and the people who are
predestined to Melchizadek ... upon them ... For this is the time decreed for the
"year of Melchizadek's favor," and by his might he will judge God's holy ones
and so establish a righteous kingdom, as it is written about him in the songs of
David: "An ELOHIM has taken his place in the council of EL; in the midst of the
ELOHIM he holds judgment (Psalm 82:1). Scripture also says about him: "Over it
take your seat in the highest heaven; an ELOHIM will judge the peoples" (Psalm
7:7-8). Concerning what Scripture says about him: "How long will you judge
unjustly, and show partiality with the wicked? Selah" (Psalm 82:2). The
interpretation applies to Belial and the spirits predestined to him, because all of
them have rebelled, turning from God's precepts and so becoming utterly
wicked. Therefore Melchizadek will thoroughly prosecute the vengeance required
by God's statutes. Also, he will deliver all the captives from the power of Belial,
and from the power of the spirits predestined to him. Allied with him will be all
the "righteous ELOHIM" (Isaiah 61:3). The ... is that whi(ch) ... all) the ELOHIM.
The "messenger who brings good news, who announces Salvation" is the one of
whom it is written; "to proclaim the year of YHWH's favor, the day of the
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn (Isaiah 61:2). This scriputure's
interpretation: he is to instruct them about all the periods of history for
eternity ... and in the statutes of the truth ... dominion that passes from Belial
and returns to the Sons of Light ... by the judgment of God, just as it is written
concerning him; "Who says to Zion 'Your ELOHIM reigns'" (Isaiah 52:7). Zion is
the congregation of all the sons of righteousness, who uphold the covenant and
turn from walking in the way of the people. "Your ELOHIM" is Melchizadek, who
will deliver then from the power of Belial. Concerning what scriputre says, "Then
you shall have the trumpet sounded loud in the seventh month ..." (Leviticus
25:9). (3)

1. According to Maimonides, the commandments involving the Jubilee year,

apply only when all of Israel dwells in the land of Israel (Mishneh Torah 10:1,8-
10,15-16).

2. Interestingly, the idea of Elijah the prophet coming more than once is found in
Mid. Zuta, Shir haShirim 2:8 and Seder 'Olam Rabba, ch 17, as cited by Raphael
Patai on page 134 of his book The Messiah Texts (1979, Wayne State University
Press.) The texts also imply that Elijah is with Messiah each time, lending support
to the idea that Judaism does have a tradition of the Messiah having a first and
second coming.

3. Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, Wise, Abegg and Cook 1996, Harper San
Francisco, (with ELOHIM, EL and YWHW restored).

SHABBAT AND MIKDASH

KEY:
Am Yisra'el = Nation of Israel
BT = Babylonian Talmud
B'nei Yisra'el = Children of Israel
B'raita = account/teaching
Bamidbar = (Book of) Numbers
B'resheet = (Book of) Genesis
Devarim = (Book of) Deuteronomy
Gemara = later part of the Talmud
HaKadosh Barukh Hu = blessed are you in holiness
Kohanim = priests
Korban = sacrifice/offering
M'lakhah = work
Mahn = Manna
Mikdash = Sanctuary
Mishkanh = Tabernacle
Mitzvot = commandments
Mosheh = Moses
Parashat = weekly Torah reading
Pesach = Passsover
Sefer = book
Sh'mot = (Book of) Exodus
Shabbat = Sabbath
Vayyikra = (Book of) Leviticus
Yeshayahu = Isaiah
Yom haKippurim = Yom Kippur

I. A SIGN BETWEEN GOD AND THE B'NEI YISRA'EL

After concluding the many commands regarding the construction of the Mishkan
(Tabernacle), God gave the following instruction to Mosheh:

You yourself are to speak to the B'nei Yisra'el: You shall keep my Shabbatot, for
this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, given in order
that you may know that I, YHVH, sanctify you. You shall keep the Shabbat,
because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death;
whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among the people. Six days
shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Shabbat of solemn rest, holy to
YHVH; whoever does any work on the Shabbat day shall be put to death.
Therefore the B'nei Yisra'el shall keep the Shabbat, observing the Shabbat
throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign forever
between me and the B'nei Yisra'el that in six days YHVH made heaven and earth,
and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Sh'mot 31:13-17)

This is not the only place where the commands regarding the Mishkan and
Shabbat are juxtaposed. Following the tragic narrative of the Golden Calf,
Mosheh prefaced his presentation of the commands of the Mishkan to the B'nei
Yisra'el with a short statement about Shabbat:

Mosheh assembled all the congregation of the B'nei Yisra'el and said to them:
These are the things that YHVH has commanded you to do: Six days shall work
be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a holy Shabbat of solemn rest to
YHVH; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire
in all your dwellings on the Shabbat day. (Sh'mot 35:1-3)

Immediately afterwards, he presented the details of the Mishkan to the people,

whereupon they began their donations and building.

II. SHABBAT PRECLUDES EVEN THE MISHKAN-CONSTRUCTION

Beginning from the Mekhilta (at the beginning of Parashat Vayakhel), many
commentaries maintain that the juxtaposition of Shabbat with the construction of
the Mishkan teaches us the limits of the Mitzvah of building a Mishkan - that
even that, the noblest of human endeavors, must cease on Shabbat. Note R.
Hirsch's words (from his commentary at the beginning of Vayakhel:

The mastery of Man over matter, in getting, producing, changing, manufacturing

the raw materials of the world, attains it highest meaning in the Temple. The
world submits to Man, for him to submit himself and his world to God, and for
him to change this earthly world into a home for the Kingdom of God, to a
Temple in which the Glory of God tarries on earth. The building of the Temple is
a sanctification of human labor, and in the context here, it is represented as
being a combination of all those creative activities of Man, by the cessation of
which - by cessation from all M'lakhah - the Shabbat is made into an
acknowledgment of man's allegiance to God ...

III. M'LAKHAH IN THE MISHKAN = M'LAKHAH ON SHABBAT

There is another significant connection between the Mishkan and Shabbat made
by the Rabbis.

The Torah, in its initial command to avoid a certain class of activities on Shabbat,
does not specify those actions. Rather, the Torah states: "Do not do any
M'lakhah". (Sh'mot 20:10). This command is repeated in many other Shabbat-
passages (31:14-15, 35:2, Vayyikra 23:3, Devarim 5:14). What is the meaning of
M'lakhah? This key word - which is not only the principal phrase of prohibited
work on Shabbat but also on the other Holy Days of the calendar (see Sh'mot 12,
Vayyikra 23) - means something akin to "work" and is first used in the
description of God's creation of the world (B'resheet 2:2-3). Nevertheless, it is
not at all clear which type of work is prohibited on Shabbat. How do we
distinguish prohibited actions from those which are permitted on Shabbat?
The Gemara (Shabbat 49b) records a B'raita that indicates that the definition of
M'lakhah is based upon its meaning in the Mishkan (see Tosafot ibid. who
indicates that this is the reason that the two sections were juxtaposed in the
Torah) - any activity which was an integral part of the construction of the
Mishkan is defined as M'lakhah and is, therefore, prohibited on Shabbat.

This association, while explaining the significance of the Torah's juxtaposition of

these two institutions on one occasion (most probably at the beginning of
Parashat Vayakhel) does not explain our section, nor does it explain the
passages cited below from Vayyikra. [As to why the operative and categorical
definition of prohibited "work" on Shabbat should be derived from the Mishkan -
that is a topic in and of itself, beyond the scope of this shiur].

IV. KEEPING SHABBAT AND REVERING THE MIKDASH

There are two other places in the Torah where Shabbat and Mishkan are linked -
but, in those passages, the importance of both of these institutions is linked
within one verse:

Et Shab'totai Tish'moru v'et Mikdashi Tira'u, Ani YHVH - You shall keep my
Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am YHVH. (Vayyikra 19:30, 26:2)

Why does the Torah associate the observance of Shabbat with proper reverence
for the Mikdash?

These questions lead us to a larger one regarding Shabbat as presented in our

Parashah. Up until this point, the commands regarding Shabbat (in the Mahn and
in the Ten Statements) were framed in terms of a "gift from God" (Mahn) or
testifying to God as the Creator (the Ten Statements). In addition, the selection
in the Ten Statements would seem to imply that Shabbat should ideally be
observed by all of humanity, as God created us all and we should all testify to
that fact. Yet, in our Parashah, Shabbat is clearly presented as a uniquely
Israelite practice, one which does not "belong" to other nations. (Indeed, the
Rabbis stated that a non-Jew should not observe Shabbat - see BT Sanhedrin
58b, MT M'lakhim 10:9). Besides this "nationalistic shift", several new terms are
introduced in our Parashah:

Chillul: A term with which we are most familiar, denoting a violation of Shabbat,
is Chillul Shabbat. This term shows up, for the first time in a Shabbat context,
in our Parashah - M'challeleha (everyone who profanes it - 31:14). Although
translated "desecration", the word Chillul actually means "defilement" or
"pollution". It is usually associated with holy people (e.g. Kohanim - Vayyikra
21:9), places (e.g. the Mishkan - Vayyikra 21:23) or sancta (e.g. Terumah -
Bamidbar 18:32). How can such a term be associated with a time period, such as
Shabbat? How can a day become polluted or defiled?

• Ot: Shabbat is a sign of a covenant between God and the B'nei Yisra'el.
Although hand-T'fillin are called an Ot (Sh'mot 13:9,16), as was the blood
to be placed on the doorposts in Egypt (ibid. 12:13), Shabbat was never
previously referred to in this manner. Each of these two earlier occasions
 are "signs" which tell us (or remind us) about some other event (e.g. the
Exodus) and might properly be called an Ot - but how can a day be
considered a "sign"? What "other event" is signified here?

• Karet: the punishment of being "cut off from the people" for violating
Shabbat. Until now, we have not been told what the punishment is for a
violation of Shabbat - but why is it Karet - and why is it first mentioned
here?

• laDa'at Ki Ani YHWH M'kadish'khem - "that you may know that I,

YHWH, sanctify you." How does the "sign" of the Shabbat inform us that
God sanctifies us? In addition, why mention this here, instead of earlier
(e.g. during the Mahn narrative)?

In this shiur, I would like to suggest an additional reason for the Shabbat-Mikdash
association (besides the two mentioned above - that even the building of the
Mishkan ceases for Shabbat and that the activities involved in the construction of
the Mishkan define "M'lakhah" for Shabbat) - one which would explain the
appearance of these new terms in our Parashah.

V. THE PURPOSE OF THE MISHKAN

In order to understand the significance of this command regarding Shabbat given

at the conclusion of the command regarding the Mishkan, we have to go back
and review the purpose of the Mishkan:

v'Asu Li Mikdash, v'Shakhanti b'Tokham -

"Let them make a Mikdash for Me, that I may dwell among them" (Sh'mot 25:8).

The phrasing here is odd - it should have said "Let me dwell in it (i.e. the
Mishkan)". The implication is that by constructing this sanctuary, God will cause
His presence to be manifest among the people.

This signals a fundamental change in the relationship between God and the B'nei
Yisra'el - one which implies a unique statement not only about that relationship
but also about the quality and nature of the community of the B'nei Yisra'el. Up
until this point, God had made covenants, promises and oaths to our ancestors
which He began to fulfill through the Exodus. God has commanded us and
brought us close to Him in order to be a "kingdom of Kohanim and holy nation"
(19:6) - but none of these events, commands or promises imply anything about
our direct encounter-relationship with the Divine.

With the command to build the Mishkan, that relationship shifts from a purely
command-driven one to an encounter-laden one. Besides sanctifying ourselves
and becoming God's Kohanim (see Yeshayahu 61:6), we are now God's people
and stand in His Presence - at least potentially. God "walks in our camp"
(Devarim 23:15 - compare with B'resheet 3:8).

How is this new relationship manifested? What indicates - both to us and to the
rest of the world - that God is, indeed, "in our midst"?
VI. CHILLUL - INTRODUCING DEATH

Before answering this question, let's examine the difficult word "Chillul" which is
first introduced into the lexicon of Shabbat in our Parashah.

Although, as mentioned above, Chillul is translated as "defile" or "pollute" (see

BDB, p. 320 ), it has another meaning which may be informative in both the
context of Mikdash and that of Shabbat.

A Challal (same root) is a corpse (see B'resheet 34:27, Bamidbar 19:18). The
Mikdash becomes defiled by bringing Tum'ah (impurity) into it (or by contact on
the part of a person who is impure with the sancta). The most essential source of
Tum'ah is a corpse (read Bamidbar 19 carefully); since the Mikdash is the focus
of the encounter between the B'nei Yisra'el and the Living God (see Sh'mot
29:43), any contact with death (a Challal) serves to defile (Chillul) that
encounter.

We can see this most clearly from the closing verses of Parashat Yitro:

Make an altar of earth for Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and
fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause My
name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. If you make an altar of
stones for Me, do not build it with hewn stones, for by your sword upon them
vat'Challalehah (you will defile it).

As Rashi points out (ad loc.), since the purpose of a sword is to shorten a man's
life and the altar's purpose is to lengthen man's life, it is inappropriate to wield
the "shortener" on the "lengthener". This comment becomes more impactful
when viewed against the backdrop of the previous promise, "... I will come to you
and bless you." The encounter with God (which, at this point in Sefer Sh'mot, is
limited to the place and time of an offering and not extended to the entire
community, as it is through the construction of the Mishkan) is defiled via
contact with (an instrument of) death.

VII. KARET - VIOLATION OF THE SPECIAL NATURE OF AM YISRA'EL

The punishment which is introduced (along with death) into the Shabbat
vocabulary in our Parashah is Karet - excision. Whatever Karet may mean, it
implies some sort of disconnection or excommunication (by God) from the
people of Yisra'el.

The first occasion where Karet is found (explicitly; it may be the notion behind
Man's exile from Eden) is in B'resheet 17. Avraham is commanded to circumcise
himself and all of the males in his household, and "If any male fails to circumcise
the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off (root: K-R-T) from his people;
he has broken My covenant." (17:14)

Karet here seems to be the natural result of communal disassociation - since this
individual is unwilling to demonstrate his fellowship with the people of Avraham
via circumcision, he is, indeed, separated from them.
The second occurrence of this punishment (although not mentioned explicitly
until later, in Bamidbar 9:13) is failure to participate in the Korban Pesach
(Pesach offering). Here again, the individual who doesn't see himself as a
member of the people and does not identify with their destiny and history is
excised from the people.

These two Mitzvot 'Aseh (which are the only two which carry this punishment for
non-fulfillment), in combination, serve as rituals which affirm the individual's
identification with- and allegiance to - the history (Pesach) and mission (B'rit
Milah) of Am Yisra'el. (Rabbi Soloveitchik zt"l refers to two covenants - the B'rit
Goral - covenant of fate - and the B'rit Yi'ud - covenant of destiny - shared by all
members of K'lal Yisra'el.)

Put together, we see that Karet is a punishment given by God to someone who
denies the special Godly character of the B'nei Yisra'el.

This can be seen in several of the Mitzvot Lo Ta'aseh which carry this
punishment. Karet is the indicated Divine punishment for entering the Mikdash
(or eating sancta) while in a state of Tum'ah; in the same way, performing some
of the rituals unique to the Mikdash outside carry this punishment. See, for
instance, earlier in our Parashah (30:33,38); using the special formula for the
K'toret (incense) or Shemen haMish'chah (anointing oil) for your own purpose
makes the violator liable for Karet.

One other example of this Karet-communal identity connection is found in the

laws of Yom haKippurim. Someone who fails to afflict himself on that day of
atonement is excised from the people. "Indeed, any person who does not afflict
himself throughout that day shall be excised from among his people" (Vayyikra
23:29).

VIII. SHABBAT - TEACHES THAT GOD HAS SANCTIFIED US

We can now understand the enhanced nature of Shabbat as reflected in this

Parashah - and the import of this new "terminology" we find here.

As opposed to the earlier presentation, Shabbat is presented here as a "sign"

(Ot) - because, with the introduction of the Mishkan, God's Presence will become
manifest among the people. Shabbat is the weekly sign of that constant
Presence. Unlike the physical Mishkan, the existence of which has not always
been assured in our history, Shabbat is an eternal (l'doroteikhem - for your
generations) focal point and sign of our ongoing encounter with God. Note that
unlike the earlier presentation (in Sh'mot 20), where we are told that in response
to His "rest", God sanctified and bless the day of Shabbat (which is why we
should avoid M'lakhah) , here, we are just told that on the seventh day Shavat
vaYinafash - He rested and had repose. We cease work on Shabbat out of a
sense of shared repose with God, much more than just the commandedness
implied in the earlier passages.

Since Shabbat is the sign of the special relationship between God and the B'nei
Yisra'el and of the "shared experience" between the two (as evidenced by the
twinned phrases "holy for you" and "holy to YHVH"), this special "place in time"
must be guarded carefully.

The newly introduced phrase "Sh'mirat Shabbat" takes on a new meaning in this
light. As opposed to the purely Halakhic meaning - avoiding M'lakhah (see BT
Berakhot 20b and Rashi ad loc. s.v. biSh'mirah) - "guarding" Shabbat means that
it is now a possession (as R. Hirsch points out) and a "closed circle" between God
and the B'nei Yisra'el which must be protected. This also explains why Shabbat is
not to be celebrated or observed by other nations; even though creation is a
universal experience which should be declared by all creatures, the partnership-
fellowship with God which is unique to the B'nei Yisra'el and which informs the
meaning of Shabbat is not to be shared with others.

This sense of "Sh'mirah" is perhaps best expressed by Rambam in his

prescription for the mood and mode just before the onset of Shabbat:

What is honor? - This is what the Sages have said, that it is incumbent on one to
wash one's face, hands, and feet in hot water before Shabbat because of the
honor of Shabbat, and he wraps himself in tzitzit and sits seriously, waiting for to
greet the Shabbat, as one who goes out to greet the king. The early Sages would
gather their disciples before Shabbat and wrap themselves (in the tallit) and say:
Let us go out to greet the Shabbat king. (MT Shabbat 30:2)

Someone who violates the Shabbat by bringing mundane activities into this
sphere is not only violating God's commandment - and failing to testify to God's
creation of the world, he is also denying the special Godly nature of the Jewish
people. This is as much of a Chillul as bringing impurity into the physical
Mishkan.

Shabbat is a Mishkan in time, where Am Yisra'el and HaKadosh Barukh Hu

encounter each other as the beloved and lover of Shir haShirim (the Song of
Songs) (which explains the custom to read this beautiful love song every Friday
evening at the onset of Shabbat).

Text Copyright © 1998 by Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom.

Used with permission from the author.
The author is Educational Coordinator of the
Jewish Studies Institute of the Yeshiva of Los Angeles.
Section IV – Spiritual Dimensions

SPIRITUAL TIME, SPACE, MASS, LIGHT AND ENERGY

The "Spiritual Dimensions" section is a very deep area of study, but one that is
key to understanding some of the most difficult areas of Scripture, such as those
verses in Revelation where the text seems to shift between events on earth and
in the heavenlies, as well as not follow a linear time line.

Consider the following quote:

Time is an accident consequent upon motion and is necessarily attached to it.

Neither of them exists without the other. Motion does not exist except in time,
and time cannot be conceived by the intellect except together with motion. And
all that with regard to which no motion can be found, does not fall under time.

A brilliant insight from Albert Einstein, perhaps?

If you answered "probably," you're only off by about 700 years.

In as much as the above quotation sounds like a 20th century theory of Einstein,
it is actually from Maimonides, the great Jewish Torah scholar of the twelfth
century. (1) Actually, Einstein and his colleagues probably were inspired by
Maimonides' writings, which were well ahead of their time.

The last sentence of Maimonides' quote actually pertains to God Himself. As

"motion" (as well as space) imply measurement and can only apply to physical
objects, and as God is not corporeal, then He is not confined by time or space.
Time was created by God, for us. He operates beyond time as we know it.

TIME AND SPACE IN OUR 3-DIMENSIONAL WORLD

There are many ways that "time" and "space" can be shown to have a
relationship. A simple example is found in the game of chess. Chess strategy
involves interplay between space (how many of the 64 squares of the board you
control), and time (how many moves that you are ahead or behind your
opponent). Experienced players often "trade" space for time, having to use their
intuition as to whether they are getting the "better end of the deal." Only after a
beginner understands this "dimension," of the game, can he move forward to
becoming an advanced player.

In mathematics, there are complex equations that cannot be solved without

introducing a "4th dimension" (something beyond the X, Y and Z coordinates in
3-dimensional space). Again, without "expanding" beyond the elementary and
obvious, one cannot advance to the next level of understanding.

Physics has shown that there are relationships between things like energy and
mass, as well as time and space, Einstein's famous equation, E=mc2 (Energy
equals mass times the constant of the speed of light, squared) was one of the
first to link two such elements. Experiments have been done sending atomic
clocks through the atmosphere in different directions, arriving at the same
destination at the same moment -- however when the clocks were checked, the
times were different, thus showing that speed through space affected time.

FIVE SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS

The concepts we call, "time" and "space," as well as, "light," "mass," and
"energy," are all part of God's creation and may be considered a "reflection" of
His attributes. As God is consistent in what He does, when studying the
Scriptures, we should not be surprised to find that there are corresponding
elements in the spiritual realm. The study of these spiritual elements plays a key
role in understanding who God is, who we are, what is to come, and how we are
to get there.

The following are offered for consideration:

• spiritual time, represented by repeated "events" not constricted to the

physical linear aspect of time, i.e., the Moedim (including Shabbat,
Shemitta and Yovel years, and the seven "Feasts of God"). Many of these
are associated with events in the Millennium or Olam Haba (the world to
come).

• spiritual space, the dimension(s) beyond our physical one, including

aspects of those set on earth for us (i.e., the Tabernacle/Temple, a place
where God could "reside" among us on this sinful earth.) Spiritual space is
necessary for God's spiritual light to be transmitted, just as physical space
is needed for physical light.

• spiritual light, God's word and/or perfect will, either of which is a

constant. "You are the light of the world," is an admonition for God's
people to teach others His Torah, which is His light. (Thy word is a lamp
 unto my feet, and a light unto my path. - Psalm 119:105.) The glory of
God is also represented by "light" in Scripture.

• spiritual mass, any entity whose function is to implement the will of God
(i.e., angels, the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit), Messiah or the Shekinah).
This would also include "evil angels" (demons), including haSatan, who
also ultimately serve God's purpose.

• spiritual energy, the result of the work of; angels, the Ruach Ha Kodesh
(Holy Spirit), Messiah the Shekinah or demons -- i.e., miracles or
revelation

TIME AND SPACE: SHABBAT AND THE TEMPLE

The Sabbath is shown to have a time-transcending character, as seen in the

mystical teachings of the Zohar, and is directly tied to the Millenium/Olam Haba:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 88a - Therefore the Sabbath is

more precious than all other times and seasons and festivals, because it
contains and unites all in itself, whereas no other festival or holy day does
so.’ Said R. Hiya: ‘Because all things are found in the Sabbath it is mentioned
three times in the story of Creation: "And on the seventh day God ended his
work"; "and he rested on the seventh day"; "and God blessed the seventh day"
(Gen. II, 2, 3).’

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 88b - The unique character of the
Sabbath is expressed in the words: "Between Me and the children of Israel." And
because the Faith is centred in the Sabbath, man is given on this day an
additional, a supernal soul, a soul in which is all perfection, according to the
pattern of the world to come. What does the word "Sabbath" mean? The
Name of the Holy One, the Name which is in perfect harmony at all sides.’
[Tr. Note: This idea is based upon the mystic significance of the three letters of
the word Sabbath, shin, beth, tau.]

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 205b - ‘The prayer offered by the
holy people on the Sabbath is of three parts, corresponding to the three
Sabbaths, but being in essence only one. [Tr. note: i.e. the Sabbath of the
Creation, the Sabbath on which the Torah was given, and the Sabbath of the
Millennium.]

Our definition of spiritual space has to do with a place (and means) by which God
can "reside" among His creation -- especially in their sinful state.

The first place we see the idea of God creating "spiritual space," is in creation.
According to mystical Jewish tradition, the purpose of creation was to provide
God with a "dwelling place in the lower realms." Eden was a place where man
walked with God, in the spirit (ruach) of the garden. This "space" was corupted
by the sin of Adam and Even, and they were banished from it.
God's process of redemption brings us to Mount Sinai, where once again, sin (the
golden calf) gets in the way of the plan. In order for God to reside among his
people, He needs to create a spiritual space that is not tainted by sin -- first, the
Tabernacle, and later, the Temple.

Recall that Moses built the first Tabernacle and its elements according to a
heavenly model. The Zohar (3) states that God made everything in this "lower"
world along the same pattern as that in the "upper" world. A similar thought is
expressed in Midrash Rabbah:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis II:2 - NOW THE EARTH WAS TOHU E.V.
‘UNFORMED’, etc. R. Abbahu and R. Judah b. R. Simon [gave the follow-ing
illustrations]. R. Abbahu said: This may be compared to the case of a king who
bought two slaves on the same bill of sale and at the same price. One he
ordered to be supported at the public expense, while the other he ordered to toil
for his bread. The latter sat bewildered and astonished: ‘Both of us were bought
at the same price,’ exclaimed he, ‘yet he is supported from the treasury whilst I
have to gain my bread by my toil!’ Thus the earth sat bewildered and
astonished, saying, ' The celestial beings [sc. the angels] and the terrestial ones
[sc. man] were created at the same time: yet the celestial beings are fed by the
radiance of the Shechinah, whereas the terrestial beings, if they do not toil, do
not eat.

We are taught in Scripture that our bodies are the Temple of God's Spirit. Just as
the Tabernacle and Temple were constructed according to an image given by
God, we ourselves are created in the image of the same God. God's
"characteristics" are consistent and can be seen in all He does. By studying
God's Temple (as commanded in Ezekiel) and properly keeping His Sabbath, we
actually learn more of how to restore our personal relationship with Him. Such
"wisdom" is considered greater than prophecy in Jewish tradition.

As Paul said, these things are indeed a (wonderful) shadow of what is to come,
and don't let anyone "trouble you," if you choose to study and do them in faith
(Colossians 2:17).

A UNION OF TIME AND SPACE

It is reasonable to assume that we can look for His "pattern" throughout any part
of His creation. As we find the Temple and Shabbat closely linked in the Torah
(when they are formally given to us, i.e. Leviticus 19:30), and coming to their
fullness together in the Millennium, it is sensible to look for a connection
involving spiritual time and space between the two.

Besides the weekly Shabbat, the three pilgrimage feasts of Pesakh, Shavuot and
Succot were also called "sabbaths" and related to the Temple:

Deuteronomy 16:16 - Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before
the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened
bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall
not appear before the LORD empty:
The Jewish scholar Nachmanides (12th century), taught that all 613
commandments of the Torah are related in some fashion to the Temple and
Shabbat (2), making the Temple and Shabbat as critical to understanding God's
revelation (His Torah) and the spiritual world, as the study of physical time and
space are to understanding the "reality" of our physical world.

Science proclaims that our present reality is dependent on the relationship

between space and time. Reality is made up of the three aspects of the
dimension of space (height, width and depth -- or "X," "Y'" and "Z" coordinates)
along with the single dimension of time. (i.e., If you want to know the "location"
of something on this earth, you need to know the three aspects of where it
was/is and the single aspect of when it was/is.)

The consistency of God's rules would apply to the reality of the spiritual realm.
As the Millennium is the return of spiritual reality to its "proper state," we should
view the union of of the Temple with Shabbat at that time in such terms, keeping
in mind the three aspects of space and one of time. (We will also see later in this
study, that there is a "fifth dimension," a spiritual/moral one, that indicates a
status of: good/evil, clean/unclean, holy/unholy. This, like the others, is also not
"static," (i.e., things that are clean can become unclean and vice-versa).

As we go through this study, we will find that "space-related" things such as; the
structure of the Temple, the terms of the Besorah ("Gospel") and the New
Covenant, are interwoven with the "time-related items" of; Shabbat, Yovel Year
(Jubilee) and Yom Kippur.

Physical time and space are indeed a shadow of their spiritual counterparts:

"Space by itself and time by itself, are doomed to fade into mere shadows."
- Herman Minkowski, a contemporary of Einstein, in a scientific address given
September 21, 1908

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday,

or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to
come ..."
- Sha'ul's letter to the Colossians, chapter 2, verses 16 & 17

"HaMakom V'HaZman Echad Hu" - "Time and Space are One"

- 16th century Jewish saying

"Mehitabut ha'orot, nithavu hakelim -"From the condensation of the lights, were
the vessels brought into being."
- Ancient Jewish mystical saying

1. The Fifteenth Premise, from Maimonides' The Guide of the Perplexed, Introduction to the Second Part. A study of any of Maimonides'

works is very beneficial to understanding deep Biblical concepts. Much of his material can be found on Internet bookstores such as

Amazon.com. His work, The Guide of the Perplexed, is an outstanding piece of literature and recommended for understanding the Jewish

Scriptures.
2. Nachmanides commentary on Leviticus

3. Zohar, commentary on Exodus 3:1

THE "BIBLICAL" VIEW OF TIME

The "normal" way most people look at time is linear. The past is "behind us," and
the future "ahead of us." Adam and Eve existed about 6,000 years ago, the
Torah came to Moses about 3,300 years ago, and the Messiah came about 2,000
years ago. This is all indeed true, from our point of view, from the "dimensions"
we live in. As we will see however, there are a number of places in Scripture
where things are hard to understand if we hold a linear view of time to be the
only possibility.

The Biblical view of time is different. It is less concerned with "linear years" as it
is with the cycle of events occuring within a year and the relationship these
events have with God's eternal plan (i.e., references to them being a "picture" of
what is in the heavenlies and a "shadow" of what is to come.)

Scripture tells us:

• Time was given for our "benefit" as part of creation

• We are but visitors on this earth. Our real home is in the heavenlies,
"outside of time"

It would seem that we are not to live our lives in a strictly linear fashion (overly
concerned with our "time" on this earth), but with our minds in the heavenlies
(outside of time).

As such, Paul gave this command:

Colossians 3:1-2 - If you then be risen with Messiah, seek those things which
are above, where Messiah sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth.

Which raises the questions, HOW does one; Seek those things which are above
and, Set his affection on things above? ("Affection" meaning; to interest oneself
with concern or obedience. Strongs #5426.)

The answer begins with, "Study to show thyself approved." (2 Timothy 2:15)

Study what? God's Torah. (NOTE: There was no New Testament written when
Paul wrote this.) For it is in the Torah that the foundation lies to understanding
the deep mysteries of God, the heavenlies and His will for our lives.

In the Torah (extended through the whole Tenakh/Old Testament) we learn

about; the Moedim (God's feasts), the Sabbath, the Shmitta and Yovel (Jubilee)
years, the Tabernacle/Temple, the Sacrificial system and priesthood, Creation,
the Shekinah and the unity of God. All of these make up what was, what is and
what is to come. They also all relate to Messiah, who is the same, yesterday,
today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
GOD AND TIME

According to Ezekiel, God wants His people to study the third Temple (Ezekiel
chapters 40-48). This is the Millennial Temple. What's the point of this? Is there
some type of "mystery" here? Indeed there is. Ezekiel's Temple is a "physical
parable" given to us to study and understand.

(Y’shua also spoke in parables -- God makes it deliberately "difficult" to learn

about deep spiritual things for a purpose.)

A key point missed in most studies, is that the priests of the Millenial Temple
(which includes gentiles - Isaiah 66:20-21) are in a perpetual state of Yom
Kippur, as they are all dressed in the four linen garments as the High Priest
would be on the Day of Atonement:

Ezekiel 44:17-18 - And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the
gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool
shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and
within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen
breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that
causeth sweat.

The same garments are dispensed to those who are killed for the sake of Torah
and Y’shua in the "Great Tribulation." They are now allowed to serve as priests in
the same fashion:

Revelation 6:9-11 - And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the
altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How
long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of
them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they
were, should be fulfilled.

There is an allusion to this union of time (Yom Kippur) and space (the Temple) in
the heavenlies, found in Hebrews. Unfortunately, this book is consistently
misinterpreted, as the fact that it is concerned primarily with the Yom Kippur
sacrifice is not understood. (We will cover this in detail in our upcoming Hebrews
study.)

In Hebrews, we are told that the earthly Yom Kippur sacrifice (done "in time" as
we relate to it, by a tainted priesthood) could never be the perfect sacrifice that
the Yom Kippur sacrifice was, done "outside of time" (as we relate to it), by a
High Priest of the heavenly priesthood:

Hebrews 10:1 - For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not
the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered
year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
The writer of Hebrews looks beyond Y’shua's death on the cross, as He is called
"the Lamb slain since the foundation of the world" (Hebrews 4:2 and also
Revelation 13:8). The atonement He provided was completed since before man
was created.

The Zohar speaks of Messiah's work being from time eternal:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 239b, 240a - “He hath washed
his garments in wine”, even from the time of the Creation the reference
being to the coming of the Messiah on earth. “Wine” indicates the left side,
and “the blood of grapes” the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule
above over all the forces of the idolatrous nations and to break their power
above and below. We may also explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet
typifies judgement, so the Messiah will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to
the Gentiles. The “spirit of God which hovered over the face of the waters” (Gen.
I, 2) is the spirit of the Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he
“washed his garments in celestial wine.”

This creates some serious topics of discussion. How could Y’shua already have
done this before He "came to the earth?" Why did He have to come do this
"again?"

Similar questions arise from Philippians chapter 2. Here it speaks of Y’shua

receiving a name above all other names, from the Father, following His death.
Did He not always have this name?

Another example is seen in Revelation chapter 12. Here we read of Satan and his
angels being evicted from the heavenly realm of God, during the period of great
tribulation on the earth. But did this not "already happen" a long time ago? Does
it "happen again," or do we need to adjust how we think about things involving
spiritual time and space?

CREATION, MESSIAH AND THE ALEPH-BET

The simple answer to all of these questions about time, is that from "God's point
of reference," these things are already done as He exists outside of time. We
however, are to experience them "in time," which God created for us.

Recall how Y’shua explains that He is eternal, in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 1:8 - I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith
the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Greek-based Bibles use "Alpha and Omega," which strips away the depth of
Yeshua's words. In the Hebrew, the letters are called the Aleph and the Tav (or
"Tau"). Y’shua (the lamb slain since the foundation of the world), says He is
(presently) the beginning AND the end. This concept is found throughout Jewish
literature, where Aleph and Tav represent a totality without beginning or end.

Here we see the Aleph alone representing the composite unity (echad) of the
Godhead:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 21a - First of all is Aleph, the
beginning and end of all grades, that on which all the grades are imprinted and
which yet is always called “one”, to show that although the Godhead contains
many forms, it is still only one.

NOTE: Although the Zohar speaks of the Godhead containing many forms or
aspects (in fact three major ones), this is not the same as the idea of the
"Christian Trinity." This will be addressed later in this study.

All of creation is represented by the 22 Hebrew letters from Aleph to Tav:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 30a - “The heavens” are the
totality of twenty-two letters.

The relationship between male and female is associated with the first two letters,
Aleph and Beth:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 200a - The aleph is the image of
the male principle as against the beth, which is the image of the female
principle;

NOTE: it is critical to note that these remarks about "male" and "female" are
strictly allegorical. To take them otherwise leads to paganism.

Technically (according to Jewish literature), God began creation of the earth with
the second letter, the "beth," which is "feminine." "Beth" is the first letter of the
first book Bereshith (Genesis). "Beth" is related to Wisdom, which is directly
associated with creation and therefore with Messiah, through whom all was
created.

We see all this in the Zohar along with the unity of God and His creation
expressed through the Aleph:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 3b - Thou hast already bestowed

on the letter Beth this great gift, it is not meet for the Supreme King to take
away the gift which He has made to His servant and give it to another. The Lord
said to her: Aleph, Aleph, although I will begin the creation of the world with the
beth, thou wilt remain the first of the letters. My unity shall not be expressed
except through thee, on thee shall be based all calculations and operations of
the world, and unity shall not be expressed save by the letter Aleph. Then the
Holy One, blessed be His name, made higher-world letters of a large pattern and
lower-world letters of a small pattern. It is therefore that we have here two
words beginning with beth (Bereshith bara) and then two words beginning with
aleph (Elohim eth). They represent the higher-world letters and the lower-world
letters, which two operate, above and below, together and as one. BERESHITH
(In the beginning). Said R. Yudai: ‘What is the meaning of Bereshith? It
means “with Wisdom”, the Wisdom on which the world is based, and through
this it introduces us to deep and recondite mysteries. In it, too, is the inscription
of six chief supernal directions, out of which there issues the totality of
existence.’
Psalm 136:5 - To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy
endureth for ever.

Jeremiah 10:12 - He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the
world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

John 1:1-3 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were
made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

As mentioned earlier in this study, this unity (as expressed in the Shema -
Deuteronomy 6:4, which we will cover later), will be reestablished through
Messiah at the time of the Millennium, where Y’shua is seen proclaiming that He
is the Aleph and the Tav.

An interesting section in the Zohar has the letters "competing" for position in the
creation process. Again, we remind the reader that this is strictly allegorical.

Here we have the Tav asking God to be first:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 2b - May it please Thee, O Lord

of the world, to place me first in the creation of the world, seeing that I am the
concluding letter of EMeTh (Truth) which is engraved upon Thy seal, and seeing
that Thou art called by this very name of EMeTh, it is most appropriate for the
King to begin with the final letter of EMeTh and to create with me the world. The
Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Thou art worthy and deserving, but it is not
proper that I begin with thee the creation of the world, since thou art destined
to serve as a mark on the foreheads of the faithful ones (Ezek. IX, 4)
who have kept the Law from Aleph to Tau, and through the absence of
this mark the rest will be killed; and, further, thou formest the conclusion of
MaWeTh (death).

The Zohar's reference to Ezekiel is as follows:

Ezekiel 9:4 - And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city,
through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men
that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

Note that the response from God in the previous paragraphs complements that
found in Revelation. The mark on their heads is the Tav. In both cases, those who
receive this mark (or seal) are the ones who keep the Torah (the Law) and can
enter into the heavenly wedding feast:

Revelation 7:3 - And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the
seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom
it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the
sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their
foreheads.
Revelation 12:17 - And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to
make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of
God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the
city.

COMMENTS: By studying all of these things on a deep level, we see that time is
not only linear. With God in the heavenlies, there is no "past and future," as they
are one. The beginning is the end.

A "visual aid" that helps in making a contrast between this

idea and the more common one of linear time, is the Mobius
Strip.You can create a model of a Mobius Strip by taking a
long and narrow strip of paper and give it a single "twist"
before joining it at the ends. Next, pick any point on the strip
and call this your "beginning." If you start to "follow" the strip Mobius
from that point, you will reach your end at the same point Strip
you began. The end is the beginning.
Picture along this path with no real beginning or end, God's eternal Torah, the
cycle of His feast days repeating "year after year," and the study of His Temple --
the shadows of what is to come.

THE REALM OF ANGELS AND "SPIRITUAL SPACE"

In Scripture we are give some basic understanding of how things work in our
lives on this planet. We also are shown a little bit about the heavenly realms (i.e.,
"other dimensions"). There is an order to the physical world, the spiritual realm
and to the Godhead.

Paul intimated this in his Romans letter:

Romans 1:19-20 - Because that which may be known of God is manifest in

them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead ...

The difficulty we face lies in comprehending the connection and relationships

between God, the things of this world and what is going on in the "spiritual
realm." Our discussion will now focus on the interaction between God, the
heavenly realms and the physical world, beginning with the role of angels as
seen in Scripture.
RELATIONSHIP OF ANGELS TO THE
SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL REALMS

Angels play an important role in the book of Revelation, being involved with
many of God's judgments upon the earth. The term "angel" has to do with being
a "messenger" or "worker" (Hebrew: mal'akh) -- one who is sent to bring about
God's presence by carrying out His will. As such, even the "bad angels" (demons)
are subject to the will of God and serve His purpose.

Although we may think of this in terms of miraculous events (i.e., walls tumbling
down), in the mystical levels of study if the Scriptures, such as those found in the
Qumran scrolls1, we find that the main purpose of angels is to give mankind
instruction in the mysteries of truth. Alternately, the evil angels attempt to
mislead and confuse in these areas.

This is an important concept, as in the book of Revelation we have Yeshua telling

John to deliver messages of truth to each of the angels overseeing a particular
Messianic community:

Revelation 1:19 - The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right
hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the
seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
churches.

Earlier in the study we linked angels to the concept of "spiritual mass." This is
not to say that these beings have any permanent physical form. We are using
that term to draw an association with things in the physical realm where there is
a relationship between mass, energy and the constant of light.

The realm of angels is (generally) outside of our physical space. In this

relationship between spiritual light, mass and energy, angels act as messengers
or agents of change in the prophetic sense, causing God's word/will to be carried
out in the earthly/physical realm. Angels are not the only means by which God
"accomplishes things," (i.e., His Messiah, Holy Spirit and the Shekina are all said
to have such roles, even haSatan and the other evil angels serve God's purpose).

As mentioned earlier, God's word/will would be the equivalent of "spiritual light,"

as this is constant (unchanging). Although there are different "aspects" of God
revealed at different times (i.e., judgment and mercy), God does not change.

Consider this spiritual light to be the "cause" in a cause and effect relationship.
The "effect" would be the equivalent of "spiritual energy," (i.e., miracles, or
revelation revealed to man). As Maimonides taught, "every form in which an
angel is seen exists in the vision of prophecy."2

The following chart depicts the relationship between spiritual light, mass and
energy:

Dimension Spiritual Light Spiritual Mass Spiritual Energy

Characteris Constant Entity Prophetic fulfillment
tic
Aspect/Will of Angel/Spirit/Shekina/Me
Definitive Miracle/Enlightenment
God ssiah
Function Cause Messenger/Worker Effect
Example Bowls/trumpets in
Judgment Angels
#1 Revelation
Example Israel's miraculous
Mercy Shekina
#2 protection
Example
Knowledge Spirit Discernment of Scripture
#3
Example
Wisdom Messiah Creation
#4
There can be a "reversal of roles" with spiritual energy and light. Prayer is an
example of where our spiritual energy can "cause" God to act from His spiritual
dimension:

James 5:15-16 - And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall
raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

As it is God's Spirit living within us that prompts us to pray, God is both the
cause and the effect regarding prayer and all other "spiritual transactions"
between man and Himself. Cause and effect are inseparable and dependent
upon each other, as with God, the beginning is the end, and the end the
beginning.

An example of this reciprocal cause and effect can be seen with God and
Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. As God's spritual actions (from the heavenlies)
caused Pharaoh to act a certain way (here on earth), so did Pharaoh's actions
"cause" God to act a certain way. Although, from our physical point of view, the
Exodus events were taking place in linear time (with Pharaoh having "free will"),
from the spiritual perspective, they were outside of time, as God is both the
Aleph and the Tav ("Alpha and Omega") -- the cause and the effect.

FUNCTIONING IN SPIRITUAL SPACE

Angels function in the realm of spiritual space. Here, the concepts of "near" and
"far" do not relate to measurable distance, as in physical space. Rather, the term
near means "similar to," and far means "different" or "opposite." In spiritual
space, things that are opposite cannot, by definition, be brought together (i.e.,
Holy God and sinful man). This can only be accomplished in the physical realm.

For instance, in physical space, man has to deal with both good and evil
simultaneously within himself. The concept of this internal struggle is expressed
in Judaism as man having a "good inclination" (Hebrew: yetzer tov), and an "evil
inclination" (Hebrew: yetzer hara), within him.

Paul alludes to this struggle in his Romans letter:

Romans 7:15-23 - For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I
not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto
the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in
me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will
is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the
good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do
that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then
a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law
of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members.

Furthermore, as God's holiness and man's sinfulness are opposite from each
other in the spiritual sense, he created the Tabernacle/Temple (spiritual space)
and the sacrificial system (spiritual time) in this physical realm for us, as a
means to deal with our sin. Eventually, the act of Messiah dying in the physical
realm was required to bridge this gap. Here, YHWH Himself came in a "Temple of
flesh" - in a human form that served as a temporary dwelling place for His
holiness as He walked among us.

The idea of such a "temporary shelter" is seen in the Feast of Succot where
"booths" are built and lived in during the week. Succot is also called the Feast of
"Booths" or "Tabernacles." In Judaism this is the feast most associated with the
Messianic kingdom.

As such we are told:

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The word "dwelt" in the above passage is skenoo in the Greek (Strongs #4637),
and means, to reside, as God did in the Tabernacle of old. God literally
"tabernacled" among us in a temporary human body (which acted as spiritual
space here on earth, as did the physical Tabernacle/Temple), in order to
accomplish what had to be done in this physical realm.

As angels have no physical bodies they do not have the same internal struggle
with good and evil that man does -- they are one or the other, good or bad, in
either case ultimately serving God's purpose. Angels are differentiated by their
task -- resulting in the spiritual energy they produce in the physical realm.

The Midrash teaches the same idea, expressing it in a different manner:

Midrash Rabbah 50:2 - One angel cannot have two missions. Neither can two
angels share the same mission.

The concept of angels not being separated by physical space, but by mission, is
important to understand and will be addressed in a subsequent section on
"Ezekiel's Chariot." The idea of one angel not having two tasks is seen in the
Related Studies section: Angel Case Study: Book of Daniel.
Angels are relegated to a specific status or "spiritual plane." They are also called
Omdim, meaing "Those who stand," because they can never grow spiritually.
When angels praise God, it is an honor to God, but it has no effect on their own
spiritual condition. In this sense, man has a great advantage over angels as he
can achieve higher spiritual levels. When man praises God, he himself grows.
Man accomplishes this by learning and doing God's Torah, through which he
attaches himself to God.

In 1 John 2:4 it says that if we say we know Him and do not keep His
commandments (Torah) we are liars. It is by doing Torah that we come to know
Him.

ANGELS IN ACTION

In one of the more important episodes of their involvement, angels were directly
involved with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. This is mentioned in Acts
7:38,53; Galatians 3:19 and Hebrews 2:2, though not made so clear in the
Tenakh ("Old Testament.") There is a hint of this in Deuteronomy 33:2, but the
greatest mention is found in the Talmud. Incidently, this is not the only time
when the "New Testament" refers to events not found in the pages of the
Tenakh, but present in other Jewish writings.

Angels were also very involved with the arrival of the Torah in the flesh – Y’shua:

• Angels informed Joseph and Mary what God was doing

• It is possible that the "star" the magi saw and followed was an angel (see
below)

• Angels heralded His birth

• An angel instructed the magi not to return to Herod

• An angel told Joseph to flee to Egypt -- and later to return to the land of
Israel

• Angles came to comfort Him after haSatan had tempted Him

• Angels appeared at his tomb

• Angels appeared to the disciples when Yeshua ascended to heaven

TYPES, FORMS AND ROLES OF ANGELS

Angels can manifest themselves in a number of forms. For the most part they
"operate" sight unseen in a separate "dimension" but can "cross over" to the
dimension we exist in. Both "good" and "bad" angels can take on human form
and closely interact with us:

• We might be "entertaining" them unaware (Hebrews 13:2).

 • The disciples seem to have believed in "guardian angels," that may have
even resembled the person they were "assigned to." (Acts 12;15).

• Satan's angles can take on the appearance of "men of God" and deceive
us (2 Corinthians 11:15).

• Angels once left their "abode" and had relations with human women (Jude
6).

• Throughout the Gospels, we see that around Y’shua's time there were
many instances of evil angles inhabiting humans in the form of "demon
possession." Among the scrolls found at Qumran is one with incantations
to exorcise demons.

Humans can also be given sight into the realm of angels, as was the case in 2
Kings, chapter 6. The prophet Elisha could see into another dimension that his
servant did not have access to. On the one hand, there was a real physical threat
to them "at that time" and "in this dimension." On the other hand, they had
nothing to fear as God's angels, though in another "dimension" were ready to
protect them.

There is also the possibility of them either taking the form of, or acting through
or upon an animal, as is the case with Balaam's donkey in Numbers 22, or the
lion's mouths being shut in Daniel 6:23.

Angels are also referred to in terms related to fire:

• In Genesis 3:24, Adam and Even, upon being banished from the Garden of
Eden, are kept from re-entering by a pair of cherubim and a flaming
sword.

• In Psalm 104:4 - Angels are referred to as both wind and fire. The book of
Hebrews makes reference to this Psalm as well.

Angels are referred to as "wheels" in Ezekiel's "chariot" vision. This will be

covered in detail later in this study.

There are also teachings to the effect that angels have a close association with
the stars and planets -- that their governing forces are "controlled" by these
beings. Maimonides supports this in his Guide3 as do other sources such as the
book of Enoch.

The Zohar associates "stars" with the demons that Messiah fights with in the end
of days, and to the Messiah Himself.4

The Qumran community classified angels in the Dead Sea Scrolls as follows5:

• Ministering Angels - who attend to God and to man

• Angels of Sanctification - who stand as witnesses regarding the Covenants

and ordinances and who serve to sanctify men called to holy service (i.e.,
the priesthood).
 • Angels of the Presence - who manifest the supernatural emanations of
God. They are also called Angels of the Face.

• Cherubim - the "higher" angels of Ezekiel's book, who are said to have
"wings" and who mark the place of the chariot throne.

• Ophanim - the "lower" angels of Ezekiel's book, also called a wheel within
a wheel. These angels are said to connect the lowest heavenly realm to
the ones above.

• A hierarchy of seven angels who oversee the work of all other angels
(archangels).

Scripture only gives us the proper name of two archangels -- Michael and
Gabriel. It would seem, according to the book of Enoch, that the names of the
seven are most likely; Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Phanuel, Uriel, Sariel (aka
Sarakiel) and Raguel. The book of Enoch also states Seraphim and Ophanin as
watching the throne of God's glory.6

Lastly, the most "mysterious" of the spiritual beings found in Jewish literature,
Metatron, is given many titles throughout the Talmud, Midrash Rabbah and
Zohar, including:

• Angel of the Universe (Soncino Talmud - Mas. Chullin 60a, footnote 11)

• Genius of the Universe (Soncino Talmud - Mas. Yevamoth 16b, footnote

10)

• Prince of the Universe (Soncino Talmud - Mas. Yevamoth 16b, footnote 10)

• Chief of the angels (Soncino Zohar, Vol. 2, p. 209a, p. 226b)

• the chief of the Chieftains with the power charged with the sustenance of
mankind (Soncino Zohar Glossary)

• the head of the "world of creation" (Soncino Zohar Glossary)

• the "servant" or the "body" of the Shekinah (Soncino Zohar Glossary)

• the angel of the Lord (Soncino Zohar, Vol. 3, p. 186a)

• the head of the Academy who pronounces sentence on all (Soncino Zohar,
Vol. 3, p. 186a)

• the heavenly High Priest (Soncino Zohar, Vol. 2, p. 15a)

• the Intercessor (Soncino Zohar, Vol. 2, p. 15a)

• the elder of his house (Soncino Zohar, Vol. 1, p. 181b)

• the watchman (Soncino Zohar, Vol. 2, p. 131a, 164a, 226b)

• "His Servant" (referring to Isaiah 50, Soncino Zohar, Vol. 2, p. 131b)

The Talmud says that Metatron is regarded as the angel who went before the
Israelites in the wilderness7 and whose name is similar to that of his master.8 The
Zohar also says that the angels of Ezekiel's chariot vision are in the midst of a
"wheel" (Hebrew: ofan), and that this "wheel" is Metatron -- "who is more exalted
than all the other hosts."9

1. Manual of Discipline, column 4

2. Moses Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed, Part II, section 6

3. ibid

4. Soncino Zohar Vol. 1, p. 119a, Vol. 2, p. 7b

5. Psalms Scroll, column 5-6, Blessings scroll, column 3

6. Book of Enoch, LXX, 9

7. Soncino Talmud - Mas. Avodah Zarah 3b, footnote 21,

8. Soncino Talmud - Mas. Yevamoth 16b, footnote 10

9. Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 21a

ANGEL CASE STUDY: BOOK OF DANIEL

On of the more interesting examples of angelic involvement (in the vision of

prophecy as Maimonides refers to it) can be found in the book of Daniel,
chapters 8-12. We will select specific verses for examination, concentrating less
on the prophecies themselves, and mostly on the messengers -- the angels:

Daniel 8:15-19 - And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the
vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the
appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai,
which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he
came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my
face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end
shall be the vision. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on
my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said,
Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for
at the time appointed the end shall be.

Daniel 9:2 - In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the
number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the
prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem

Daniel 9:20-27 - And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin
and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD
my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer,
even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being
caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he
informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to
give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the
commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly
beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and
prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto
the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after
threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the
people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured
upon the desolate.

Daniel 10:7-21 - And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with
me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to
hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there
remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into
corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and
when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and
my face toward the ground. And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me
upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel,
a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand
upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto
me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first
day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before
thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of
the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one
of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of
Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in
the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. And when he had spoken
such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And,
behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened
my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the
vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how
can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway
there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there
came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he
strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto
thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was
strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. Then
said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight
with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall
come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there
is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Daniel 12:4-6 - But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even
to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased. Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on
this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the
river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the
river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

Analyzing these verses, we find the following:

8:15-19 - Here we see the angel acting as an agent in the role of carrying out
the prophetic will of God -- in this case not by creating a visible miracle, but
rather by passing along information from the Godhead directly to Daniel.

In our equation involving light, mass and energy in the spiritual realm we have:

Spiritual Light Spiritual Mass (Entity) Spiritual Energy

The vision of the Angel(s) appearing to Understanding of the
future Daniel revelation
Gabriel takes on the form of a man before Daniel. It would seem that Gabriel did
not actually manifest himself in the physical realm, but rather Daniel (in similar
fashion to Enoch) was given sight into the spiritual realm.

9:2 - This is a key verse that is often overlooked. Daniel's entire prayer in
chapters 9 and 10 is in the context of the seventy years of captivity as described
in Jeremiah. God made a specific link between these years in captivity and the
number of shemita cycles that Israel had missed, stating that for each year they
were in captivity the land would lie fallow. Earlier in Daniel, we saw the great
feast put on by Belshazar. Why is this feast being held at this time, and why did
Belshazar use the stolen Temple implements to mock God?

The answer is that the seventy year prophecy was not a secret. Belshazar and
his astrologers were well aware of Hebrew teachings, including those about
shemita and all that Jeremiah had said concerning the kingdom that placed Israel
into captivity itself falling. What Belshazar and others (including Daniel), were
not aware of, was exactly when the seventy years had begun, as Israel went into
captivity in stages. Belshazar had incorrectly calculated that the seventy years
had passed, and was celebrating his "victory" over the God of Israel, as he and
his kingdom were still standing. That night several things happened: God's finger
wrote upon the wall of his palace, Belshazar died, and Babylon was taken over by
the Medo-Persians. (Perhaps he was off by 1 day?!)

All of this is the background to Daniel chapter 9, where we find the prophet
petitioning God to explain to him the meaning of the seventy year prophecy. As
he is to learn, there is more to this seventy years than the immediate literal
fulfullment.

9:21-22 - Gabriel "flew swiftly" and "touched Daniel." Neither of these should be
taken in a literal sense. When Scripture speaks of angels swiftly flying or moving,
it is not describing physical motion. As mentioned earlier, distance in the spiritual
realm is not measured as it is in the physical world. Here, the language would
indicate that Daniel was being given entry into spiritual space, where Gabriel
began to grant greater revelation upon him. This movement would be the rapid
impartation of revelation from the Godhead, through the angel, to Daniel (as
seen in the table above).

9:23 - The prayers of the righteous are heard by God, but sometimes there are
reasons beyond our understanding why God takes His time in answering. This
can be seen in the verse, "At the beginning of thy supplications the
commandment came forth," whereby the angel informs Daniel that God heard
his prayers and sent forth an angel to reply from the moment Daniel began
praying. This is repeated in 10:12, where further explanation is given.

9:24-27 - This is Daniel's famous prophecy of the Messiah. Knowing that Daniel
had specifically been seeking insight into the 70 year captivity, we now have the
angel explaining a deeper meaning to this time period. Each of the 70 years
represent a full shemita cycle (each being seven years long), totalling a period of
490 years. Daniel is told that this time period is directly related to the arrival of
the Messiah and the next Kingdom offer.

(Click here to read an article about the Kingdom offer.)

This Kingdom offer would be rejected however, and the Messiah would be cut off
after 69 of the 70 shemita cycles. The 70th shemita cycle would be put off to a
time in the future. When it would finally take place could in fact be influenced by
the actions of God's people. If they merit it, Messiah will come sooner than later.
This teaching is prevalent in Judaism. (See the article on the Kingdom offer.) This
might explain why Yeshua, in the Gospels, said that He did not know when His
return (the 70th shemita cycle) would take place. It isn't that He did not "know"
-- rather, that event is not fixed in time, per se, as the people could hasten or
delay it.

On a side note (one we will discuss more fully later in this study), we see the idea
of "seventy sevens" one other place in Scripture. In Matthew 18:22, Yeshua
teaches that we are to forgive seventy times seven times. Of course, he does not
mean a literal 490 times is all that is required. Rather, what we see here is
Yeshua providing a "balance" between God's judgment and mercy.

10:12-20 - Here we have a further declaration that Daniel's prayer had been
heard. Beyond that however, we can also see several principles regarding how
angels work:

• God had given the assignment of giving greater revelation to Daniel to an

angel - most likely this is Gabriel. (Principle: a specific task is given to a
specific angel.)

• This angel had to complete another assignment before embarking on this

one. (Principle: angels are given one assignment at a time.)

• This assignment was fighting with "the prince of the kingdom of Persia,"
which is a demon. (The term "prince" is often used to represent spiritual
 beings, good and bad, including Michael, Yeshua and haSatan.) This
"prince" is given specific jurisdiction over Persia. (Principle: there is a link
between angels and physical areas/kingdoms.)

• This delay took "21 days" and the angel Michael came to take over for this
angel so that he could fulfill his task with Daniel. He would then return to
the task of fighting with the prince of Persia. (Principle: one angel is
assigned per specific task.)

• Persia is in control of Daniel's people at this time as Cyrus is on the throne

(10:1). This would indicate that the angel combating the prince of Persia is
fighting a battle on Israel's behalf. He is restraining Persia for a time. He
will depart when it is time for the Selucid Greeks to come take over
Persia's role as Israel's oppressor (10:20). (Principle: angels may be given
assignments for a specific or limited period of time.)

10:15-19 - Here we see Daniel becoming weak due to the intensity of receiving
such revelation from an angel of God. Daniel is strengthened however, enabling
him to continue. Here is an example of God being both the cause and effect in a
"spiritual transaction." (See previous section.)

10:21 - Michael is consistently portrayed as being perhaps the most powerful of

the archangels, fighting the more difficult battles in the heavenlies and having
an important role in the last days (Daniel 12:1, Jude 9, Revelation 12:7). As
angels have a job of "restraining evil angels," there is a likelihood that it is
Michael who is the force bridling the activities of the greatest of the evil ones,
the anti-Messiah. (Compare the language in Daniel 10:20 to that found in 2
Thessalonians 2:7. We also see Michael being "assigned" to haSatan himself, in
Jude 9.)

12:6 - Here we see one angel asking another to explain, "How long shall it be to
the end of these wonders?" Here we have a sixth principle: Each of the angels
has knowledge limited to what is in "their domain."

ANGEL CASE STUDY: JACOB'S LADDER

Jacob, the son of Isaac, is an individual who had a number of interesting

"experiences" with angels. We will examine one of Jacob's most mystical angelic
encounters, his dream of a mystical "ladder."

Genesis 28:10-17 - And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward
Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because
the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his
pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a
ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the
angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood
above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of
Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy
seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west,
and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed
shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will
keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this
land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee
of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this
place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place!
this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

Here is what we know about this dream at the "literal" level:

• Jacob sees some type of "ladder" with angels on it

• The bottom of the ladder is set up on the earth

• The top of the ladder reaches to heaven

• An unknown number of angels are on the ladder

• Some of the angels are ascending, others are descending

• God Himself is at the top of the ladder

• God gives Jacob a message about his inheriting the land and always being
with him

Obviously, there is some deep meaning here, and if the literal interpretation of
the Genesis text is all we had to go on, we would have all the more difficulty
coming up with an interpretation. There are two things in our favor however.

The first bit of help we get is from Y’shua in the Gospel of John:

John 1:44-51 - Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip
findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in
the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And
Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip
saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of
him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him,
Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip
called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered
and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under
the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he
saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

In this story, we see the following exchange between Y’shua and Nathanael:

• Y’shua making a prophetic revelation about Nathanael to Nathanael.

• In return, Nathanael makes a declaration of faith in Y’shua, as the Son of

God.
 • In response to this statement of faith by Nathanael, Y’shua informs him
that he will have continued and greater revelation.

• Y’shua links Nathanael's relationship to God, and his forthcoming greater

understanding, directly to Jacob's dream, revealing Himself to be that
ladder (in verse 51).

Returning to Jacob, we see that he too received a deeper understanding of God

through the dream. God tells Jacob that the promises made to his grandfather
Abraham, and father Isaac, would continue through him, and that He would
always be with him. Jacob awakens to proclaim that he now knew things that he
did not earlier understand (28:16).

We now know from comparing these Scriptures that:

• There is a connection between this "ladder" and greater spiritual

knowledge

• The ladder is directly related to Y’shua Himself

• Angels are involved in this process of granting spiritual knowledge, going

up and down the ladder between God in heaven and the earth below

DEEPER LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING

The picture is starting to get a bit clearer, and some may be satisified "knowing"
this much, however to those with a thirst for a more intimate knowledge of God,
many questions remain. In order to explore the meanings of such mystical
Scriptures, it is necessary to analyze the texts at the deepest level of study-
called the SOD level. Such study is in an area called Kabbalah and requires an
absolutely firm grounding in God's Torah, as it is easy to go astray and into
paganism.

Nonetheless, we are not to shy away from studying the deeper, mystical areas of
God. In fact in the book of Hebrews we are told to move from "milk to meat," and
that stagnation will result in backsliding and possibly worse. This is not to
mention the fact that the entire book of Revelation is in the genre of Jewish
mytical writings and must be studied as such.

We will only touch lightly on mystical teachings in this section of the study --
enough to give some insight to the particulars of Jacob's ladder. A fuller
explanation of the Kabbalistic understanding of how God reveals Himself to man
will presented later in this study.

In the Jewish mystical writings we see a type of "trinity" of the Godhead,

although it is not the same, nor arrived at in the same fashion, as the "Christian
trinity." Instead, we have a view of God represented by what are called three
"pillars." Each of these pillars is made up of several "characteristics" or
"emanations" of God. One of the "outer" pillars represent the "masculine"
characteristics of God as found in Scripture (such as "judgment" and
"understanding"), the other represents the "feminine" ones (such as "mercy" and
"wisdom"). The third (center) pillar is the perfect "balance" between the other
two.

It is critical to understand that the use of the terms masculine and feminine are
metaphorical - they are not to be taken literally as already mentioned. Such use
of masculine and feminine aspects, or attributes, of God, comes directly from
Scripture. For instance, in Proverbs chapter 8, "Wisdom" is personified and said
to have done many great things. The connection between what Wisdom does in
Proverbs and what Yeshua does is obvious. Yet, the entire passage is written in
the feminine. (Hebrew, like French and Spanish, has masculine and femine
words.) The term "Holy Spirit" is Ruach haKodesh in Hebrew, and is also
feminine. In Scripture, we see God speaking of Himself as "panting as a woman
in labor." Even Yeshua compares himself to a (female) hen who wanted to gather
her chicks.

In the creation account, we see the most direct evidence that the image of God
has both a masculine and feminine side to it:

Genesis 1:26-27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.n. 1:26-27).

As mentioned, the middle pillar of the Godhead in Jewish mystcal writings is the
one that "holds the balance" between the feminine pillar (which is said to be
"expansive") and the masculine pillar (which is said to be "constrictive"). The
middle pillar is associated with equilibrium, the perfect will of God, or His grace
(Hebrew = hesed).

UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF THE LADDER

In the Zohar, the middle pillar is associated with Jacob. (Abraham is associated
with the right side and Isaac with the left side.) Jacob is also said to have
understood the unity of the Godhead (the union of the three pillars) in the form
of this ladder:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 150a - AND BEHOLD, THE LORD
STOOD (nitsab) UPON IT, ETC. Here Jacob discerned the essential unity of the
object of faith. This is implied in the term nitsab (firmly knit), which implies that
Jacob saw all grades stationed as one on that ladder so as to be knit into one
whole. And inasmuch as that ladder is situated between two sides, God said to
him: I AM THE LORD, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM THY FATHER, AND THE GOD OF
ISAAC , these two being respectively of the two sides, one of the right and the
other of the left.

In the Jewish mystical writings, the middle pillar of this Godhead, is also linked
with both Metatron (who we've mentioned several times in earlier parts of this
study) and also to the "Son of Yah" (Yah being a name for God, as in Yahweh).

Zohar, vol. 3, p. 227, (Amsterdam Edition) - The Middle Pillar [of the G-
dhead] is Metatron, Who has accomplished peace above, According to the
glorious state there.
Zohar, vol. 2, p. 115, (Amsterdam Edition) - Better is a neighbor that is
near, than a brother far off. This neighbor is the Middle Pillar in the G-dhead,
which is the Son of Yah.

The middle pillar is the one that connects the realm of God in the heavenly Holy
of Holies, represented by the Crown (Keter), down to the earth, represented by
the Kingdom (Malkhut). In between these two extremes, it passes through an
area called Tiferet, meaning beauty. In Kabbalah, Tiferet is directly associated
with Metatron, also known as YHWH ELOHIM. (All of these locations represent
"aspects" or "emanations" of God and are called the Sephirot. They will be
discussed in detail later in this study.)

As angels are the entities that carry out the will of God, "moving" from the
heavenlies "down" to earth and then back "up" to heaven. The middle pillar (the
ladder) is directly associated with the perfect will of God and His grace. We now
begin to get greater insight into what Jacob's dream and Yeshua's words meant.

We also know from Scripture that Yeshua is the mediator between God and man.
All prayers must go "through" Him. In Kabbalah, this same role is given to
Metatron, who as we mentioned, is also associated with Tiferet, a point on the
middle pillar. All blessings also return through Metatron:

"To keep the way of the tree of life." (Gen. 3:24) Who is the way to the tree of
life? It is the great Metatron, for he is the way to that great tree, to that mighty
tree of life. Thus it is written, "The Angel of G-d, which went before the camp of
Israel, removed and went behind them." (Ex. 14:19) And Metatron is called the
Angel of G-d. Come and see, thus says R. Simeon. The holy One, blessed Be He,
has prepared for Himself a holy Temple above in the heavens, a holy city, a city
in the heavens, and called it Jerusalem, the holy city. Every petition sent to the
King, must be through Metatron. Every message and petition from here below,
must first go to Metatron, and from thence to the king. Metatron is the
Mediator of all that comes from heaven down to the earth, or from the
earth up to heaven. And because he is the mediator of all, it is written "And
the Angel of G-d, which went before the camp of Israel, removed; that is, before
Israel which is above." (Ex. 14:19) This Angel of G-d is the same of whom it is
written "And YHWH went before them…" (Ex. 13:21) to go by day and by night
as the ancients have expounded it. Whoever will speak to me [says G-d] shall
not be able to do so, till he has made it known to Metatron. thus the holy One,
blessed be He, on account of the great love to and mercy with which He has over
the Assembly of Israel, commits her (the Assembly) to Metatron's care. What
shall I do for Him (Metatron)? I will commit my Whole house into His hand, etc.
Henceforth be you a Keeper As it is written "The Keeper of Israel" (Ps. 121:4)

The Zohar tells us that Jacob's ladder is also "the gate of heaven" through which
all blessing flow, thus giving it the same role as Metatron (Yeshua). It is also
compare to the Temple on earth. another reference to Yeshua:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 150b - Jacob then said: THIS IS
NONE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE OF GOD , implying: This is not to remain idle; its
covenant is not meant to exist in isolation. It is in sooth a godly abode, to be
used for the promotion of fecundity and for receiving blessing from all the bodily
organs. For indeed this is THE GATE OF HEAVEN , or, in other words, the gate of
the Body, the gate assuredly through which pass the blessings downwards,
so that it is attached both on high and below: on high, as being the gate of
heaven, and below, as being none other than the house of God."

We know from Scripture that Yeshua says HE is the gate:

Using all of this insight, we now have a view of Jacob's ladder as a representation
of all of these:

• the "middle pillar" of the Godhead

• Y’shua

• Metatron

• The Son of God (Yah)

• the perfect Will of God (His grace)

• the "gate of heaven"

• the earthly Temple

We will look further into the concept of the Image of God, in the next major
section of our study.

THE KINGDOM OFFER

By James Scott Trimm

©1997 All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
For more info write: The Society for the Advancement of Nazarene Judaism
PO Box 471, Hurst, TX 76053, www.nazarene.net

In examining the text of Isaiah 60:22 the ancient Rabbis noticed what they called
a "contradiction" in the phrase "I, the L-RD, will hasten it in its time." The Talmud
discusses this verse as follows:

R. Alexandri said: R. Joshua b. Levi pointed out a contradiction. It is written, "In

its time [will the Messianic Kingdom come], whilst it is also written, "I [the L-RD]
will hasten it!"-- If they are worthy, I will hasten it; if not, [it will come] at the due
time. [b.San. 98a]

Thus, the Rabbis understood this verse to mean that the L-RD would offer to
hasten the Messianic Kingdom, if they were worthy but if not, the Kingdom would
not come until its due time.

Tractate Sanhedrin of the Talmud also tells us that the Rabbis believed that such
an offer was to be made around the Hebrew year 4,000 (around the first
Century). The Talmud relates this tradition which it accredits to the school of
Elijah:

The school of Elijah teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first
two thousand years was chaos; two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the
next two thousand years are the days of the Messiah, but through our many
iniquities all these years have been lost. [b.San. 96a-97b]

The text goes on to discuss the delay of the Messianic Kingdom, and then says:

Rab said: All the predetermined dates [for the Messianic Kingdom] have passed,
and the matter [now] depends only on repentance and good deeds. [b.San. 97b]

This requirement for repentance prior to the Messianic Kingdom is taken directly
from the Torah (see Deut. 30:1-6).

MESSIAH OFFERS THE KINGDOM

Now as we have already discussed, Is. 60:22 tells us that the L-RD will either
"hasten" the Kingdom, or let it come about "in its [due] time", all depending on
the requirement of repentance (Deut. 30:1-6.) This Kingdom offer began in the
days of Yochanan the immerser (John the Baptist), as we read in Mt. 11:12:

Only from the days of Yochanan the immerser until now the Kingdom of Heaven
is constricted and the forceful despoil it. [Mt. 11:12 from the DuTillet Hebrew
ms.]

And in Luke 16:16 we read:

The Law and the prophets were until Yochanan henceforth the Kingdom of G-d is
announced but everyone treats it with violence. [Lk.16:16 from Old Syriac &
Peshitta Aramaic]

Yochanan had been announcing, "Repent you of your lives, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is near to come" (Mt. 3:2 DuTillet.) And as soon as his work began,
Y'shua proclaimed, "Turn you, turn you, in repentance: for the Kingdom of
Heaven is near."(Mt. 4:17 DuTillet = Mk. 1:14-15) Now the word for "near" here
in the DuTillet and ShemTob Hebrew versions is hbrq, in the Aramaic of the Old
Syriac and Peshitta the Aramaic equivalent thbrqd appears. In their book
Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, David Bivin and Roy Blizzard Jr.
correctly point out that the Hebrew word "karav" brq means "to come up to and
be with," or "to be where something or someone else is."; "It's here! It has
arrived!" (p. 88) An example of its usage may be seen in 2Kn. 16:12 where we
read "...and the king drew near (brqyv) to the altar..." meaning he was right
there at the altar.

Bivin and Blizzard, however, appear to have an amillennial view of the Kingdom,
writing "It [the Kingdom] is G-d ruling in the lives of men. Those who are ruled by
G-d are the Kingdom of G-d." (p. 90) In truth, the phrase "Kingdom of G-d" is a
variation of the phrase in the Tenach (Old Testament) "Kingdom of YHWH"
(1Chron. 28:5; 2Chron. 13:8) a term used to describe the Kingdom of Israel. After
studying the "Kingdom of G-d" with the Messiah for forty days (Acts 1:3) the
emissaries wanted to know if the Kingdom would be restored to Israel "at this
time", Y'shua answers that it is not for them to know the time (Acts 1:6-7).

The truth is that the Kingdom of G-d/Heaven is the restored Kingdom of Israel
(see Jer. 23:5-6; Is. 9:6-7; 11 with 1Chron. 28:5; 2Chron.13:8.) The Hebrew text
of Mt. 3:2 & 4:17 = Mk. 1:14-15 does indicate that the Kingdom was right there,
available, if they would just repent. The passage is a conditional statement with
an implied "if" as we find in Jonah 3:4.

Y'shua continued to proclaim this Kingdom offer throughout his career (Mt. 12:28
= Lk. 11:20; Mk. 12:34; Lk.10:9, 11; 17:21) even sending out his emissaries with
the same proclamation (Mt. 10:7.) This is the meaning of the passage, "...if you
are willing to receive it [the Kingdom], he [Yochanan] is Elijah who is to come."
(Mt. 11:14 see 11:12).

THE KINGDOM REJECTED

Despite the fact that the Kingdom was being offered as early as the service of
Yochanan (John) the immerser, repentance was required for it to be realized (Mt.
3:2-3; Mt.4:17 = Mk. 1:14-15; Dt. 30:1-6). However, from the time of Yochanan
forward, the Kingdom was being rejected, "plundered" and "treated with
violence" (Mt. 11:12 DuTillet; Lk. 16:16 Old Syriac & Peshitta.) Y'shua compared
this rejection to those who would not dance for flute players (Mt. 11:12, 16-19.)

Y'shua also mentions this rejection in Lk. 17 where we read "...the Kingdom of G-
d is among you... But first he [Y'shua] must suffer many things and BE REJECTED
BY THIS GENERATION." (Lk. 17:21, 25.) Mt. 21:43 tells us that the Kingdom would
be taken from those to whom Y'shua was speaking and given "to a nation"
bearing its fruits (the fruits being repentance, see Mt. 3:2, 8) the words "to a
nation" in the Aramaic is L'AM meaning "to a people" i.e. another generation (see
Lk. 17:21,25; Jer. 31:35-37; Rom. 11) This is also the meaning of Mt.8:11-12 =
Lk. 13:28.

THE KINGDOM OFFER EXTENDED

It would seem that the Kingdom offer was extended beyond the crucifixion. In his
discourse at the Temple in Acts 3:12-26 Kefa repeated the Kingdom offer saying:

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that
the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the L-rd, and that He
may send Y'shua the Messiah, who was proclaimed to you before, whom heaven
must receive until the time of restoration of all things, which G-d has spoken by
the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21)

Thus it would appear that if the people of Israel had entered a national
repentance, even then, the Messiah would have returned to restore the Kingdom
to Israel right then and there.

THE KINGDOM OFFER EXPIRES

This Kingdom offer seems to have continued throughout the entire Acts period,
until it expired at the end of the Book of Acts. In Acts 28 "Paul called the leaders
of the Jews together... to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the
Kingdom of G-d, persuading them concerning Y'shua..." (Acts 28:17, 23). Once
again a corporate repentance did not occur "... some disbelieved. So they did not
agree among themselves." (Acts 28:24b-25a). At this time Paul made known that
the Kingdom offer had ended saying "...the salvation of G-d has been sent to the
Gentiles, and they will hear it!" (Acts. 28:28) this parallels Romans 11:11 "...to
provoke them [Israel] to jealousy, salvation has been sent to the Gentiles."
Which ties this concept to the Olive Tree Parable of Romans 11.

THE OLIVE TREE AND THE MYSTERY

The Olive Tree Parable of Romans 11 , when viewed in light of the Kingdom offer,
teaches that when the Kingdom offer expired in Acts 28:28 = Rom. 11:11, that
wild branches (Gentiles) were grafted into the natural olive tree, but that at
some point in the future, the natural branches would be grafted into their own
olive tree. This concept of unity between Jews and Gentiles in the one body is
echoed in Eph. 2-3 and Col. 1:19-26 a unity which Paul describes as a mystery
"which was in the past concealed but now revealed" (Eph. 3:3-6 & Col. 1:26) This
is because the time period of the wild branches in the olive tree following the
Kingdom offer was in the past concealed. Daniel's prophecy of weeks of years
(Dan. 9:24-27) goes directly from the coming of the Messiah to the final seven
year period commonly known as the tribulation. Daniel accounts for no space
between the two. This is why there was such expectation that the Kingdom
would come in the first century.

There was a mystery, a parenthetical period of time in Daniel's prophecy which

was in the past concealed but later revealed. Had the Kingdom offer been
accepted in the first century, then Daniel's last seven years would have run from
63 C.E. to 70 C.E. These Years seemed in many ways to fulfil endtime prophecies
(so much so that post-millenialists claim that the events of Revelations and Mt.
24 occurred during these years). This is because these years WOULD have been
Daniel's final week, had the Kingdom offer been accepted.

WHY THE KINGDOM OFFER EXPIRED

It has already been discussed that the Kingdom offer expired in 63 C.E., but why?
What happened in 63 C.E.? This year was the year of the death of James the Just.
According to the ancient Nazarene writer Hegesippus, James the Just was very
popular with the Jewish community in general, and many had come to be
believers in Y'shua as the Messiah as a result of his charisma with the people.
Certain of James's enemies, fearing that all Israel would join the Nazarene
movement, pressed him to stand on a wing of the Temple and deny Y'shua.

Instead, James repeated the same hybrid of Ps. 110:1 & Dan. 7:13 which Y'shua
had recited at his trial. In response, James' opponents cast him to the ground and
stoned him to death (Hegesippus as quoted by Eusebius in Eccl. Hist 2:23). Upon
the death of James the Just, the Nazarene movement lost its steam. Even within
the movement apostate elements began to arise. Furthermore, the Essene and
Pharisaic elements of the movement began to polarize. There was no longer any
chance that the Kingdom offer would receive national acceptance in time for the
Messianic Kingdom to occur in the first century. This was the very year that Acts
28:28 took place.

THE KINGDOM RESTORED

Now despite the fact that the condition of repentance was not met in the first
Century, G-d had still promised that if the Kingdom was not hastened, that it
would still take place "in its [due] time." (Is. 60:22). The emissaries understood,
after studying the Kingdom of G-d with Y'shua for forty days, that the Kingdom
would eventually be restored to Israel (Acts 1:3, 6-7). Prophecies regarding this
Kingdom were yet to be fulfilled (Jer. 23:5-6; Is. 9:6-7; 11), and in the New
Scriptures G-d reiterated this promise (Rev. 20:1-6).

EZEKIEL'S "CHARIOT" - PART 1

SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS AND THE DIVINE NAME
(Last update 7/3/00)

The prophet Ezekiel was given a view into the heavenly realms which is
disclosed in the first and tenth chapters of the book of Ezekiel. Much of the
imagery is similar to that found in the book of Revelation. Ezekiel's account of a
"Holy Chariot" is considered to be the highest level of mystical teaching in
Judaism. The mystical teachings introduced in this section will be developed in
detail in Section V of our Revelation background articles.

Our study of Ezekiel's Chariot falls into two areas:

• A discussion of the text, the terms used and their meaning

• A look at some of the mystical aspects of what Ezekiel saw in his vision

We will find that Ezekiel's chariot vision has a relationship to many other
heavenly mysteries, including:
• The four "worlds" or heavens (i.e., Paul having a vision at the level of the
third heaven as depicted in 2 Corinthians 12).

• The arrangement of various "firmaments" within the Heavenlies and their

relationship to the emanations of God in our world

• The role and capacity of angels (as we have already discussed somewhat
 in this study)

• The 12 tribes of Israel

• The ephod and breastplate of the High Priest

• The "cup of blessing" (cup of salvation)

• The "river of Eden"

• Jacob's ladder

• The Shekinah (called the Matrona in the Zohar)

• Metatron / Y’shua

• The name of God - YHWH

All of these topics will be addressed at some point in this study. It should also be
noted that the prophet Isaiah had the same view into the heavenly realm as
seen in Isaiah chapter six. Isaiah however, does not go into the same level of
detail as Ezekiel, but a reading of his account is recommended to supplement
that of Ezekiel, as well as the chapters in Revelation listed above.

THE FIRST CREATURE

The first description that Ezekiel gives is that of four beasts, each of which has
four faces. Although one face is said to resemble a man, another an ox, another
an eagle, and another a lion, all four are simply faces of men that bear those
type of characteristics. This is indicated in 1:5 where he says that each has a
face of a man. In Ezekiel's second Chariot account he shows that the face of the
ox is actually that of an angel (a cherub). This is mentioned in 10:14. Cherubs
are angels with young humanlike faces. Ezekiel refers to what he sees as both
four beasts, as well as a single beast (10:20).
Ezekiel goes on to describe these four (unified) cherubs as having human-like
hands but not feet. He next states that these four, four-faced, cherubs are
adhered to one another, although their faces and wings were separated above.
Thus the four beasts are actually a type of singular entity. Symbolically, this
could mean that these angels, though acting independently, are unified in a
single greater purpose.
The prophet next goes on to mention that the beasts have the appearance of
coals of fire. The allusion to angelic beings being like fire, is consistent with that
found in Psalms and repeated in the book of Hebrews.
Ezekiel then goes on to explain the "movement" of these beings. It is imperative
at this point to recall what "movement" is with regard to (beings in) spiritual
space. As mentioned earlier in this study, angelic movement is not related to
physical movement, but to carrying out the will of God.
Understanding this greatly helps explain what Ezekiel is trying to convey -
otherwise we would be faced with a series of contradictions, as these beasts
would somehow be moving:
 • separately from each other even though they are joined

• in the direction of each of its four separate faces at the same time

The above contradictions are avoided when we realize that the "movement"
Ezekiel is speaking of is the carrying out of God's divine purpose.
The text here states:
Ezekiel 1:12 - And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was
to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.
The term "spirit" in the above text is ruach in the Hebrew, which can mean
spirit, air or purpose. Thus, the living creature is moving according to the
purpose God gives it.1
THE SECOND CREATURE
Ezekiel next describes another body beneath the four (unified) creatures, this
one also made up of four distinct bodies. This unified body is joined to the four
beasts above and to the earth below. His description of these four bodies in one
is that of both eyes and wheels. These wheels are each said to have four faces.
Ezekiel describes the relationship of these four faces/wheels as being a wheel
within a wheel. This is different than that of the four living creatures who were
said to be connected to each other (in more of a side by side fashion).
The term "full of eyes" can also mean they had many colors. The word for eyes
here is einayim from the root ein (pronounced: ayin). It is the same word found
in this passage:
Numbers 11:7 - And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof
(ve-'eino) as the colour of (k-'ein) bdellium.
As with the four creatures, the movement of these wheels has no variation.
Moreover, the movement of these "wheels" is directly related to that of the four
upper beasts, indicating some type of hierarchy. The wheels only move when the
beasts move and in the same "direction" that they do. This is confirmed in 1:36,
where Ezekiel says that the ruach (purpose) of the living creature(s) was also in
the wheels.
To summarize: The first living creature(s) move only according to the divine
purpose of God. The second creature(s) move according to the first creature(s).
The Zohar supports this view:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 241b - R. Simeon discoursed in
this connection on the verse: “When those went these went, and when those
stood these stood” (Ezek. 1, 21). ‘That means’, he said, ‘that when the Hayoth
(living creatures) went the Ofanim (Wheels) also went, as we read, “and when
the Hayoth went the Ofanim went hard by them” (Ibid. 19). For the movements
of the Ofanim are only induced by the movements of the Hayoth, nor can they
pause independently of the Hayoth, for the two move together as one.
Following this, Ezekiel goes on to explain that above the first creature is the
likeness of a firmament and upon this is the likeness of a throne which has the
appearance of a sapphire stone. Upon this throne is the likeness as the
appearance of a man.
In the second vision of chapter 10, Ezekiel makes it very clear that the living
creatures he was describing were cherubim and confirms that the motion of the
wheels below these cherubim was directly related to them. He then adds one
more detail in this second vision, that the wheels were full of eyes all about and
that they had flesh and hands and wings (10:12).
He then adds that there is a specific relationship between the wheels and the
cherubs, stating that each wheel is directly related to a particular cherub (10:9).
Ezekiel confirms that the original four living creatures are in fact one creature
calling it the living creature that he saw (10:20), just as he calls the four wheels
one wheel upon the earth (1:15).
It should also be noted that most of the things Ezekiel describes, he does not do
so in an absolute manner, but rather refers to them being in the likeness of
something. This includes, the living creatures, the throne, the man on the
throne, the glory of the Lord, and the firmament in relation to that which is
above the creatures (1:22).
The exceptions to this are when he speaks of the wheels, and also when he
again mentions the firmament specifically in relation to the throne (10:1). Here
he speaks more directly.
RELATIONSHIP TO THE SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS
Ezekiel's chariot vision gives us insight into the working of all the spiritual
elements previously discussed in this study -- time, space, light, energy and
mass. As we will see, it also gives us a look at how complex and inter-related
these elements are.
As mentioned above, the vision of the chariot shows a heavenly beast, which is
really four beasts, that Ezekiel identifies as cherubim, which are angels. These
angels are carrying out the purpose of God, though no specific mention is given
of the particulars of their assignments. Here we have an example of the
relationship between spiritual light (the divine cause or will of God), spiritual
mass (the angels carrying out the will of God), and the resulting spiritual energy
(the effect of their action upon man/creation). These concepts were discussed in
detail in a previous section of this study.
As for the wheels, there are two main opinions as to what they are. One is that
these are also angelic beings called ophanim, who are of a lower order than the
cherubim. There is also an opinion that these wheels represent various heavenly
realms. In actuality, both opinions can be true as there is a close relationship
between angels and the realms (both spiritual and physical) that are assigned to
them.(Remember not to fall into the trap of thinking "3-dimensionally" when
studying these aspects of God and the heavenly realms!)
What we see from Ezekiel is a connection between these orders of angels, as
well as between the angels and the firmaments they operate in. Ezekiel makes it
clear that the Ophanim only move according to how the Cherubim move. This
would indicate something of a "chain of command," whereby the Cherubim
receive more direct instruction than do the ophanim, although the divine
purpose resides in both. This concept is supported by Ezekiel's explanation that
there is a connection between the "throne" and the Cherubim, a second
connection between the Cherubim and the Ophanim, and a third connection
between the Ophanim and the earth.
Ezekiel also shows that the realm of this beast is not the highest of the
Heavenlies, as he states that there is a firmament above the one that the throne
lies in (1:22). As will later see, the firmament above the four beasts is not the
highest of the firmaments -- there is yet one more, the Supernal firmament,
which is unknowable to human beings.
These various firmaments (also called grades in the Zohar) and the beings that
exist in each, have a relationship to one another.
This is mentioned in the Zohar as follows:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 48b - Mark also this! All the
supernal hosts with their cohorts and lightful chariots of celestial speed are
joined one to another, grade to grade, the lower to the higher, each to its
counterpart; and above them all a holy “Living being” (Hayah) (cf. Ezek. I) is set,
and all those myriads of armies move and rest according to its will and direction.
This is that Living Creature to which all Hayoth are linked, as each is also to
each, all moving and swimming in the sea, concerning which it is written: “This
is the great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small
and great beasts” (Ps. CIV, 25).
The Zohar also speaks of the Ofanim/angels having a relationship to four
quarters of the globe:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 241b - Now observe that the
Ofanim (Wheels) are carried by the Hayoth (living creatures). For that which is of
a higher grade, though it seems to be carried by that which is of a lower grade,
really carries it. It was the same with the Ark, which also carried its carriers. [Tr.
note: T. B. Sotah, 35a.] We must distinguish between the Hayah, “the spirit of
which was in the Ofanim”, and the Hayoth, with which the Ofanim went. This
one turned towards all four quarters of the globe. In regard to this it says: “This
is the Hayah that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar” (Ibid. x, 20);
it is the same which forms a throne to the likeness of Man, and is below the
superior holy Hayoth. For they are in grades, one above the other.
The idea of Ezekiel's angels being connected to the four quarters of the globe, is
consistent with the description of angels of Revelation:
Revelation 7:1 - And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four
corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should
not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
RELATIONSHIP TO THE DIVINE NAME
As noted earlier, the mystical teachings introduced in this section will be
developed in detail in Section V of our Revelation background articles.
The Zohar also teaches a concept where each one of the four letters of the
divine name, YHWH (Yod-Hay-Vav-Hay), is associated with one of four heavens.
The highest level of heaven is associated with the first letter, the Yod.
As God is infinite, He is beyond definition. (As soon as you define Him, He is no
longer infinite.) In Jewish mystical studies, such as the Zohar, God as such is
known as the Eyn Sof, meaning, that which is outside of time and space as we
know it. We cannot comprehend God at this level as we would have to be infinite
ourselves. This subject matter will be discussed in detail later in this study.
NOTE: The idea of the four firmaments (or heavens) is reflected throughout the
Zohar. These four firmaments are just one way of clasifying the divisions
between this universe and Eyn Sof. There are other teachings that subdivide this
"area" into seven heavens or ten heavens. These ideas are not necessarily in
conflict as they are looking at different aspects of the heavenly realms. 2
Although God is infinite and cannot be understood by mere humans, He reveals
Himself to us in many ways. This is one of the fundamental differences between
Judaism and Islam, the latter of which has only an En Sof-type view of God, that
teaches that we are separate from Him and cannot in any way know Him. This
also sets Judaism apart from Pantheism, which does not view God as being
separate and distinct from creation (i.e., "everything is God.").
What we can come to know and understand about Him are what Scripture calls
the image of God, also called emanations or characteristics of God (i.e., God is
merciful, He is judgmental, etc.), as well as Elohim. Although God reveals
Himself in many ways, He is one (echad). This was and is the difference between
Judaism and paganism, the latter of which sees these different divine
emanations (in nature, etc.) and assigns a "god" for each of them, instead of
realizing there is one God "behind all of them."
The aspects of God that He reveals to us are found in the lower
heavens/firmaments, including nature and in man himself - who is of course,
made in the image of God. These concepts will be studied in detail later in this
study.
The next firmament (below the En Sof), which is the "highest" Ezekiel was able
to "look into," is associated with the first He (pronounced "Hay") in Y-H-W-H. The
level below this is related to the letter Waw(pronounced “Vav”), and the level
below that ("closest" to the earth) is associated with the second He:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 21a - But there is also a
firmament above the heavens of which it is written, "and a likeness upon the
heads of the Hayyah, a firmament like the ice, etc." (Ezek. I, 22). This is the
first He’ beyond which it is impossible for the human mind to penetrate,
because what is further is enveloped in the thought of God, which is elevated
above the comprehension of man. If that which is within the Thought cannot be
comprehended, how much less the Thought itself! What is within the Thought no
one can conceive, much less can one know the En Sof, of which no trace can be
found and to which thought cannot reach by any means.
The Zohar goes on to explain that the firmament Ezekiel saw just above the four
living creatures (where the throne was present) is not the highest firmament (of
Eyn Sof). Further, the reason Ezekiel called this the likeness of a throne (rather
than simply "a throne"), is that there is a different Supernal throne of God above
this.
What Ezekiel was allowed to see is an emanation of God:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 217b - "And above the
firmament that was over their heads was as the appearance of a sapphire stone,
the likeness of a throne" (Ezek. I, 26). This firmament’, said R. Simeon, ‘is the
lower firmament, as you, Companions, have explained. Happy is my portion and
happy is your portion, since as regards the supernal firmament there is no one
who can ever discern it. Above that lower firmament, then, there is that
"sapphire stone", that precious jewel by which it is adorned. It says, "the
likeness of a throne", and not "the throne". For there is throne and throne. The
term "the throne" would signify the Supernal Throne, which is undisclosed and
beyond all knowledge and comprehension. Hence it says here "a throne", to wit,
a lower throne.
As previously stated, Scripture shows that the Tabernacle/Temple and its
artifacts, including the garments of the Priests, were made in the image of what
Moses was shown existed in the heavenly realm. The Zohar directly associates
the ephod and breastplate of the Priest with the vision of the heavenlies as seen
by Ezekiel:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 231b - Observe that the ephod
and breastplate were "behind and before", and so the Priest, when clothed in
them, resembled the supernal pattern. As has already been said, when his face
was illumined and the letters stood out brightly, then a message was thereby
conveyed to him. For this reason the breastplate and the ephod were tied
together; and although they had distinct functions, they had the same
symbolism and were therefore united by the four rings that held them together,
back and front. They thus symbolize the Chariots which are united from below to
those above, and the whole symbolizes the Ofanim and Hayoth (Wheels and
Sacred Beasts).
As discussed earlier, in the study of Metatron, there are also two heavenly
Temples (and High Priests) in addition to that established here on the earth. One
is in the realm Ezekiel could see into, which in the Zohar is called Metatron's
Tabernacle, and has the angel Michael as its High Priest. There is a higher
Temple above this however, with a Supernal High Priest.
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 159a - ‘From this we see that the
Holy One, blessed be He, actually gave Moses all the arrangements and all the
shapes of the Tabernacle, each in its appropriate manner, and that he saw
Metatron ministering to the High Priest within it. It may be said that, as the
Tabernacle above was not erected until the Tabernacle below had been
completed, that "youth" (Metatron) could not have served above before Divine
worship had taken place in the earthly Tabernacle. It is true that the Tabernacle
above was not actually erected before the one below; yet Moses saw a mirroring
of the whole beforehand, and also Metatron, as he would be later when all was
complete. The Holy One said to him: "Behold now, the Tabernacle and the
‘Youth’; all is held in suspense until the Tabernacle below shall have been built."
It should not be thought, however, that Metatron himself ministers; the fact is,
that the Tabernacle belongs to him, and Michael, the High Priest, it is that serves
there, within the Metatron's Tabernacle, mirroring the function of the Supernal
High Priest above, serving within that other Tabernacle, that hidden one which
never is revealed, which is connected with the mystery of the world to come.
There are two celestial Tabernacles: the one, the supernal concealed
Tabernacle, and the other, the Tabernacle of the Metatron. And there are also
two priests: the one is the primeval Light, and the other Michael, the High Priest
below.

1. Moses Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed, Section III, part 2.

2. James Trimm, Society for the Advancement of Nazarene Judaism (www.nazarene.net)

EZEKIEL'S "HOLY CHARIOT" - PART 2

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HEAVENLY REALMS
As noted earlier, the mystical teachings introduced in this section will be
developed in detail in Section V of our Revelation background articles.
In the previous section of this study, we discussed how the "wheel" in Ezekiel's
Chariot vision is a "connection" between the heavenly realm immediately around
us and the "other heavens." As shown in the section below, the Zohar,
associates this wheel with Metatron, who is associated with the Messiah. The
Zohar also states that "beyond" the angels (holy beasts) that Ezekiel say, there
are also angels (hayoth) who do not disclose themselves.
In the following Zohar section, there is an association made between the "four
heavens" (or four "worlds") and the name of YHWH. The Zohar says that these
undisclosed angels are in the two higher heavens, represented by the Yod (the
"Y") and the first He' (or "Hay" - the first "H"). This places the cherubim angels
that Ezekiel saw in the realm of the Vav (the "V"), also called the World of
Yetzirah (Formation). These worlds will be discussed in detail later in this study.
The ophanim seem to be the connection between this realm of the Vav and that
of what could be called the "first heaven" which is that of the second or "lesser"
He' ("H") of Y-H-V-H, the one closest to the physical world we live in:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 21a - It is said of the Hayyoth
that "they run to and fro" (Ezek. I, 14), and so no eye can follow them. The
Hayyoth which disclose themselves are those in the midst of which there is an
Ofan (wheel), which is Metatron, who is more exalted than all the other hosts.
The Hayyoth which are never disclosed are those which are under the two
undisclosed letters Yod, He’, which rule over Vau, He’, these being the pedestal
of the former. The most mysterious and incomprehensible essence rules over all
and is mounted upon all. The Hayyoth which disclose themselves are below
those which remain undisclosed and derive light from them and follow them. The
celestial Hayyoth are all comprised in the "firmament of the heaven", and are
referred to in the words "let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven",
"and they shall be for lights in the firmament of the heaven". They are all
suspended in that firmament.
A summation of the "four heavens" as seen by Ezekiel might be as follows:
• A "sapphire stone" that represents the highest heaven, associated with
the Yod ("Y")

• The "likeness of a throne" that sits in the next heavenly grade, that of the
first He' ("H")

• The holy beasts (cherubim) that resides in the grade below the previous,
that of the Vav ("W")

• The wheel (ophanim) that makes the connection to the most immediate
heaven around us, that of the second or "lesser" He' ("H")

The concept of multiple heavens, is mentioned by Paul in one of his epistles.

Here he speaks of a man (most likely himself) who went up to the third heaven.
This man was given great insight into the deepest mysteries:
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 - I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago,
(whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God
knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man,
(whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that
he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not
lawful for a man to utter.
The Soncino Zohar (Appendix III), summarizes as follows:
For, according to the Zohar, God, the protector of Israel, is borne along by four
Hayyoth or Holy Beasts, constituting His throne, and these are borne on other
angelic beings, which again rest on higher firmaments, under which is the lowest
heaven, to which belongs the earth and all its creatures.
What we see is that there are multiple heavenly realms, and a continuum
between these heavens and the various "entities" that inhabit them. Angels in
our immediate realm "trace" their authority back to Ezekiel's holy beasts, who
"answer" directly to God.
Ezekiel's vision of the Divine Chariot gives us insight as to "how things work" in
the spiritual realm, and provides links to a number of specific concepts in
Scripture.
A LINK TO JACOB'S LADDER
The Zohar makes a connection between this continuity of the heavenly realms
and the patriarch Jacob. This goes back to the dream of Jacob's ladder, covered
earlier in this study:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 150a - Jacob was beholden to
dreams, as explained before. AND BEHOLD, THE LORD STOOD (nitsab) UPON IT,
ETC. Here Jacob discerned the essential unity of the object of faith. This is
implied in the term nitsab (firmly knit), which implies that Jacob saw all grades
stationed as one on that ladder so as to be knit into one whole. And inasmuch as
that ladder is situated between two sides, God said to him: I AM THE LORD, THE
GOD OF ABRAHAM THY FATHER, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC , these two being
respectively of the two sides, one of the right and the other of the left. According
to another explanation, the Lord was standing over him, to wit, over Jacob, so as
to form the Divine Chariot, with the Community of Israel, embodied in Jacob, as
the uniting link in the midst, between the right and the left. That Jacob was in
the midst is proved by the fact that the text here calls Abraham "thy father", but
not Isaac, thus showing that Jacob was next to Abraham; and hence the text
naturally continues: THE LAND WHEREON THOU LIEST , showing that the whole
formed one sacred Chariot. Here Jacob saw that he was to be the crown of the
patriarchs. The words "the God of thy father Abraham and the God of Isaac"
show that Jacob was attached to either side and holding fast to both of them.
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 48b - R. Simeon discoursed on
the verse: Now I beheld the living creatures (Hayoth), and behold one wheel
upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces (Ezek. I, 15). ‘This
verse’, he said, ‘we can explain as follows. The Holy One reveals His dominion
and power in all things, a power which shall never be shaken. He manifested His
power in the Patriarchs, and particularly in Jacob. Now Jacob is united with the
Tree of Life, over which death has no dominion, since in it all life is contained,
emanating from it unto all those who are in perfect union with it. For this reason
Jacob did not really die. He died in a physical sense when “he gathered up his
feet into the bed” (Gen. XLIX, 33), which bed is mysteriously called “the bed of
Solomon” (S.S. III, 7), the bed of the “strange woman” whose “feet go down to
death” (Prov. v, 5). But of all the Fathers the Holy One chose Jacob to be the
centre of perfection and fulfilment, as it is written: “Jacob whom I have chosen”
(Isa. XLI, 8). Mark also this! All the supernal hosts with their cohorts and lightful
chariots of celestial speed are joined one to another, grade to grade, the lower
to the higher, each to its counterpart; and above them all a holy “Living being”
(Hayah) (cf. Ezek. I) is set, and all those myriads of armies move and rest
according to its will and direction. This is that Living Creature to which all Hayoth
are linked, as each is also to each, all moving and swimming in the sea,
concerning which it is written: “This is the great and wide sea, wherein are
things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts” (Ps. CIV, 25).
Note in the above portion about Jacob, the references to "the bed of Solomon"
into which Jacob gathered up his feet. This is a references to the Shekinah and
will be discussed later in this Revelation study.
Putting everything together up to this point, what we now have from the Zohar is
a link between Jacob's ladder, Jacob himself (who was a "picture" of Messiah),
and the Ophanim (wheel). We also know that the Zohar says the wheel is
Metatron. As Yeshua says that He is that ladder (John 1:51), we can now make
an association between Yeshua, Ezekiel's wheel and Jacob's ladder. All three
represent a connection between the earthly realm and the higher heavens
approaching God.
A LINK TO THE SHEKINAH AND THE 12 TRIBES
The Zorah depicts a group of twelve angels, made up of four archangels, that are
themselves associated with the four holy beasts of Ezekiel. Each of these four
angels has two angels subordinate to him. There is further, a direct connection
between these twelve angels and the twelve tribes of Israel. In turn, there are
tens of thousands of angels below these twelve, watching over the affairs of God
and His people in this realm.
NOTE: The following are the most pertinent excerpts taken from a very lengthy
section:
Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 154a - MAKE UNTO THEE TWO
TRUMPETS OF SILVER, ETC. R. Simeon adduced here the verse: “And when the
Hayoth (living creatures) went, the wheels went hard by them; and when
the.Hayoth were lifted up from the bottom the wheels were lifted up” (Ezek. I,
19). ‘The Hayoth’, he said, ‘are borne along by the supernal power; and so were
the movements of the tribes below who bore on their standards the likenesses of
the Hayoth, that of Lion, Eagle, Ox, Man. Angels attended each of the standards.
... The first standard bore the likeness of Lion and was attended by Michael,
who had under him two chieftains, Zophiel and Zadkiel ...
Each of the Hayoth had four wings formed of white flaming fire, as well as four
faces turned towards the four cardinal points, all illumined by the white light of
the sun; the one turned to the east was illumined with a joyous light, the one
towards the west with a concentrated light, the one towards the north was
within the penumbra of the sun. These contained three groups. [Tr. note:
Corresponding to the three tribes under each standard.] ...
There were, besides, a long succession of lower grades. These were
innumerable. The second group contained fifty-four thousand and four hundred
besides those of the lower grades, who were innumerable. The third group,
which followed behind, contained fifty-seven thousand and four hundred. So
soon as the first standard began to march the tabernacle was taken down, and
all the Levites chanted hymns, and the lords of praise were all ranged there “for
the spirit of the Hayoth was in the Ophanim (Wheels)”. ...
The second standard bore on it the Eagle, symbolic of the angel Uriel, and
was ranged on the south. Two chieftains accompanied him, namely, Shamshiel
and Hasdiel. ... All the firmaments indeed moved forward along with these hosts
in front of the tabernacle. We thus read: “And when the Hayoth went, the
Ophanim went hard by them”. ...
Then follows the third standard to the north. It had for its ensign Ox and was
accompanied by the angel Gabriel and his two chieftains, Kafziel and Hizkiel ...
Seven fiery rivers flow in front of him, and when thirsty he draws up a whole
riverful at one gulp. Yet this river is straightway filled again as before,
unfailingly. And were it not for a stream of water from the region of the lion
quenching the fiery coals, the world could not endure. ...
On the fourth side the fourth standard, on the west, had for its symbol Man,
the angel Raphael, [Tr. note: Whose chief function, as his name (RaFA=to cure)
denotes, was the healing of men.] with whom there is healing.1
The Zohar links the twelve groups (of thousands of angels) with the reunification
of the twelve tribes and the Shekinah, with Her spouse:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 197b - These are the twelve
supernal legions, which are all comprised under the four sacred Hayoth
mentioned before. All these ascend towards the Divine Throne, so as to take her
up on high that she may join her Spouse, and that He should be with Her in
surpassing glory. The Most High King then seats Himself on the Divine Throne in
perfect unison with His Spouse, and joy is thus diffused through the universe.
A LINK TO THE TABERNACLE AND TEMPLE
As shown earlier in this study, there were twenty-four groups in the encampment
surrounding the Tabernacle. As the Tabernacle and Temple on earth are a
reflection of what is in the heavenlies, this would imply some type of heavenly
arrangement totaling twenty-four entities. This is shown as follows:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 241b - R. Simeon discoursed in
this connection on the verse: “When those went these went, and when those
stood these stood” (Ezek. 1, 21). ‘That means’, he said, ‘that when the Hayoth
(living creatures) went the Ofanim (Wheels) also went, as we read, “and when
the Hayoth went the Ofanim went hard by them” (Ibid. 19). For the movements
of the Ofanim are only induced by the movements of the Hayoth, nor can they
pause independently of the Hayoth, for the two move together as one. Now the
celestial gate of the east is provided with twenty-four openings guarded by
twenty-four sentinels who are surrounded by a flaming fire. There are at the
entrance of the gate twenty-four sockets supporting twenty- four pillars. These
pillars remain in their place and do not soar into space; they are thus designated
“standing ones”, in the verse: “I will give thee a place to walk among these
standing ones” (Zech. III, 7). And as long as those pillars remain immobile those
that are above them go to and fro through the world, survey things, and
whatever they overhear they carry up on high.
The Zohar states that the first Tabernacle had to built before Solomon's Temple
as the two served different and sequential purposes in linking the heavenly
grades together. Moses' Tabernacle "connected" the Shekinah with the next
heavenly realm. Solomon's Temple then made the "connection" between the
Shekinah and the higher heaven, the realm of the "bridegroom.":
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 145a - Moses, by building the
Tabernacle, brought about the union of the Matrona with the world here below,
Solomon brought about the perfect union of the Matrona with the Bridegroom
above.
Solomon's Temple is also connected to the River of Eden that appears at the end
of the book of Revelation. (Which we will discuss later in this study.) The
following verses also show that just as there is a Temple above and below, the
same applies to the throne:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 242a - The Throne immediately
underneath the God of Israel is in the form of Jacob, and the Throne below in
that of David; this is the one that turns to the four corners of the world. It follows
that the spirit of the highest diffuses through the lower, and directs and guides
the whole. There was similar direction in the lower world. Just as in connection
with the upper world we read that “the spirit of the Hayah is in the Ofanim”, so
of the lower world it is written, “And Moses reared up the tabernacle”, he being
the guiding spirit below; wherefore it is written: “And he reared up, fixed, put.”
‘Observe that Moses set up the Tabernacle in the recondite spirit of his own high
grade; but the Temple that Solomon built was the recondite expression of the
River that went forth from Eden, signifying homely peace and rest. The
Tabernacle expressed love and affection, but not restfulness, whereas the
Temple of Solomon meant rest, as it says, “he shall be a man of rest” (I Chron.
XXII, 9). Each one builded according to his own grade. ‘Moses first firmly
established in the side of holiness the central Point which was hid in darkness
and buried, and afterwards all the rest, which is but the enlargement of this
Point. And if this Point had not been established first, all that spread from it
could not have been established. This is referred to in the words, “he reared up
the tabernacle”.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 232a - It has already been

explained that the verse, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth”, means that the lower world was created after the pattern of the upper.
Now, the Tabernacle below was likewise made after the pattern of the supernal
Tabernacle in all its details. For the Tabernacle in all its works embraced all the
works and achievements of the upper world and the lower, whereby the
Shekinah was made to abide in the world, both in the higher spheres and the
lower. Similarly, the Lower Paradise is made after the pattern of the Upper
Paradise, and the latter contains all the varieties of forms and images to be
found in the former. ... For whoever then looked at the Tabernacle saw in it an
epitome of the upper world and the lower; for all the works of the universe were
contained in the equipment of the Tabernacle. Thus whoever gazed with
attention at the clasps of the Tabernacle saw in their gleam the radiance of the
stars, inasmuch as they were disposed in the same way as the stars in heaven.’
1. The Midrash Rabbah, gives a slightly different alignment of the angels.

THE SHEKINAH - PART 1

THE MENORAH, TEMPLE, BRIDE OF MESSIA

As noted earlier, the mystical teachings introduced in this section will be

developed in detail in Section V of our Revelation background articles.
The term "Shekinah" means "dwelling" and is used to describe God's presence in
this world. The word Shekinah is not found in the Bible. Its earliest appearance is
in the Targums where it used with regard to God dwelling among the children of
Israel. As such, the term and concept of Shekinah are not found very often in
Christian literature. The "New Testament" allusions to the Shekinah include Luke
2:9; John 1:14; and Romans 9:4, where it is referred to as God's "glory," and is
connected to the Messiah and the Millennium. The Zohar has hundreds of
references to the Shekinah.
The Soncino Zohar gives the following appraisal. Note that the presence of the
Shekinah is said to exist within the presence of people, now that the Temple is
no longer:
Soncino Zohar, Appendix III - If we ask, how does God manifest His presence
in Israel, the answer is, through the Divine Light, the Shekinah. This light is the
connecting link between the divine and the non-divine. For, according to the
Zohar, God, the protector of Israel, is borne along by four Hayyoth or Holy
Beasts, constituting His throne, and these are borne on other angelic beings,
which again rest on higher firmaments, under which is the lowest heaven, to
which belongs the earth and all its creatures. ... Through this hierarchy an
emanation of the Divine Presence is conveyed to earth, just as, on the other
hand, the prayer of human beings is conveyed up to heaven. The Shekinah
originally rested on the Tabernacle and Temple, but even now it
accompanies the wise, especially when three study together. The ‘throne
of God’, consisting of the Hayyoth, is the instrument of God's providence on
earth. For the Hayyoth are pictured as having each a human face, but with the
aspect respectively of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. According, therefore, to
the aspect through which he is looked upon from on high will be the providential
care which a man receives here on earth.
THE SHEKINAH AND THE MENORAH
The following was mentioned in the previous section of this study:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 48b - Now Jacob is united with
the Tree of Life, over which death has no dominion, since in it all life is
contained, emanating from it unto all those who are in perfect union with it. For
this reason Jacob did not really die. He died in a physical sense when “he
gathered up his feet into the bed” (Gen. XLIX, 33), which bed is mysteriously
called “the bed of Solomon” (S.S. III, 7), the bed of the “strange woman”
whose “feet go down to death” (Prov. v, 5).
As previously stated, the reference to the "bed of Solomon" (also known as the
couch of Solomon and the litter of Solomon) is linked to the Shekinah and is
found in the following Scripture verse:
Song of Solomon 3:7 - Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant
men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.
The Zohar explains that the couch of Solomon is a reference to the Shekinah. It
is taught that the book of Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, is an allusion to
the "Holy of Holies" and reflects the history of this world, the Millennium and the
wedding of the Shekinah to God. The Shekinah is said to be protected by an
array of sixty angels, with another ten "hidden" in their midst, making a total of
seventy. These seventy angels have the task of protecting the Shekinah from
the angels of the seventy nations:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 5a - R. Judah illustrated from the
verse: "Behold, it is the couch of Solomon, threescore mighty men are about it,
of the mighty men of Israel" (S.S. III, 7), which he expounded thus: ‘Six
luminosities form a circle surrounding a seventh luminosity in the centre. The six
on the circumference sustain the sixty valiant angels surrounding the "couch of
Solomon". The "couch" is an allusion to the Shekinah, and "Solomon" refers to
the "King to whom peace (shalom) belongs": "threescore mighty men are about
it"-these are the sixty myriads of exalted angels, part of the army of the
Shekinah which accompanied Jacob into Egypt.’
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 30b - There are on high seven
firmaments, and seven zones of earth. Correspondingly, in the lower world there
are seven graded firmaments and seven zones of earth. These, as the
Companions have expounded, are arranged like the rungs of a ladder, rising one
above the other, and each zone has ten divisions, so that there are seventy in
all. Each one of these is presided over by a Chieftain, and these seventy
Chieftains have under their charge the seventy nations of the earth. These
seventy earth-divisions, again, border on and surround the Holy Land, as
Scripture says: “Behold, it is the couch of Solomon; threescore mighty men are
about, of the mighty men of Israel” (S.S. III, 7), there being, in addition to
the threescore mentioned, ten concealed among their number.
There is also found a relationship between the Shekinah (called the "Matrona"),
the angels of Ezekiel's vision and the "way of the tree of life" (that we will
address at the end of this section), as found in the book of Genesis:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 50b - 52a - ‘How many
thousands, how many myriads, of celestial cohorts surround the Holy One and
follow in His train! Princes of supernal countenances are there, and beings full of
eyes; lords of the sharp weapons, lords of the piercing cry, lords of the heralding
trumpet, lords of mercy, lords of judgement; and above them the Lord has
appointed the Matrona to minister before Him in the Palace. She for her own
bodyguard has armed hosts of sixty different degrees. Holding their swords,
they stand around Her. They come and go, entering and departing again on the
errands of their Master. Each with his six wings outspread they circle the world
in swift and silent flight. Before each of them coals of fire burn. Their garments
are woven of flames from a bright and burning fire. A sharp flaming sword also is
at the shoulder of each to guard Her. Concerning these swords it is written:
"The flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree
of life" (Gen. III, 23). Now, what is "the way of the Tree of Life"? This is
the great Matrona who is the way to the great and mighty Tree of Life.
Concerning this it is written: "Behold the bed which is Solomon's; the
three score valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel" (S.S. III, 7),
namely, the Supernal Israel. "They all hold swords" (Ibid. 8), and when the
Matrona moves they all move with her, as it is written: "and the angel of God,
which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them" (Ex. XIV,
19). Is, then, the Shekinah called "the angel of the Lord"? Assuredly!
We can now begin to understand the mystical significance of the Menorah as it
relates to the Shekinah. The Menorah is a seven-branched candlestick, having
three candles to each side of the main one in the center. Each Menorah has six
candles surrounding one in the center, representing the angelic guardians of the
Shekinah.
In order to represent the sixty/seventy guardians of the Shekinah, Solomon
made ten menorahs for the Temple:
2 Chronicles 4:7 - And he made ten lampstands of gold according to their
form, and set them in the temple, five on the right hand, and five on the left.
The Zohar gives the following explaination of the relationship between the sixty
guardians of the Shekinah and the Menorah's branches:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 14b - R. Simeon here discoursed
as follows: ‘In his going down into Egypt Jacob was accompanied by six angelic
grades, each consisting of ten thousand myriads. Correspondingly Israel was
made up of six grades, in correspondence to which again there are six steps to
the supernal celestial Throne, and corresponding to them six steps to the lower
celestial Throne. ... Observe that each grade was an epitome of ten grades, so
that altogether there were sixty, indentical with the “threescore mighty men”
that are round about the Shekinah. And these sixty, again, are the sixty myriads
that accompanied Israel in their departure from exile and accompanied Jacob
into exile.’ R. Hiya asked him: ‘But are there not seven grades, each an epitome
of the ten grades, thus amounting to seventy?’ R. Simeon said in reply: ‘That
number has no bearing on this matter, as we learn from the description of the
candlestick, of which it says: “And there shall be six branches going out of the
sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and
three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof... And thou shalt
make the lamps thereof seven” (Ex. xxv, 32). The central branch is not counted
with the rest, as it says, “and they shall light the lamps thereof over against it”
(Ibid.).’
THE SHEKINAH AND THE TEMPLE
The following verse discusses the two Tabernacles, one above and one below,
and how the Shekinah was also meant to abide in both as the "connection"
between this world and the heavenly realms above:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 231b - It has already been
explained that the verse, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth", means that the lower world was created after the pattern of the upper.
Now, the Tabernacle below was likewise made after the pattern of the supernal
Tabernacle in all its details. For the Tabernacle in all its works embraced all the
works and achievements of the upper world and the lower, whereby the
Shekinah was made to abide in the world, both in the higher spheres
and the lower. Similarly, the Lower Paradise is made after the pattern of the
Upper Paradise, and the latter contains all the varieties of forms and images to
be found in the former. Hence the work of the Tabernacle, and that of heaven
and earth, come under one and the same mystery. It is written: "Lift up your
eyes on high, and see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their hosts
by number.... Not one faileth" (Isa. XL, 26).
The mystery of how the Shekinah was "severed" from God, is explained in the
Zohar, which points back to the sin of the Golden Calf in the book of Exodus:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 190b, 191a - ‘This is one of
those sayings whose significance was revealed to me in a whisper from the
school of knowledge in Paradise itself, and which should not be repeated openly.
Yet, in spite of all this, I will now reveal it unto you, O my beloved children, my
children whom my soul loves! What else can I do? It was told to me in a whisper,
but I will tell it to you openly, and when the days of the Messiah shall be come,
when we shall see face to face, all the “faces” will give their consent. Now, the
sin which the “outsiders”- “the mixed multitude”- committed, and in which the
holy people participated, was a sin against the “Holy Mother”, the Shekinah,
because they said, “Up, make us a god” (Elohim) (Ex. XXXII, 1)- Elohim, the
Glory of Israel, She who rested upon them like a mother on her children. This is
the secret contained in the words: “They changed their glory into the similitude
of an ox that eateth grass” (Ps. CVI, 20). Yea, verily, that is the Glory of Israel:
their Mother. Therefore it also says, “The glory has departed” (I Sam. IV, 22),
because they caused the Shekinah to go into exile with them.
Due to this sin of the Golden Calf, the Shekinah is no longer in her unified
position. She is in exile with God's people, to be reunited one day. The Zohar
places the Shekinah in the lowest of the four "heavens," that of the "lesser He"
(the second "H" of Y-H-V-H) - the spiritual realm immediately around us:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 9b - ‘A mystery of mysteries has
been revealed to them that are wise of heart. The "He" of the second Temple is
in exile with her twelve tribes and their hosts.
Returning to Ezekiel's Chariot vision, the Zohar indicates that what Ezekiel saw
(Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10) was a picture of the Shekinah being in unity with
God in the higher and lower realms. Hence, this was a picture of what was to
come one day (in the Millennium):
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 198a - "the Lord's heave-
offering" indicates the Divine Throne, so called because they raise it and cause it
to ascend on high. [Tr. note: i.e. from the world of beriah to the world of aziluth].
And it is for this reason that Ezekiel, in his vision of the ascending Hayoth, failed
to see what it was that they were taking up with them, since it was the Matrona
rising to join the Most High King in hidden and supreme glory. "And let every
wise-hearted among you come and make all that the Lord hath commanded."
This is an allusion to the sixty well-springs that feed the world and so are
enjoined to come and bring with them from the treasury of life, by executing the
commands of the Holy One, so as to benefit the world.’
It is no wonder that Ezekiel is also instructed to tell God's people that they
should study the Temple (Ezekiel 43:10-11). It does in fact, contain the mysteries
of the universe.
THE SHEKINAH AS BRIDE
The terms of "beriah" and "aziluth" (above) relate respectively to the "third
heaven" (Beriah is directly above Ezekiel's Chariot) and the fourth, or highest
heaven (Aziluth), which is the realm of the En Sof. The Zohar describes that this
unification of God's name will include the marriage of the Shekinah to her
Spouse:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 198a - Thus Scripture says, "And
Moses assembled", "Moses" being an allusion to Heaven; while the words "all the
congregation of the children of Israel" allude to the twelve supernal holy legions.
The next words, "and said unto them... This is the thing... Take ye from among
you an offering unto the Lord", means, "prepare yourselves, all of you, to take
and to bear upon you the glory of the Divine Throne so as to raise it aloft to the
divine heights; appoint from among you those supernal glorified chiefs who shall
take up that offering containing the mystery of the Divine Throne, in order to
bring about a union with the "patriarchs", (Tr. note: Al. "with her spouse".) for
the Matrona (i.e. the Shekinah) may not come to her Spouse except those
youthful bridesmaids follow in her train until she is brought to Him, as it says,
"The virgins her companions in her train being brought unto thee" (Ps. XLV, 15),
to wit, that she may join her Spouse.
The Zohar now states that this Divine Throne is associated with those who follow
God, hence both the Shekinah and this body of believers are His bride:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 238a - ’AND THEY BROUGHT THE
TABERNACLE UNTO MOSES, ETC. It is written: “And above the firmament” (Ezek.
I, 26). This alludes to the firmament that is placed over the four Hayoth (Holy
Animals) who are impinged on by the spirit of the Hayah (Holy Animal), by
whose spirit they all rise aloft, as it says: “and when the Hayoth were lifted up
from the earth, the Ofanim (Wheels) were lifted up beside them, for the spirit of
the Hayah was in the Ofanim” (lbid. I, 21). It is when the space of that region, as
it were, impinges on them that the four Hayoth rise and carry aloft the superior
Hayah, bringing it to the Supernal Illumination. This is esoterically alluded to in
the words, “The virgins her companions in her train being brought unto thee”
(Ps. XLV, 15), the four Hayoth being so designated. These raise the Supernal
Hayah higher and higher so as to uphold the Supernal Throne, as esoterically
indicated in the words, “and [they] bore up the ark, and it was lifted up above
the earth” (Gen. Vll, 17). The same allusion can be found in the words, “And they
brought the tabernacle unto Moses”, Moses being a synonym of Adam. The
Tabernacle is symbolic of all the members of the Body when suffused with
a holy desire for the union of the male and female principles. So “they brought
the tabernacle”, since the bride is first to be brought to her spouse, who
subsequently takes up his abode with her permanently.
The Zohar makes an association between the Shekinah and the Temple and
indicates that the Shekinah's spouse is the Messiah.
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 9a - On that day the whole earth
will be shaken from one end to the other, and thus the whole world will know
that the Messiah has revealed himself in the land of Galilee. And all who are
diligent in the study of the Torah-and there shall be few such in the
world-will gather round him. His army will gain in strength through the
merit of little infants at school, symbolized by the word ephroah-"young
bird" (cf. Deut. XXII, 6). And if such will not be found at that time it will be
through the merit of the sucklings, "the eggs" (Ibid), "those that are weaned
from the milk, and drawn from the breasts" (Isa. XXII, 9), for whose sake the
Shekinah dwells in the midst of Israel in exile, as indeed there will be few sages
at that time. This is the implication of the words "And the dam sitting upon the
young, or upon the eggs", which, allegorically interpreted, means that it does
not depend upon the Mother to free them from exile, but upon the Supreme
King; for it is the young ones and the sucklings that will give strength to
the Messiah, and then the Supernal Mother, which "sits upon them",
will be stirred up towards Her Spouse. He will tarry for twelve months
longer, and then he will appear and raise her from the dust: "I will raise
up on that day the tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos IX, II). On that
day the Messiah will begin to gather the captives from one end of the world to
the other: "If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven, from
thence will the Lord thy God gather thee" (Deut. xxx, 4). From that day on the
Holy One will perform for Israel all the signs and wonders which He performed
for them in Egypt: "As in the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I
show unto him wonders" (Micah Vll, I5).’
It is interesting that the Zohar (above) implies that there would be few faithful
ones on earth at the time of the Messiah's coming. This mirrors the words of the
Messiah Himself:
Luke 18:8 - Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on
the earth?
Furthermore, the Zohar calls the faithful ones "little infants" - the identical term
Yeshua uses in the same sermon from Luke's Gospel:
Luke 18:15-17 - And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch
them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them
unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not:
for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
THE SHEKINAH - PART 2
NEW JERUSALEM, MESSIAH, THE WEDDING FEAST

As noted earlier, the mystical teachings introduced in this section will be

developed in detail in Section V of our Revelation background articles.
THE SHEKINAH AND NEW JERUSALEM
The following verse shows a multiplicity of ideas that closely mirror themes from
the book of Revelation. This verse would "feel quite comfortable" if it were
placed within the latter:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 10a - Then the lower He'
(Shekinah) shall be filled from the upper spring (the highest Sephiroth), and be
crowned and radiate in perfection until the Sabbath of the Lord arrives to gather
souls in the joy of holiness throughout this whole seventh millennium. Then the
holy spirits of the people of Israel at the fulness of time will be invested with
new, holy bodies, and be called "Saints": "And it shall come to pass that he that
is left in Zion and that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy" (Isa. III, 4).
These are the veiled mysteries.’
The term "Sephiroth" (above) is an emanation or characteristic of God and will
be explained fully in a later section. The book of Revelation shows "New
Jerusalem" to come from the heavens, with the glory of God (the Shekinah) and
all the Lamb (the Messiah) unified to provide its "light.":
Revelation 21:9-10 - And there came unto me one of the seven angels which
had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying,
Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me
away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city,
the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God ...
Revelation 21:22-23 - And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither
of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb
is the light thereof.
The following Zohar section agrees with Revelation that the heavenly Jerusalem
will decend at the end of the 1000-year Sabbath. This Heavenly Jerusalem is
directly tied to the Shekinah, and is the "gate" for entry into God's presence:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 51a - For thus said R. Simeon:
"The Holy One prepared for Himself a holy Palace, a supernal Palace, a holy City,
a supernal City, which is called ‘Jerusalem, the holy city’. He who wishes to
see the King, must enter through this holy City and thence take his way to
the King: ‘this is the gate of the Lord into which the righteous shall enter’ (Ps.
CXVIII, 20)." Every message which the King wishes to send out is sent through
the Matrona, and, conversely, every message sent from the lower spheres to the
King must first reach the Matrona, and from her it goes to the King. Thus the
Matrona is the messenger between the upper regions and the lower. For this
reason she is called "the angel (messenger) of God".
In the Amsterdam Edition of the Zohar, the same position and function of
"messenger of God" is given to Metatron:
Amsterdam Edition Zohar, Exodus, Vol. ii; Page 51 - "To keep the way of
the tree of life." (Gen. 3:24) Who is the way to the tree of life? It is the great
Metatron, for he is the way to that great tree, to that mighty tree of life. Thus it
is written, "The Angel of G-d, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and
went behind them." (Ex. 14:19) And Metatron is called the Angel of G-d. Come
and see, thus says R. Simeon. The holy One, blessed Be He, has prepared for
Himself a holy Temple above in the heavens, a holy city, a city in the heavens,
and called it Jerusalem, the holy city. Every petition sent to the King, must be
through Metatron. Every message and petition from here below, must first go to
Metatron, and from thence to the king. Metatron is the Mediator of all that
comes from heaven down to the earth, or from the earth up to heaven. And
because he is the mediator of all, it is written "And the Angel of G-d, which went
before the camp of Israel, removed; that is, before Israel which is above." (Ex.
14:19) This Angel of G-d is the same of whom it is written "And YHWH went
before them…" (Ex. 13:21) to go by day and by night as the ancients have
expounded it. Whoever will speak to me [says G-d] shall not be able to do so, till
he has made it known to Metatron. thus the holy One, blessed be He, on account
of the great love to and mercy with which He has over the Assembly of Israel,
commits her (the Assembly) to Metatron's care. What shall I do for Him
(Metatron)? I will commit my Whole house into His hand, etc. Henceforth be you
a Keeper As it is written "The Keeper of Israel" (Ps. 121:4)
THE SHEKINAH'S UNITY WITH THE MESSIAH
Both the Zohar (above) and Revelation (22:14) state that the only righteous will
pass through the gates of New Jerusalem to spend eternity with God. We know
also from Scripture, that the path to the Father goes through Yeshua. Hence, an
immediate parallel can be drawn between "New Jerusalem" and Y’shua.
A mystical connection between the Shekinah and Messiah may be found in
another section of the Zohar. Here we see an allusion to the number forty-two,
which (as previously discussed) is associated with Yeshua Himself in chapter one
of Matthew's Gospel:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 5a - Blessed are the souls of the
righteous who perceive it! "There is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great
and thy Name is great. Who would not be in awe of thee, thou king of the
nations?" (Jer. x, 6-7). Said R. Simeon: ‘When the Shekinah went down to
Egypt, a celestial "living being" (Hayah, cf.Ezek. 1, 5), called "Israel", in
form like the patriarch Jacob, went down with Her, accompanied by
forty- two heavenly attendants, each of whom bore a letter belonging
to the Holy Name. ... When R. Isaac was once studying with R. Eleazar, the
son of R. Simeon, he asked him: ‘Did the Shekinah go down to Egypt with Jacob?’
Said R. Eleazar: ‘Surely! Did not God say to Jacob, "I will go down with thee into
Egypt" (Gen. XLVI, 4)?’
The book of Ezekiel also connects the glory of God (the Shekinah) with the
Messiah who comes via the eastern gate of the Temple. Ezekiel also links this
vision to the Chariot vision he had by the river Chebar (Ezekiel chapters 1 and
10):
Ezekiel 43:1-4 - Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that
looketh toward the east: And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from
the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth
shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which
I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city:
and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon
my face. And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate
whose prospect is toward the east.
Returning to the Soncino Appendix commentary from the beginning of this
section:
"The Shekinah originally rested on the Tabernacle and Temple, but even now it
accompanies the wise, especially when three study together."
This same idea is found in the Mishna:
Avot 3 - If two sit together and occupy themselves with the words of the Torah,
the Shekinah abides in their midst.
The above sounds very much like the words of Y’shua, who was of course, the
Torah in the flesh:
Matthew 18:20 - For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.
Obviously, Y’shua in the flesh is not in our midst, so then who is, but the
Shekinah? Looking into the "future," the Shekinah and Messiah both are seen as
coming from Edom and exacting justice:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 52a - And in the future all of
them shall be delivered up, as it says: "Who is this that cometh from
Edom...?" (Isa. LXIII, 1). And this indeed is the significance of the words: "And
he went behind them"- that the Shekinah will uproot them all at the end of
days.’
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 238a - HE HATH WASHED HIS
GARMENT IN WINE . With this may be compared the verse: “Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” (IS. LXIII, 1); and also:
“I have trodden the winepress alone, etc.” (Ibid. 3). “Wine” here alludes to the
side of Geburah, of stern justice which will be visited on the idolatrous nations.
AND HIS VESTURE IN THE BLOOD OF GRAPE . This is the lower-world tree, the
judgement court which is called “grapes”, in which the “wine” is kept. Thus the
Messiah will be clothed in both to crush beneath him all the idolatrous peoples
and kings.
Both the Messiah and Shekinah are seen in a single section of the Zohar, as the
"Lion of Judah," taking vengeance in the end of days. This interesting verse also
indicates two distinct roles for one Messiah, (as opposed to the traditional "two-
Messiah" theory often used to explain "conflicting" verses about Him.) Once
again, Metatron is also directly linked to the Messiah:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 237b - SHALL BOW DOWN
BEFORE THEE . They only, but not other peoples, who will only bow down at the
time of the Messiah. But here the expression only indicates Israel, all of whom
would bow down to the Exilarch in Babylon, but not other peoples. JUDAH lS A
LlON'S WHELP : first he will be a whelp, and then a lion, corresponding to
the transition from “lad” [tr.note: i.e. Metatron.] to “man”, as it is
written: “The Lord is a man of war” (Ex. xv, 3). FROM THE PREY, MY SON, THOU
ART GONE UP The word “prey” includes the angel of death, who preys upon
mankind. From that prey the Shekinah shook itself free. It “stooped down” in the
captivity of Babylon, it “couched” in the captivity of Edom, “as a lion” which is
strong and as a “lioness” which is stronger. So Israel are strong, because though
the Gentiles entice and oppress them, they adhere to their laws and their
customs like a lion and a lioness. So, too, the Shekinah, which, although it
is fallen, remains strong like a lion and a lioness. For just as these
crouch only to spring upon their prey, which they smell from afar, so
the Shekinah only crouches to take vengeance on idolaters and to
spring upon them. WHO SHALL ROUSE HIM UP . He will not rise to take any
petty vengeance. The word “who” (Mi) here indicates the supernal world, which
has dominion over all; it is similarly used in the verse “From the womb of whom
(Mi) came the ice” (Job XXXVIII, 29), as we have explained. THE SCEPTRE SHALL
NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH, ETC .
A further connection between the Shekinah and Metatron is made in the Zohar.
Here it is said that Metatron actually embodies the Shekinah, thus making Him
the visible presence of God on earth:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 94b - “I am the Lord, that is my
name, and my glory will I not give to another” (Isa. XLII, 8). Nor is it to be
thought that the body which harbours the daughter of the king shall be sold into
the power of earthly crowns of defilement. Against this the Scripture says: “And
the land shall not be sold in perpetuity” (Lev. xxv, 23). Which is the body of
the King's daughter? Metatron; and this same body is identical with the
handmaid of the Shekinah.
Another section directly ties the litter (bed/couch) of Solomon, (which as we
have seen is the Shekinah), to Metatron. Again, the translator's note ("Tr") is
unedited from the Soncino Zohar:
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 60a - R. Simeon then discoursed
on the verse: “Behold it is the litter of Solomon, threescore mighty men are
round about it”, etc. (S.S. III, 7). He said: ‘The “litter” here is the throne of glory
of the King, Solomon, the “king to whom all peace belongs”. Threescore mighty
men are round about it, clinging to its sides as emissaries from stern judgement;
they are called the sixty rods of fire wherewith that Youth [Tr. note:
Metatron.] is girt.
Finally, another section of the Zohar tells of a Rabbi Abba describing an
encounter with the Shekinah. Note that the Shekinah is described as "three
separate lights," a concept of Elohim (God as He reveals Himself to us), that we
will discuss later in this study. Again, Metatron is directly involved with the
Shekinah. The concept of our good works hastening the arrival of Messiah can
also be seen (if you "read between the lines") in the last sentence of this
paragraph:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 209a - R. Abba further said to
them: ‘Let me relate to you what I saw. When I set out on my journey to-day I
saw a light ahead of me which split into three separate lights. They all went
in front of me and then disappeared. I said to myself: Assuredly, what I saw was
the Shekinah. Happy is my portion. Now I know that those lights I saw were
yourselves. Verily, you are the supernal lights and lamps to lighten this world
and the world to come.’ R. Abba continued, saying: ‘Until now I did not know that
all these hidden pearls were in your possession. And now that I see that all these
words of yours have been uttered by the will and command of your Master, I
know that they are all ascending this day to the Divine Throne, and that the
Chief of the angels [Tr. note: Metatron] is taking them up and weaving them into
crowns for his Master, and this very day sixty holy legions are adorned with
crowns, made of the words uttered here this day, to the glory of the Divine
Throne,’
THE BRIDE AND WEDDING FEAST
The following is an extensive section from the Zohar that depicts the heavenly
wedding feast that is to occur in the Millennium. The Zohar ties Ezekiel's Chariot
vision directly to this.
Look for the following themes in these verses:
• The one ascending to heaven in Proverbs 30:4 is God Himself (Recall what
we earlier said about the connection between the lower and upper
"heavens")

• At the time of this "wedding," God assembles those of His above and
below (as is also seen in the final chapters of the book of Revelation)
 • The 12 tribes are associated with the Shekinah, who as a unity, make up
the "bride"

• The "heave offering" is shown to be symbolic of raising the Shekinah from

the third heaven where Ezekiel's throne was (Beriah) to the highest
heaven of the Ein Sof (Aziluth)

• Ezekiel's Chariot vision is considered to be a picture of the unification of

the Shekinah with her spouse - though the prophet himself could not see it
to this level of detail

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 197b-198a - According to

another exposition: "Who hath ascended up into heaven?" refers to the Holy
One, blessed be He, the allusion being contained in the word Mi (Who?), as
explained elsewhere. Here in this passage is contained the mystery of the Divine
Chariot, consisting of the four directions of the world which are the four
primordial elements, all of which depend on that supernal region called Mi
(Who?), as already said. ‘Observe this. When the hour arrives at which it pleases
the Holy One, blessed be He, to unify the Supernal Chariot, [Tr. note: Al. "to
combine the Supernal Chariot with the Lower Chariot".] a voice issues from that
divine supernal region called Heaven to assemble all the saints beneath and all
the holy chiefs and supernal legions, so that they should all be in readiness
together. Thus Scripture says, "And Moses assembled", "Moses" being an
allusion to Heaven; while the words "all the congregation of the children of
Israel" allude to the twelve supernal holy legions. The next words, "and said unto
them... This is the thing... Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord",
means, "prepare yourselves, all of you, to take and to bear upon you the glory of
the Divine Throne so as to raise it aloft to the divine heights; appoint from
among you those supernal glorified chiefs who shall take up that offering
containing the mystery of the Divine Throne, in order to bring about a union with
the "patriarchs",[Tr. note: Al. "with her spouse". [ for the Matrona (i.e. the
Shekinah) may not come to her Spouse except those youthful bridesmaids follow
in her train until she is brought to Him, as it says, "The virgins her companions in
her train being brought unto thee" (Ps. XLV, 15), to wit, that she may join her
Spouse. The next words, "Whosoever is of a noble heart", are an allusion to the
four superior legions that contain within themselves all the other legions; it is
these who issue forth with the exalted patriarchs called "nobles", as in the
passage, "which the nobles of the people delved" (Num. XXI, 18), indicating the
patriarchs. The verse continues, "let him bring it". The singular, "him", where we
should expect "them", indicates the merging of them all into a unity. In the next
words, "the Lord's offering", the accusative particle "eth" indicates the inclusion
of all the other supernal legions which were to be integrated into one unity; their
number is twelve, symbolized by "gold, and silver, and brass; and blue, and
purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goat's hair; and rams’ skins dyed red,
and sealskins, and acacia-wood; and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing
oil, and for the sweet incense". These are the twelve supernal legions, which are
all comprised under the four sacred Hayoth mentioned before. All these ascend
towards the Divine Throne, so as to take her up on high that she may join her
Spouse, and that He should be with Her in surpassing glory. The Most High King
then seats Himself on the Divine Throne in perfect unison with His Spouse, and
joy is thus diffused through the universe. (Observe that Scripture here mentions
gold before silver, the reason being that this is the scale of values here below;
but when it enumerates according to the scale of values in the Heavenly Chariot,
Scripture commences from the right and proceeds to the left. So we find it
written: "Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold" (Haggai II, 8), first silver and then
gold, but here below the left comes first and then the right, as it is written,
"gold, and silver, and brass".) Now the phrase, "every noble-hearted", as already
said, comprises those four legions who together are named noble-hearted; "the
Lord's heave-offering" indicates the Divine Throne, so called because they raise
it and cause it to ascend on high. [Tr. note: i.e. from the world of beriah to the
world of aziluth]. And it is for this reason that Ezekiel, in his vision of the
ascending Hayoth, failed to see what it was that they were taking up with them,
since it was the Matrona rising to join the Most High King in hidden and supreme
glory. "And let every wise-hearted among you come and make all that the Lord
hath commanded." This is an allusion to the sixty well-springs that feed the
world and so are enjoined to come and bring with them from the treasury of life,
by executing the commands of the Holy One, so as to benefit the world.’
Thus, we have seen that the "bride" is a unity made up of the following:
• The Shekinah

• The 12 tribes of Israel

• The Tabernacle/Temple

• All who are part of the Faith of Israel

• "New Jerusalem"

In addition to the above, the Sabbath itself is considered to be the bride. This
will be the subject of the next section.
THE SABBATH AS MILLENNIAL BRIDE
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 119a - Happy are those who will
be left alive at the end of the sixth millennium to enter on the Sabbath. For that
is the day set apart by the Holy One on which to effect the union of souls and to
cull new souls to join those that are still on earth, as it is written, "And it shall
come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem,
shall be called holy, even every one that is written unto life in Jerusalem"
(Is. IV, 3).’
The concept that man's time on earth is destined for 6,000 years is found
throughout Jewish literature. (This was discussed earlier in this Revelation
study.) There is a mystical teaching related to the Sabbath that says that when
God created the world, He gave creation enough "power" to last for "six days"
(6,000 years). He then created the Sabbath for the purpose of restoration and
revival of the world. Just as the Millennial Sabbath will renew the earth after its
six thousand-year days, the weekly Sabbath gives the earth a renewal every
seven days.
As such, the Talmud goes as far as saying:
Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 119:B - "Whoever sanctifies the Shabbat, and
recites the 'kiddush' blessing over the wine together with the verse of
'Va'yechulu' on Shabbat, is considered like the Holy One's partner in the creation
of the world".
As previously mentioned, the Millennial Kingdom could be brought in even
sooner than its "designated" time. The Kingdom offer has been presented more
than once. Judaism teaches that the righteous behavior of Israel, namely their
proper keeping of the weekly Sabbath, can usher in the Millennial Sabbath -- the
era of Messiah.
In this context, the Sabbath is considered to be such an important
commandment, that it is said to be the equivalent of all the other
commandments:
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXV:12 - R. Levi said: If Israel kept the Sabbath
properly even for one day, the son of David would come. Why? Because it is
equivalent to all the commandments; for so it says, For He is our God, and we
are the people of His pasture, and the flock of His hand. To-day, if ye would but
hearken to His voice! (Ps. XCV, 7) R. Johanan said: The Holy One, blessed be He,
told Israel: ‘Though I have set a definite term for the millennium which will come
at the appointed time whether Israel returns to Me in penitence or not, still if
they repent even for one day, I will bring it before its appointed time.’ Hence, ‘
To-day, [redemption cometh] if ye would but hearken to His voice’; and just as
we find that the son of David will come as a reward for the observance of all
commandments [one day], so also will he come for the observance of one
Sabbath day, because the Sabbath is equivalent to all commandments. R.
Eleazar b. Abina said: In the Torah, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa we find it
stated that the Sabbath is equivalent to all commandments. In the Torah,
because when Moses forgot to tell them the command of the Sabbath, God said
to him: ’How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?’ (Ex. XVI,
28), and immediately after this it says, See that the Lord hath given you the
sabbath (ib. 29) In the Prophets, for it says, But the house of Israel rebelled
against Me in the wilderness; they walked not in My statutes (Ezek. XX, 13), and
immediately afterwards it says, And My sabbaths they greatly profaned (ib.). In
the Hagiographa, because it says, Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai, and
spokest with them from heaven (Neh. IX, 13), and immediately afterwards it
says, And madest known unto them Thy holy sabbath. God said: ' If ye virtuously
observe the Sabbath, I will regard you as observing all the commands of the
Law, but if you profane it, I will regard it as if you had profaned all the
commands’; for so it says, That keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, and
keepeth his hand from doing any evil (Isa. LVI, 2). When man keeps the Sabbath,
whatsoever he decrees God fulfils, for it says, If thou turn away thy foot because
of the sabbath (ib. LVIII, 13), and immediately after this it says, Then shalt thou
delight thyself in the Lord (ib. 14), which has the same meaning as the verse, So
shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and He shall give thee the petitions of thy
heart (Ps. XXXVII, 4). Moreover, whatever benefit you derive in this world, is but
the fruit thereof, but the stock will remain for you in the World to Come, because
it says, And I wil feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of
the Lord hath spoken it (Isa. LVIII, 14).
The Midrash Rabbah refers to the Sabbath as being the Lord's bride, specifically
that of "the Holy One, blessed be He," which we will show in future sections to
designate Messiah:
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis X:9 - Rabbi asked R. Ishmael b. R. Jose: ‘Have you
heard from your father the actual meaning of AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY GOD
FINISHED, etc.?’ Said he to him: ' It is like a man striking the hammer on the
anvil, raising it by day and bringing it down after nightfall.’ R. Simeon b. Yohai
said: Mortal man, who does not know his minutes, his [exact] times or his hours,
must add from the profane to the sacred; but the Holy One, blessed be He,
who knows His moments, His times, and His hours, can enter it by a hair's
breadth. Genibah and the Rabbis discussed this. Genibah said: This may be
compared to a king who made a bridal chamber, which he plastered, painted,
and adorned; now what did the bridal chamber lack? A bride to enter it.
Similarly, what did the world still lack? The Sabbath.
The Talmud makes the same connection:
Talmud - Mas. Shabbath 119a - R. Hanina robed himself and stood at sunset
of Sabbath eve [and] exclaimed, ‘Come and let us go forth to welcome the
queen Sabbath.’ R. Jannai donned his robes, on Sabbath eve and exclaimed,
‘Come, O bride, Come, O bride!’
Talmud - Mas. Baba Kama 32b - ‘Come, let us go forth to meet the bride, the
queen!’ Some [explicitly] read:’. . . to meet Sabbath, the bride, the queen.’
The following section from the Zohar makes the important point that the
Shekinah, the Sabbath and the community of Israel are all considered to be the
Lord's bride:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 63b - AND MOSES SAID UNTO
THEM, LET NO MAN LEAVE OF IT UNTIL THE MORNING. R. Judah said: Every day
the world is blessed through that superior day, the Seventh. For the six Days
receive blessing from the seventh, and each dispenses the blessing so received
on its own day, but not on the next. Hence the Israelites were commanded not
to leave of the manna till the morning. The sixth day has more blessing than the
rest, for on this day, as R. Eleazar has said, the Shekinah prepares the table for
the King. Hence the sixth day has two portions, one for itself and one in
preparation for the joy of the union of the King with the Shekinah, which
takes place on Sabbath night, and from which all the six days of the week derive
their blessing. For that reason the table has to be prepared on the Sabbath
night, so that when the blessings descend from above they may find something
on which to rest, as it were, for "no blessing rests on an empty table". Those
who are aware of this mystery of the union of the Holy One with the Shekinah on
Sabbath night consider, therefore, this time the most appropriate one for their
own marital union.’ SEE FOR THAT THE LORD HATH GIVEN YOU THE SABBATH.
What is the meaning of the word "Sabbath"? The day in which all the other days
rest, the day which comprises the other days, and from which they derive
blessing. R. Jose said: ‘The Community of Israel is also called "Sabbath",
for she is God's spouse. That is why the Sabbath is called "Bride", and it is
written, "Ye shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy unto you" (Ex. XXXI, 13): it is
holy to you, but not to other nations; "it is a sign between me and the children of
Israel" (Ibid. v, 17): it is Israel's eternal heritage.’
In the days of the Temple, on the Sabbath, the Levitical choir would sing Psalm
92, which was called, “A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day." Jewish tradition
holds that this psalm is a song for the Millennial Sabbath, when restoration
would come to creation. According to Talmud, at the end of the Millennium, the
earth will be destroyed as “the L-rd alone shall be exalted on that day” (Isaiah
2:12):
Tamid 33b: On sabbath they used to say, a psalm, a song for the sabbath day:
a psalm, a song for the time to come, for the day that will be all sabbath and
rest for everlasting life.
A more modern song, sung on Friday evenings by Jews around the world to greet
the Sabbath (Shabbat), is called "L'cha Doedee" (meaning "Come My Beloved").
This song follows in the same tradition of viewing the Millennial Sabbath as the
bride of the Lord.
L'cha Doedee
Come my beloved to welcome the bride, the presence of Shabbat we receive.
"Observe and Remember" in one divine utterance, we heard from the One and
Only god, the Lord is One, and His Name One, for renown, for splendor, and for
praise. Come my beloved.
Shake of the dust, arise! Dress in garments of glory, my people, through the son
of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, redemption draws near to my soul. Come my
beloved.
Wake up, wake up! For your light has come, awaken, awaken, sign a song, for
the glory of the Lord is revealed to you! Come my beloved.
A number of mystical teachings surround the Millennial Sabbath. Many of the
Psalms have deeper meanings that pertain to this. The following section from
the Zohar, which concerns the Sabbath, cites several Psalms and also mentions
the following:
• The "River of Eden" - The same River that appears at the end of the book
of Revelation - discussed in the next part of this study.

• The "Moon" (the Shekinah) separating herself from "the other side," - the
realm of evil - this will be discussed later in this study.

• The "Sun (of Righteousness)" - a term related directly to the Messiah -

discussed later in this study.

• Ezekiel's "living creatures" (hayoth) lifting the throne (in the third heaven)
upwards to the highest heaven (unifying it with the "supernal throne) -
discussed earlier in this study.

• A union of the Sabbath "below" (associated with the Shekinah), with that
"above" - associated with "Tifereth" - a term related directly to the
Messiah - discussed later in this study.

Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136b-138a - Therefore David uttered this Psalm of

praise, through the Holy Spirit, in regard to the light and the effulgence of the
Sabbath and its pre-eminence over the other days of the week because of the
mystery of the Supernal Name which in it lightens up and radiates and sparkles
in the spheres of holiness, and is completed above and below. ‘Therefore the
"Men of the Great Synagogue" have ordered that this Psalm of David should be
the first one to be sung on the Sabbath day, since it refers to those particular
"Heavens" which lighten all the others. Then follows (in the liturgy) that "river
which goes out of Eden", alluded to in the Psalm which follows this one in the
Sabbath service: "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous" (Ps. XXXIII); for this "River"
gathers into itself the whole mystery of the "heavens" and the source of life on
this day, and the sun is perfected for its appointed task of the distribution of
light. Then the Moon, when she separates herself from the "other side"-
as on this day she does-in order to receive light from the sun, is alluded to in the
Psalm following this one, namely (Ps. XXXIV): "Of David, when he changed his
behaviour towards Abimelech." When the "other side" has separated itself from
the "Moon", then the latter is united with the "Sun", and therefore this Psalm
begins (acrostically) with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet,
signifying the merging of the Sun with the Moon. Then follows the union of the
Matrona with Her Spouse: "A prayer of Moses, the man of God" (Ps. xc): He
spreads out both His right and His left hands to receive Her and to unite Himself
with Her in perfect union. Then follow other psalms of joy and ardent longing. "A
psalm. Sing unto the Lord a new song, for he hath done marvelous things: his
right hand and his holy arm hath wrought salvation for him" (Ps. XCVIII). This
Psalm has been expounded elsewhere, and the Companions were perfectly
correct in their assertion that it was chanted by the kine who bore the sacred
ark. [Tr. note: v Zohar, Genesis, 123a.] This corresponded to the mystery above:
when the "living beings,’ (Hayoth) lay hold of the Throne in order to raise it to
the highest heights, then we sing this Psalm. As to the question, why, then, is it
called "new" when it is perpetually being repeated, the fact is that it is indeed a
"new song" because it refers to the "new" moon at the time when she receives
light from the sun. "His right hand and his holy arm hath wrought salvation for
him": this denotes the rousing of the right and the left hand to receive Her (the
Moon, signifying the Shekinah) when She arrives at "Beth Shemesh", the "House
of the Sun", which hands receive and bear Her even as the kine bare the ark.
This psalm of praise was therefore ordered to be chanted on the Sabbath by the
"one people", namely the children of Israel. (Ps. XCII): "A song. A psalm for (to)
the sabbath day. It is good to praise the Lord, to sing unto thy name, O most
high. To proclaim thy lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness in the
nights." It has been established by the Companions that this hymn of praise was
sung by the first man (Adam) after he had been driven out of the Garden of
Eden, when the Sabbath drew nigh unto the Holy One and interceded for the
created being. Then he sang this hymn in honour of the Sabbath which had
delivered him. It is a hymn of praise sung by the world below to the world above,
to a world which is altogether "Sabbath", the sphere of the "King whose is the
peace". It is a hymn of the sabbath below unto the Sabbath above: the
sabbath below, which is like night, sings to the Sabbath above, which is like day.
In fact, whenever "Sabbath" is mentioned it refers to the "eve of the Sabbath"
(i.e. the Shekinah), but when it says "the Sabbath day", it denotes the
Supernal Sabbath (i.e. Tifereth). The former is symbolized by the Female,
the latter by the Male. Thus "And the children of Israel should keep the Sabbath"
(Ex. XXXI, I6) alludes to the Female, which is the night (layla), and "remember
the Sabbath day" (Ibtd. xx, 8) alludes to the Male. Thus the sabbath here below
sings a hymn to the Sabbath above. Therefore this psalm is anonymous, as we
find everywhere where there is a reference to the world below (the Shekinah)
that the Name is not actually mentioned, as, for example, "And he called unto
Moses" (Lev. 1, I), "And to Moses he said, go up to the Lord" (Ex. XXIX, I). Since
in this psalm reference is made to a higher sphere, therefore the divine name is
not applied to the lower grade, just as a candle cannot shine in the sunlight. All
the hymns sung in praise of and on the Sabbath are the aids to its ascension to
supernal regions where it is crowned with supernal holy crowns above all other
days.
Note the last sentence of this section above. Here we see another example of
"helping" to usher in the Messianic era. The hymns sung in praise (which are
equivalent to prayers), are directed to the the time when God and His bride, His
people, are unified as one.
We see the same prayer of unification of offered by Y’shua Himself:
John 17:21-24 - Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art
in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them;
that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent
me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also,
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my
glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of
the world.
THE RIVER OF EDEN AND TREE OF LIFE - PART 1
(Last updated 7/8/00)
As noted earlier, the mystical teachings introduced in this section will be
developed in detail in Section V of our Revelation background articles.
There is an interesting reference to a river coming out of Eden found in the book
of Genesis.
Genesis 2:8-10 - And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and
there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the
LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the
tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good
and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it
was parted, and became into four heads.
Scripture gives no detailed explanation of this river. It does not appear again
until the very end of the book of Revelation, where it is shown, along with the
Tree of Life, to provide benefit for mankind:
Revelation 22:1-2 - And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the
street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations.
SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WATER
In these verses, the waters of the River of Eden are associated with providing for
man when he is in a state of sinlessness. Its first appearance is before the fall
and it returns with the creation of the new heaven and new earth. Between
Genesis 2 and Revelation 21 however, man has the issue of sin to deal with -- it
is here that we see these waters taking on a different role - helping man connect
to God.
Water is seen as playing a special purpose in the Tenakh, in the form of the
mikvah, or immersion. Within the Torah, the mikvah is associated with those
commandments for which there is no readily apparent reason (such as the
kosher laws). These commandments are known as Chukim. The keeping of such
commandments is seen as a sign of someone whose faith is strong enough to
place God's will above their own understanding.
There is a very mystical element to the process of the mikvah, that somehow it
works to bridge the gap between God and man. The mikvah was a very
important part of the conversion process in Judaism, being associated with a
spiritual change in identity. Such an act of faith, taking part in a ritual that does
not have an obvious meaning, was a sign of the convert's readiness.
One of the main reasons for the Mikvah, as seen in the Tenakh, had to do with
purification - the process of going from spiritually "unclean" to "clean." God's
commandments regarding spiritual impurity are also in the class of Chukim. The
commandments regarding purification covered many areas - from the High
Priest at Yom Kippur to a woman after giving birth. An excellent book on this
subject is Waters of Eden, by Aryeh Kaplan.
For the purpose of this study we will address the aspect of this world being in an
impure state due to the sin of Adam. When Adam sinned - all of creation fell into
an impure state with him. This creates a "difficulty" for God to relate to us as
man cannot in his impure state approach God, nor can God "reside" in the
tainted "physical space" we exist in. It should be noted that sin and impurity are
not synonymous as one could become impure without actually sinning.
To alleviate this problem,Adonai Elohim gave both the Torah as well as the
Tabernacle/Temple. However, as the Temple is holy "spiritual space" that God
has "carved out of" our physical realm for Him to dwell in, no one in an impure
state can enter the Temple. God gave the commandment of the mikvah to allow
His people to make themselves spiritually clean in order to enter into "His
space."
(The concepts of physical and spiritual space were addressed earlier in this
study.)
There is therefore a deep mystical connection between the waters of the
mikvah, that purify a man for a certain amount of time, and the River of Eden
that he once existed with in continued state of purity (and will again one day).
Because of this connection to Eden, water holds a spiritual significance
throughout Scripture -- and not only for the "good guys."
The Egyptians worshipped the Nile River as a source of spiritual blessings.
(Notice that at the time of the ten plagues, Moses kept meeting Pharaoah by the
river, when the latter would be worshipping?) The ten plagues that Elohim
launched on Egypt were specifically against their gods, with the Nile being an
early target. In the book of Revelation we will see that water is again a primary
target of God's wrath.
YHWH, WATER, TREES AND ROCKS
When the Children of Israel left Egypt, they came to a place where the waters
were bitter:
Exodus 15:22-27 - So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went
out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and
found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the
waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he
cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast
into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute
and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently
hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his
sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put
none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for
I am the LORD that healeth thee. And they came to Elim, where were twelve
wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by
the waters.
Here Scripture gives us a direct connection between the "sweetening of the
waters" and the establishment of God's Torah. (Note they receive these
commandments long before they get to Mount Sinai.) The blessings that come
with the water are tied to their faith - as shown by their obedience to God's
Torah (re: James 1:22; 2:18; 1 John 2:3-5). With their relationship to God and His
Torah comes a test of their faith. This is followed by their arrival at Elim, where
they come to a place with twelve wells (water) and seventy palms (trees). The
significance of these wells and trees will be covered later.
The Zohar states that not only the waters represent Torah -- the tree that God
used to sweeten them is also the Torah. Moreover, it says there is no difference
between God and the Torah -- they are in unity:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 60a - In Scripture “water” stands
as a symbol for the Torah: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters”
(Isa. LV, 1). ‘But’, remarked R. Jesse, ‘the time for the giving of the Torah was
not yet, and how could they expect to find this “water” there?’ Said R. Eleazar:
‘They went out into the wilderness to see the glory of the Holy One, but could
not, for He removed it from there. We learn from this that “water” is the symbol
of the Torah, and the Holy One and the Torah are one.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘There in
the wilderness a strange power, representing the nations of the world, the ruling
spirit of the desert, appeared to them, but they soon discovered that it was not
the radiance of their King's glory. Hence it says: AND WHEN THEY CAME TO
MARAH THEY COULD NOT DRINK OF THE WATERS OF MARAH, FOR THEY WERE
BITTER, and they did not feel the same “sweetness” in their souls as before.
Moreover, this power came to act as an accuser against them. Then HE (Moses)
CRIED UNTO THE LORD, AND THE LORD SHOWED HIM A TREE, WHICH, WHEN HE
CAST IT INTO THE WATERS, THE WATERS WERE MADE SWEET. The tree is a
symbol of the Torah, which is “a tree of life to those who lay hold upon her”
(Prov. III, 18), and the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one.’ R. Abba
said: ‘The “Tree” is a direct symbol of the Holy One, for it says: “The tree of the
field is (the supernal) Adam” (Deut. XX, 19). The “field” is the “Field of the holy
apples”. Thus, when the light of their King's glory manifested itself to them, “the
waters were made sweet”, and the accuser became an intercessor.’
Later on when Moses fails to follow God's command concerning speaking to a
rock (to draw water from it), He is chastised by the Lord and not allowed to enter
the promised land. Moses' striking the rock and not speaking to it is called a
failure to sanctify God:
Numbers 20:8 - Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou,
and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall
give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so
thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Numbers 20:12 - And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye
believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye
shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
When we start to understand (beyond the literal level of the text) the connection
between God, the water, the tree and the rock, some of Paul's concepts in the
"New Testament" become a bit clearer:
1 Corinthians 10:4 - And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank
of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
WATER, GRACE AND SALVATION
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 64b - R. Abba further said: ‘We
know that “water” everywhere symbolizes God's kindness, “Grace”
Water, in the form of rain, is seen to be related to God's salvation:
Hosea 6:1-3 - Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he
will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive
us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then
shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as
the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain
unto the earth.
A short while ago, the leader of the Orthodox Hassidim, Rabbi Menachem
Schneerson, passed away. A number of his followers believed him to be the
Messiah. Upon the death of the rabbi, they announced that he would rise on the
third day, quoting the above section of Hosea as a resurrection verse.
Hosea's reference to raising us up on the "third day," establishes the topic as
salvation. The book of James confirms Hosea's prophecy of an early and latter
"rain," associating it with the return of the Lord:
James 5:7-8 - Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient;
stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Zechariah connects a fountain of water in the Millennium to sin and impurity:
Zechariah 13:1 - In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
The pouring out of water is associated with the pouring out of God's Spirit:
Isaiah 44:3 - For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine
offspring:
This is confirmed by Y’shua's statement, connecting water and the spirit with
salvation:
John 3:5 - Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John's Gospel also makes a connection between a pool of water (that was used
to mikvah) and an angel that would come and cause the waters to have healing
powers:
John 5:1-4 - After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called
in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great
multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the
water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled
the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was
made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
Conversely, a lack of water is associated with being away from the will of God. In
Genesis we see Hagar temporarily being cast into the desert, only to have a
mysterious well show up to save her. What is signicant is that this well and its
water is connected with God being with the lad (Ishmael):
Genesis 21:14-20 - And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took
bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder,
and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the
wilderness of Beersheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the
child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over against him
a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of
the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God
heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven,
and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the
voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for
I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of
water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and
became an archer.
Yeshua makes a connection between being in oppostion to Him and "dry" places
-- those without (God's) rest:
Luke 11:23,24 - He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth
not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh
through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my
house whence I came out.
THE RIVER, SHEKINAH AND MILLENNIUM
The Zohar (below) provides a link between the Shekinah and this river of Eden.
In the following passages we have mention of a sin committed by Israel with the
"mixed multitude." This is a reference to the sin of the golden calf. Although
water still has spiritual properties in the time between Genesis 2 and Revelation
21, the River of Eden itself is said to be "dried up" during the time of Israel's
exile (in that it is not fully functioning as seen in Genesis and Revelation). This
causes a "disconnect" between the En Sof, the Shekinah and mankind.
When Israel comes out of exile at the time of Messiah, and following the
Millennium, the river of Eden resumes its uninterrupted flow and the Tree of Life
is "replanted" into the re-established Eden on earth (as in Revelation 22).
The Zohar describes this as a time when everything from the "Yod" to the "lesser
He" (of God's name, Y-H-W-H) are united:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 26a - AND THE TREE OF LIFE.
This means that at that time the Tree of Life will be planted in the Garden, so
that “he shall take also of the Tree of Life and eat and live for ever” (Gen. III,
22). The Shekinah will no longer be in the power of the “evil influence”, i.e. the
mixed multitude who are “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, and shall
no longer receive into itself anyone unclean, to fulfil what is written, “the Lord
alone shall lead him and there shall be no strange god with him” (Deut. XL, 12).
For this reason proselytes will no longer be admitted in the days of the Messiah.
The Shekinah will be like a vine on which there cannot be grafted any shoot from
another species, and Israel shall be “every tree pleasant to see”, and their
former beauty shall be restored to them, of which we are told: “He cast from
heaven to earth the beauty of Israel” (Lam. II, 1). “The tree of the knowledge of
good and evil” shall be thrust from them and shall not cleave to them or mingle
with them, for of Israel it is said: “and of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil ye shall not eat”. This tree is the “mixed multitude”, and God pointed out to
them that through mixing with them they suffered two losses, of the first and of
the second Temple, as it is said: “and on the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt
surely die”. They caused the Zaddik to be left parched and desolate by the loss
of the first Temple, which is the Shekinah in heaven, and by the loss of the
second Temple, which is the Shekinah on earth. Hence it is written, “and the
river shall be drained dry”; i.e. the river vau shall dry in the lower he, so as to
deprive it of the flow of yod issuing from En-Sof. But as soon as Israel shall go
forth from captivity, that is, the holy people alone, then that river which was
dried up shall become “the river that goes forth from Eden to water the garden”.
This river is the Central Column; “goes forth from Eden” is the supernal
Mother; “to water the garden” is the Shekinah on earth. In reference to that time
it is said of Moses and Israel, “Then thou shalt delight in the Lord”, and the
words shall be fulfilled, “then Moses shall sing” (Ex. XV, 1) ...
It is interesting to note that in this section(above) it states that there will be no
more proselytes admitted, and no more "mixed multitude," insinuating that the
door is closed -- those who are truly of God will be permanently separated from
those who are not.
This parallels the book of Revelation which states:
Revelation 22:11 - He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is
filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:
and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Other verses in the Zohar that link the River of Eden to the reunification of the
Name of God and the 1000-year Millennium are:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 95b - …when the Yod is united
with the He, they produce "the river which issues from Eden to water the
Garden"
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 145b - The Day of the Holy One,
blessed be He, is a thousand years, and this number symbolizes also the River
which goes out of Eden.
It would seem that the full return of the River of Eden is at the end of the
Millennium when sin is no more. The fountain mentioned in Zechariah 13:1
however, is opened during the Millennium for purification, as during the 1000-
year period there is still sin (and sin sacrifice) occuring.
The following verse associates the theme of Jubilee with the River of Eden, and
the end times, something we have discussed earlier in this study:
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 58a - Mark now that in future
generations the Torah will be forgotten, and there will be none to close and
open. Alas for that generation! There will be no generation like the present until
the Messiah comes and knowledge shall be diffused throughout the world. It is
written: "A river went forth from Eden" (Gen. II, 10). It has been laid down that
the name of that river is Jubilee, but in the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder it is
called Life, because life issues thence to the world. We have also laid down that
the great and mighty Tree in which is food for all is called the Tree of Life,
because its roots are in that Life. We have learnt that that river sends forth deep
streams with the oil of plenitude to water the Garden and feed the trees and the
shoots.
Jacob is connected to the River of Eden and the idea of his bringing together the
unification of the Name of God. This was also mentioned in a prior section:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 247b - Up to this point the
blessings were given in general; they were now particularized with the words:
BLESSINGS OF HEAVEN ABOVE, ETC. THE BLESSINGS OF THY FATHER HAVE
PREVAILED ABOVE THE BLESSINGS OF MY PROGENITORS . This was so because
Jacob inherited the cream of all more than the other patriarchs, he being perfect
in all, and he gave all to Joseph. This was fitting, because the Righteous One
takes all and inherits all, and all blessings are deposited with him. He first
dispenses blessings above, and all the limbs of the body are disposed so as to
receive them, and thus is brought into being the "river which goes forth from
Eden". Why Eden (lit. delight)? Because whenever all the limbs are knit together
in harmony and in mutual delight, from top to bottom, then they pour blessings
upon it, and it becomes a river which flows forth, literally, from "delight". Or
again, the word "Eden" may refer to the supreme Wisdom, from which the
whole flows forth like a river until it reaches this grade, where all is turned to
blessing.
Note the references (above) to "harmony" and "wisdom." These are hidden
references to the Messiah, that will be discussed in the next section on the
Image of God.
Jacob's actions foreshadowed what the Messiah will later do in finality - bringing
His bride to Him. The Shekinah is directly involved with the singing of the Song
of Moses unto the Lord at this time of the Messiah. This song is associated with
the River of Eden and the union of the Shekinah (the Matrona), with the Messiah.
As mentioned, this is the time that the name of God will be One, with the; Yod,
Hay, Vav, and "lesser Hay," (Y-H-W-H) all being united:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,page 54b - Moses and the children of
Israel will then sing “this song unto the Lord”: the song of the Matrona to the
Holy One, blessed be He. We have been taught that every one who sings this
hymn daily with true devotion will be worthy to sing it at the Redemption that is
to be, for it refers both to the past world and to the future world; it contains
confirmations of faith and mysteries relating to the days of the Messiah. The
Shekinah will sing this song to the Lord, because the King will receive Her with a
radiant countenance. R. Jose said that the Shekinah will praise the Lord for all
the concentration of light and holiness which the Holy King shall direct towards
her. Said R. Judah: ‘If this is the song of the Shekinah, why does it say that
Moses and the children of Israel sang it? Blessed were they that they knew how
to praise Him for all the power and might which the Shekinah receives and shall
receive from Him, the Holy King!’ According to R. Abba, the singing is to be
directed, not to any of the emanations of the Deity, but to the Holy King in His
very essence, as it says, concerning the song of Moses and the children of Israel,
that they sang “to the Lord”.R. Jose said that the words “this song to the Lord”
refer to the “river that issues forth from Eden” (Gen. II,10), from which all the
abundance of oil issues to kindle the lights; whereas the words “I will sing unto
the Lord” (Ibid.) refer to the Supernal Holy King. AND SPAKE, SAYING.: this
repetition denotes that it is to be sung in all generations, in order that it should
never be forgotten, for he who is worthy to sing this song in this world shall be
worthy to sing it in the world to come, and to declare praises with it in the days
of the Messiah, when the Community of Israel will rejoice in the Holy One.
“Saying” means saying at the time of the Exodus, saying when Israel was in the
Holy Land, saying in exile, saying when Israel will be redeemed, saying in the
world to come. I WILL SING UNTO THE LORD. As stated above, they spoke in the
name of the Shekinah, hence the singular. “To the Lord”-to the Holy King. For
highly exalted is He (gaoh gaah): He ascends to be crowned with His crowns in
order to dispense blessings, and perform wonderful works, and to be exalted in
and through all; exalted in this world, exalted likewise in the world to come;
exalted in order that He may crown Himself with His crowns and be glorified in
perfect joy.
Revelation also states that the song of Moses will be sung to the Lord at that
time:
Revelation 14:1-3 - And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion,
and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name
written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of
many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of
harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before
the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn
that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed
from the earth.
Revelation 15:1-3 - And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous,
seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of
God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had
gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and
over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of
God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and
true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
THE RIVER OF EDEN AND TREE OF LIFE - PART 2
(Last updated 7/3/00)
As noted earlier, the mystical teachings introduced in this section will be
developed in detail in Section V of our Revelation background articles.
THE TREE OF LIFE
Earlier in this study, we made mention of the Shekinah guarding the way of the
tree of life. Upon her marriage to the Messiah, this "tree of life" will appear again
with the River of Eden:
Revelation 22:2 - In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river,
was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her
fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they
may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the
city.
It should be noted that Revelation make it clear that it is those who do God's
commandments that enter the city. Any "faith" that does not involve submission
to God's Torah is not a valid faith. This will be addressed more fully when we
begin the textual analysis of this study.
As in Revelation, the Zohar states that the Tree of Life provides for the need of
everything -- above and below:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 58b-59a - ‘There is a mighty and
wondrous tree in the celestial sphere which supplies nourishment to beings
above and below. It has twelve boundaries and stretches along the four sides of
the world which encompass it. Seventy branches ascend from it and imbibe
nourishment from its roots. Each branch, as the time arrives for it to be
dominant, endeavours to drain the whole life of the tree, which is the essence of
all the branches, and without which they would not exist. Israel clings to the
main body of the tree, and when its time comes to be dominant, it endeavours
to protect the branches and to give peace to all. This is also symbolized by the
seventy oxen offered on the feast of Tabernacles. Therefore it says: “Who is like
unto thee among the gods (elim), O Lord?”; elim in the sense of “trees”, as in
the passage, “for ye shall be ashamed of the elim (terebinths) which ye desired”
(Isa. I, 29). “Who among these is like unto Thee, Who hast pity on all? Among
the surroundings of the tree is any like unto Thee, eager to be the guardian of
all, even when it dominates them”, not wishing to destroy them? “Who is like
unto Thee, glorified in holiness?” Namely, in that supreme power called
“Holiness”, “power of the Lord”, “pleasantness of the Lord”, as already stated.’
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 64b - Blessed are the Israelites
who “sow beside the water”-the water which is under the branches of the Holy
One's Tree, a Tree great and mighty, containing food for the whole universe.
This Tree is encompassed by twelve frontiers and adjoins all four sides of the
world, and has seventy branches, and Israel is in the “body” of the Tree, and the
seventy branches encompass her. This is symbolized by the “twelve wells of
water and the threescore and ten palm trees”, as we have often explained.
The following section associates the Tree of Life with "Tifereth." As we will see in
the following section on the Image of God, Tifereth is directly associated with the
Messiah.
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 62b - It has been said at that
hour Israel was perfected below according to her prototype above, for it is
written, “and they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water and
threescore and ten palm trees” (Ex. xv, 27). Now the Holy Tree [Tr. note:
Tifereth.] spreads to twelve boundaries on the four quarters of the earth, and to
seventy branches closely intertwined, so that what was above should have here
its counterpart below.
WATER, WELLS AND ROCKS
In the following Zohar passage, the River of Eden is linked to the digging of wells
by the Patriarchs, which is seen as a symbol of faith. The wells and the river are
further associated with the end of days and resurrection of the dead.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 141a - AND ISAAC DIGGED
AGAIN THE WELLS, ETC . R. Eleazar said: ‘In digging these wells Isaac acted
fittingly, for he discerned from his knowledge of the mysteries of Wisdom that in
this way he could attach himself more firmly to his faith. Abraham likewise made
a point of digging a well of water. Jacob found the well already prepared for him,
and he sat down by it. Thus they all looked for a well and strove through it to
preserve their faith pure and undiminished. ...
Hence our ancestors strengthened themselves in the true faith in digging the
well, symbolic of the supernal well, which is the abode of the mystery of perfect
faith.’ AND HE REMOVED FROM THENCE, AND DIGGED ANOTHER WELL. R. Hiya
discoursed on the verse: And the Lord will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy
soul in brightness, and make strong thy bones (Is. LVIII, 11). ‘The true believers’,
he said, ‘have derived strength from this verse, where promise is made to them
of the world to come, for the word "continually" includes both this world and the
world to come. Again, the term "continually", which seems superfluous, is an
allusion to the continual burnt-offering which is offered at dusk, and is held firm
underneath the arm of Isaac and is symbolic of the world to come. The term
"guiding" is similarly used by David in the verse: "He guideth me in straight
paths for his name's sake" (Ps. XXIII, 3). "And satisfy thy soul in brightness"; this
is the "clear mirror" from the contemplation of which all souls obtain delight and
benefit. "And make strong thy bones": these words do not seem to harmonise
with what has gone before, which we have interpreted of the souls of the
righteous ascending on high. We interpret them, therefore, to allude to the
resurrection of the dead, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will reconstitute the
bones and restore the body to its former state. The soul will then derive stronger
illumination from the "clear mirror", so as to illumine the body to the full extent
of which it is capabie. Hence: "And thou shalt be like a watered garden" (Is. LVIII,
11), that is, like the celestial garden whose supernal waters never fail, but
flow on for ever and ever; "and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not"
(Ibid.), alluding to the river that issues from Eden and flows on for all eternity.
Observe that the "well of living waters" is a symbol within a symbol for
guiding faith. There is the well which is the very source of the waters, and
there is the well which is fed by that source of water. There are thus two grades,
which are, however, really one with two aspects, male and female, in fitting
union. The well and the issue of waters are one, designated by the name of
"well", it being at once the supernal never-ceasing fountain and the well that
is filled by it. And whoever gazes at that well gazes at the true object of
faith. This is the symbol which the patriarchs transmitted in digging the well, in
such a way as to indicate that the source and the well are indissoluble.
The idea of wells and water being associated with faith is found throughout
Scripture.
Note that the Zohar section above (Bereshith, Section 1, Page 141a,b) refers to
the well:
• that Jacob sat by

• having waters who never fail or cease, but flow on forever

• being "a symbol within a symbol for guiding faith."

• being the true object of faith

We see a connection to the Zohar's view of the waters of Eden in John's Gospel.
(For those not aware, John's Gospel is very much at the "Sod" or mystical level.)
John gives an account of an incident at the well of Jacob (who as we've discussed
was a picture of Messiah), and the living waters that Yeshua offers.
Yeshua engages a Samaritan woman in a a discussion that is far deeper than
appears on the literal ("p'shat") level. Yeshua, who sits by the well as Jacob did,
says that He is the true object of faith and that His living waters never fail. He
also makes reference to the "gift of God" - the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit):
John 4:6-15 - Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with
his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh
a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For
his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman
of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which
am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is
that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he
would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast
nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that
living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and
drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said
unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I
shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come
hither to draw.
Later in John's Gospel, we find Yeshua appearing to the people at the end of the
feast of Succot (John 7:2), again associating water with the Ruach haKodesh:
John 7:37-39 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him
should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not
yet glorified.)
This same source of "living water" is found in the Tenakh, which tells of a "rock"
that followed Moses and the Children of Israel in the wilderness. That rock was
also a "well" that provided for them. God says that He would be found at this
rock/well:
Exodus 17:5-7 - And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and
take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the
river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon
the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water
out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders
of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of
the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD,
saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Rav Sha'ul (Paul) tells us that this rock/well was alsoYeshua:
1 Corinthians 10:4 - And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank
of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Messiah.
What does Paul mean when he says. "... that rock was Messiah?" This certainly
cannot be understood at a literal level. Recall that the portion of the Zohar
quoted earlier in this section (Bereshith, Section 1, Page 26a), stated that, "This
river is the Central Column." As we have touched on lightly in this study, the
"central column" is directly associated with Jacob, Jacob's "ladder" and Messiah.
It is also interesting to note that Yeshua's first miracle has to do with water and
the mikvah - and a wedding. The waterpots were specifically those used for
mikvah:
John 2:6 - And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of
the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
The rock, well, water and mikvah all connect back to the River of Eden, and as
Yeshua shows us, to salvation. These are all physical manifestations of what God
does spiritually.
LINKING WITH THE RIVER OF EDEN THROUGH TORAH
The Torah is seen at having multiple levels of meaning. (See our section on
PARDES for some basics concerning this.) The following Zohar section connects
Torah to water, and the Torah student to a Tree by this water. The student,
through diligent study and with the guidance of the Ruach haKodesh, can attain
deeper understanding of the Torah.
Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 202a - ‘How goodly’, he said,
‘are the ways and paths of the Torah, since it is full of good counsel for man, and
every word of it radiates light in many directions. This verse can be taken
literally, and it can be expounded homiletically, and it contains also a lesson of
the higher wisdom. He who constantly occupies himself with the Torah is
compared by the Psalmist to “a tree planted by streams of water” (Ps. I, 3). Just
as a tree has roots, bark, sap, branches, leaves, flowers and fruit, seven kinds in
all, so the Torah has the literal meaning, the homiletical meaning, the mystery of
wisdom, numerical values, hidden mysteries, still deeper mysteries, and the
laws of fit and unfit, forbidden and permitted, and clean and unclean. From this
point branches spread out in all directions, and to one who knows it in this way it
is indeed like a tree, and if not he is not truly wise.
The Zohar links the idea of connecting ourselves to the River of Eden (a symbol
of faith as discussed above) to the study of Torah. In a similar fashion to Paul
saying that the rock in the wilderness was Yeshua, this passage also contains a
mystical association between the rod of Moses and Metatron (whom we have
seen is an allusion to the Messiah):
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 27a - AND THE LORD GOD TOOK
THE MAN AND PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ETC. From whence did he take
him? He took him from the four elements which are hinted at in the verse "and
from there it parted and became four heads". God detached him from these and
placed him in the Garden of Eden. So does God do now to any man created from
the four elements when he repents of his sins and occupies himself with
the Torah; God takes him from his original elements, as it is said, "and from
there he parts", i.e. he separates himself from the desires which they inspire,
and God places him in his garden, which is the Shekinah, "to dress it", by means
of positive precepts, "and to keep it", by means of negative precepts. If he keeps
the law, he makes himself master of the four elements, and becomes a river
from which they are watered, and they obey him and he is their ruler. But if he
transgresses the law, they are watered from the bitterness of the tree of evil,
which is the evil inclination, and all his limbs are full of bitterness; but when the
members of the body are kept holy from the side of good, it may be said of them
that "they came to Marah and were not able to drink waters from Marah, for
they were bitter" (Ex. XV, 23). Similarly, the study of the Talmud is bitter
compared with that of the esoteric wisdom, of which it is said, "And God showed
him a tree" (Ibid.); this is a tree of life, and through it "the waters were
sweetened". Similarly of Moses it is written, "And the staff of God was in his
hand." This rod is Metatron, from one side of whom comes life and from the
other death. When the rod remains a rod, it is a help from the side of good, and
when it is turned into a serpent it is hostile, so that "Moses fled from it", and God
delivered it into his hand. This rod typifies the Oral Law which prescribes what is
permitted and what is forbidden. When Moses struck the rock God took it back
from him, and "he went down to him with a rod" (II Sam. XXXIII, 21), to smite
him with it, the "rod" being the evil inclination, which is a serpent, the cause of
the captivity. A further lesson can be derived from the words "and from there it
parted": happy is the man who devotes himself to the Torah, for when God takes
him from this body, from the four elements, he is detached from them and
ascends to become the head of the four Hayyoth, as it is written, "and
they shall bear thee on their hands" (Ps. XCI, 12).
Note the reference above to man, through faithfulness to Torah, becoming the
head of the four Hayyoth (Ezekiel's highest angels). This is confirmed by Rav
Sha'ul:
1 Corinthians 6:3 - Know ye not that we shall judge angels?
The section below associates the "wise" (those who study Torah) with
penetrating the real essence of wisdom. This knowledge is compared to the
River of Eden. Again, the Tree of Life is mentioned as bringing forth blessings to
God's creation. Here again, the Zohar says that within this Tree is a light, which
is related to Tifereth, a term which we will see, is connected to Messiah:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 2a - It is written: And the wise
shall be resplendent as the splendour (zohar) of the firmament, and they that
turn many to righteousness shall be like the stars for ever and ever (Dan. XII, 3).
“The wise” are those who penetrate to the real essence of wisdom; “they shall
be resplendent”, i.e. illumined with the radiance of the supernal Wisdom; “as the
splendour”, this is the flashing of the Stream that goes forth from Eden (Gen. Xl,
10), this being alluded to as “the firmament”. There are suspended the stars,
the planets, the sun and the moon, and all the radiant lights. The brightness of
this firmament shines upon the Garden of Eden, and in the midst of the Garden
stands the Tree of Life, whose branches spread over all forms and trees and
spices in fitting vessels. All the beasts of the field and all the fowls of the air
shelter beneath the branches of this Tree. The fruit of the Tree gives life to all. It
is everlasting. The “other side” has no abode therein, but only the side of
holiness. Blessed are they who taste thereof; they will live for ever and ever, and
it is they who are called “the wise”, and they are vouchsafed life in this world as
well as in the world to come. The Tree rises to a height of five hundred
parasangs, and its circumference is six myriads of parasangs. Within this Tree is
a light [Tr. note: Tifereth.] out of which radiate certain colours: they come and
go, never being at rest save in the Tree.
The Zohar suggests that a person involved in diligent study of the Torah, enables
himself to receive the blessings of the waters of the River of Eden in this lifetime.
He is thus, in a sense, seen as already being "outside of time" and connected
with the World to Come.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 92a - Happy the portion of the
man who rises at that hour to study with zest the Torah, for the Holy One,
blessed be He, and all the righteous listen to his voice; for so it is written, “Thou
that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken for thy voice, cause me to
hear it” (S. S. VIII, 13). Nay more, God draws round him a certain thread of grace
which secures him the protection both of the higher and the lower angels, as it is
written, “By day the Lord will command his grace, and at night I shall chant his
song” (Ps. XLII, 9).’ R. Hizkiah said: ‘Whoever studies the Torah at that hour has
constantly a portion in the future world.’ Said R. Jose to him: ‘What do you mean
by “constantly”?’ He replied: ‘I have learnt that at midnight, when the Holy One,
blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden, all the plants of the Garden are
watered more plenteously by the stream which is called ”the ancient stream”
and “the stream of delight”, the waters of which never cease to flow. When a
man rises and studies the Torah at this hour, the water of that stream is, as it
were, poured on his head and he is watered by it along with the other plants of
the Garden of Eden. Moreover, because all the righteous in the Garden listen to
him, he is given a right to be watered by that stream, and in this way he has a
portion constantly in the future world.’
The idea of connecting to the heavenly realm is not foreign to the "New
Testament." Paul instructed believers to do just this:
Colossians 3:1-3 - If ye then be risen with Messiah, seek those things which
are above, where Messiah sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Messiah in God.
Colossians 3:10 - And have put on the new man, which is renewed in
knowledge after the image of him that created him.
Paul's statements of; seeking things which are above, and being renewed in
knowledge after the image of him that created him are speaking of the same
thing, (Torah study) and enter into the mystical areas of Judaism.
It is not possible to fully understand the mysteries of the River of Eden, the Tree
of Life, the rock of Exodus, the well of Jacob, Jacob's ladder, and the rod of
Moses, at anything but the Sod level of Hebrew Biblical interpretation. This
requires an understanding of how the invisible and indefinable God who created
everything, reveals Himself to us in the finite realm that we exist in.
Submission to Torah, and the study of Torah with the enlightenment of the
Ruach HaKodesh, is the first step to understanding the greater mysteries. It is
through Torah that we learn of what the Image of God is. This in turn allows us to
more fully understand and connect to the infinite Eyn Sof. This will be an
important part of the next major section of this study.
We conclude this section with a verse from the Talmud that links faithfulness in
teaching Torah in this life, to the rewards in the next, associating this with the
theme of water:
Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 92a - R. Shesheth said: Whoever teaches the Torah
in this world will be privileged to teach it in the next, as it is written, And he that
watereth shall water again too.
Section V – The Mysteries of God
Studying the Mysteries of God: Introduction
(Last updated 08/30/00)
This is the beginning of our fifth background section for our Revelation study.
Thus far, the teachings have gone from the more basic and literal (i.e., the study
of the tribes in Section I) through deeper areas (the Temple, Priesthood and
Feast Days in Sections II and III) to the previous section IV, concerning Spiritual
Dimensions, which looked at some of the more mystical concepts involving the
realm beyond our physical world.
Section V involves the deepest area of Hebrew Bible study, which is concerned
with the very "nature of God." Jewish tradition says that these teachings (which
have been virtually unavailable to the non-Jewish world since the time of Yeshua
and Paul), would be disclosed as we approached the Messianic era. At that time,
it would not only be permissible, but also obligatory to study these "sod-level"
teachings of God's Word. 1
METHODS OF STUDY
Any study of God (or other subjects in the Bible) can be approached in one of
several ways. Historically, Judaism can be seen to fall into such methodologies
regarding the study of Torah. As with most related groups of systems there is
overlap in both theory and practice, so it should not be thought that these are
exclusive to any degree. The "deepest" of these, the mystical area commonly
known as Kabbalah, is where much of the text of Scripture is said to have a
(hidden) means of actually connecting us spiritually with God.
WORDS OF CAUTION
The remainder of this background study is concerned with the mystical aspects
of Torah study, commonly known as Kabbalah. (Also called Torat haSod - the
mystical study of Torah.) Unfortunately, many people have a negative image of
Kabbalah, usually having heard from someone that it is dark or evil. When
speaking of Torah-based Kabbalah, nothing could be further from the truth. It is
a fact that through history, people (often gentiles) have introduced occultic
elements into Jewish mystical studies. It is also true that many people today
(especially in "Hollywood" in the United States) say they are "into Kabbalah"
(often spelled with a "C" or a "Q") which is also usually tied to something
pagan/occult.
None of these things however, has anything to do with Torah-based Kabbalah,
which is the study the mystical parts of the Bible in order to learn more about
the God of the Bible -- something we are in fact commanded to do. It should be
noted that various groups have also abused concepts such as "Bible Study," or
"gifts of the Spirit." No one would consider a general condemnation of these
things based on the actions of a few confused people, therefore it is equally
incorrect and irresponsible to condemn Kabbalah on similar grounds.
Nonetheless, as this is the most mystical area of Bible study, caution must be
exercised in terms of the student being spiritually prepared. This is true with any
area of study. (i.e., No one takes advanced Calculus before learning the basics of
mathematics) Therefore it is imperative that anyone embarking on a serious
course of study in Kabbalah must be well versed in Torah, in both understanding
as well as observance.
Learning to "drink milk" (Torah study and observance)
HAS TO COME BEFORE
someone tries to "eat meat" (deeper level studies of Torah)
Even those who are Torah observant (also called "Torah submissive") should
proceed slowly and diligently when entering the study of the mysteries of God
and His creation. God will allow you to be tested. Anyone who is not following
Torah in faith, should NOT be dealing with mystical studies. Such people are
almost certain to go off the right path. (Our Matthew study is a good place to
start to learn about Torah!)
NOTE: The thoughts and beliefs expressed in the remainder of this study are not
meant to be "dogmatic." This material concerns the very nature of God and
mysteries of creation, and is therefore complex. There are many areas that can
legitimately have more than one interpretation and meaning. This study
represents our present understanding of these issues. Although Kabbalah has
been an area of study for centuries, it is only in this present generation that an
approach grounded in both Torah and Messiah Yeshua, has been applied.
BEING CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE
When examining how we are to relate to God, we are faced with a number of
difficulties. The first of these involves who "God" is. Earlier in this study we
brought up the term Eyn Sof -- meaning eternal, infinite and boundless. (Eyn
meaning "without," and Sof meaning "end," "border" or "definition").
God, who brought all of creation into existence, has no physical form and cannot
be assigned any specific attributes. Nor, as we have previously discussed, is He
limited by time or space. Upon assigning any type of dimensional attribute to
God, you have "defined Him," and placed Him within the finite realm of
existence, making Him no longer eternal, infinite and boundless.
This concept of God, creates a problem for us. How can finite beings
comprehend an infinite being if we cannot define this being? Seeing this is not
possible, there is a definite "gap" between man and this "impersonal" God in
terms of having any kind of personal relationship.
The fact is however, that the Bible in many places does assign "human-like"
attributes to God.
Consider the following:
•

Moses saw God "face to face" (Exodus 33:11) and saw the "back" of God (Exodus
33:23)
•

The leaders of Israel "saw God" (Exodus 24:9-12)

•

The people of Israel "saw the voices" of God (Exodus 20:15)

•

God appears as a cloud or pillar of smoke to the children of Israel

•

God is said to have hands, feet, and wings (Daniel 5, Exodus 24:10, Psalm 57:2,
Ruth 2:12)
•

God enjoys the smell of the sacrifices (Leviticus, chapters 1,2,3,4,8,23 -

Numbers, chapters 15,28,29)
•

In the creation account, God's image is said to be both male and female - why do
we refer to God as "He" or "the Father" - in the male gender?
•

Why are the Holy Spirit, the Shekinah, the Kingdom and the voice from heaven
(the Bat Kol - Luke 3:22) all feminine terms in Hebrew Bible study?
•

What does Paul mean by "Jerusalem above is free and is Mother to all" (Galatians
4:26)?
•

If God is infinite and not operating within the realm of space and time, how can
we pray to Him, and "cause Him to act," within the space and time we live in?
There is more to ponder. Scripture tells is we are made in God's image:
Genesis 1:26-27 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness ... So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them.
However, if we are "already" created in the image of God, then why are we told
that we will be conformed to His image?:
1 Corinthians 15:49 - And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall
also bear the image of the heavenly.
2 Corinthians 3:18 - But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord.
Furthermore, we are also told we will be conformed to the image of Yeshua ...
Romans 8:29 - For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son ...
... Whom Scripture says is the image of the invisible Eyn Sof:
Colossians 1:15 -

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Yeshua tells us that we are "to be perfect, as our Father in heaven is." However,
if God as Eyn Sof is undefinable, then how can we know how to be perfect like
Him? What is this "image of God" that we are to be conformed to?
The dilemma is that although we are aware of God's existence, we cannot begin
to fathom the nature of the unknowable, infinite, Eyn Sof.
Did God give us any way to sort all this out?
We begin our quest for answers with the Eyn Sof, which in the Zohar is also
known as the Uncaused Cause, or the Cause of Causes, as there is nothing
above or beyond this.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 22b - Who is it that says, “See
now that I, I am he”? This is the Cause which is above all those on high, that
which is called the Cause of causes. It is above those other causes, since none of
those causes does anything till it obtains permission from that which is above it,
as we pointed out above in respect to the expression, “Let us make man”. “Us”
certainly refers to two, of which one said to the other above it, “let us make”,
nor did it do anything save with the permission and direction of the one above it,
while the one above did nothing without consulting its colleague. But that which
is called “the Cause above all causes”, which has no superior or even equal, as it
is written, “To whom shall ye liken me, that I should be equal?” (Is. XL, 25)
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 42b - It is thus that the
Cause of causes has brought forth the ten Sephiroth, and called the Crown the
“Source”, an inexhaustible fount of light, wherefore He designates Himself “En-
sof”, Limitless. He has neither shape nor form, and there is no vessel that could
contain Him, no means to comprehend Him.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOD - THE SEPHIROT
What is revealed concerning God, is what we can read about or experience when
there is some type of interaction between the Eyn Sof and His creation. This
"bridge" between the unknowable, infinite God, and man, makes known to us
various aspects of God's being. These "emanations" of God, are known as the
Sephirot (singular: Sephirah). The Eyn Sof caused the Sephirot to come into
existence in creation.
These are divine emanations by which God reveals Himself to man, and by
which that He conducts the worlds. 2
For example: In Scripture, at times we can clearly see the wrath of God in action.
Does this mean He is no longer a merciful God? (A lot of people "see this" when
they compare the God of the "Old Testament" to the God of the "New
Testament.") Of course God is the same throughout Scripture. What we are
"seeing" in this case is God's characteristic (Sephirot) of judgment coming to the
forefront. God does not change. Our perception of Him does based on what we
can "see."
The term Sephirot has no English equivalent. The word meaning can be traced to
several Hebrew roots meaning; cipher, numeral, "to tell," or sapphire. The
Sephirot are what "bridge the gap" between the Eyn Sof and the finite creation.
The Sephirot can be regarded in one of two ways, which are considered
complimentary, not contradictory:
•

Characteristics of God as He relates to His creation

•

Instruments of God's activity as we can understand

By studying the Sephirot we can understand several things including:
•

How there can be a relationship between the infinite God and the finite world?
•

How God can be an unchanging, yet appear in different ways with varying
characteristics?
•

How God who is One, can be referred to in the plural?

•

How God can be given (human) characteristics in Scripture?

A key to better understanding, is to fathom that the Eyn Sof is the beginning
(existing prior to creation in Genesis) and the end (following the new heavens
and earth of Revelation). As such, the "God of the Bible" that we read and learn
about in the pages of the Bible, refers primarily to the knowable Sephirot (also
referred to as the plural Elohim), and not the Eyn Sof . When the Bible talks
about God's mercy, or His judgment, those qualities are not themselves the Eyn
Sof, but rather two aspects of God contained within the Sephirot. When Scripture
speaks of God having hands, wings, a face or a back, these are symbols of the
Sephirot.
Whereas the Eyn Sof is infinite, unknowable and never changes, the Sephirot
(within creation) are identifiable and often operate distinctly, thus giving an
appearance of "change," to God, though He never does. However, because the
Sephirot emanate from Eyn Sof, they are also "Divine."
For clarity of understanding, it could be said that the Sephirot is to the Eyn Sof,
what man's body is to his soul. Our bodies are vessels that contain our souls,
and are used by us to perform deeds that reflect our souls. Our bodies will fade
away. Our souls go on for eternity. Thus, the being known as "God," consists of
both the infinite and the finite, as well as the personal and impersonal aspects of
God.
By understanding the Sephirot, we retain the idea of an "unknowable" God who
is eternal, infinite and boundless, yet who is also the personal God that; "spoke"
at Mount Sinai, "followed" the children of Israel in the wilderness in the form of a
rock/well, "appeared" as the Shekinah, and whose "attributes" were/are most
perfectly found in Yeshua.
NOTE: Although we will devote several lessons to the Sephirot, it is beyond the
scope of this study to provide a comprehensive teaching of this subject. There
are many resources in bookstores and on the Internet (including the YashaNet
Reading List), that can help in attaining a fuller understanding. As this is a very
deep and sensitive area of study, please feel free to write to YashaNet, for more
information, and we will be happy to make appropriate recommendations.

Click here to send us a question or comment on this part of the study!

1. Zohar, Selections translated and annotated by Moshe Miller, Moshe L. Miller,
Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars, Morristown NJ, 2000, Foreword to the
book.
2. ibid, p.39.
NAMES AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE SEPHIROT
(Last updated 3/11/01)

Though appearing to be distinct, each Sephirot has a relationship with the

others. An illustration of this can be seen by the principle that God chastises
those He loves. Here we see the God's Sephirah of judgment acting with His
Sephirah of mercy.
It is also taught that when the Sephirot came into being in creation, that they
came in sequence, with the lowest one emanating from the ones before it, and
so on, all the way to the "top" one, which has the closest relationship to the Eyn
Sof. (This will be addressed more fully in the following section.) It is important to
remember, that although the Sephirot came into the existence of creation, they
emanate from the eternal Eyn Sof, and therefore are, in this respect, "eternal."
Through a careful study of the Tenakh, the Jewish sages have identified ten
Sephirot (ten being the number of divine perfection). Listed consecutively from
the "highest" to "lowest," they are known by the following names and associated
characteristics and alternative names:
1. Keter (Primary meaning: Crown. Also known as: Upper Crown,

Ayin (nothingness), Hokhmah Penimit (internal wisdom), Mahshavah Elohit

(divine thought), Spirit of God, root of roots, mysterious wisdom, the (primitive)
point, "white head," ancient, Will, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, (I AM THAT I AM)
2. Chokmah (

Primary meaning: Wisdom. Also known as: Revelation, the Primordial Torah (the
Torah that existed before creation), Father, Yesh me-ayin (being from
nothingness), beginning, YAH, YHWH)
3. Binah (

Primary meaning: Understanding. Also known as: Intellect, Teshuvah

(Repentance), Reason, palace, temple, womb, upper Mother, Jerusalem above,
freedom, Jubilee, "YHWH pronounced as ELOHIM")
4. Chesed (
Primary meaning: Mercy. Also known as: Grace, Love of God, right arm of God,
white, EL, associated with Abraham)
5.

Gevurah (Also called "Din" - Primary meaning: Judgment. Also known as:
Strength, Severity, Fear of God, left arm of God, red, ELOHIM, YAH, associated
with Isaac)
6. Tipheret (

Primary meaning: Beauty. Also known as: Harmony, Rahamim (compassion), the
attribute of mercy, the written Torah, Bridegroom, Husband, Son, King, Father,
Messiah, Tabernacle/Temple, the Holy Tree, (Tree of Life), heaven, the letter
"vav," Creator, Gate of Righteousness, Sun, "the Holy One blessed be He," HA-
SHEM, YHWH, YHWH-ELOHIM, the Great Name, the Unique Name, the Lucid
Mirror, Open Miracles, lulov [on Succoth], the shofar [as related to the mitzvot of
blowing the shofar], green, Tefillin of the Head, associated with Jacob)
7. Netzach (

Primary meaning: Victory. Also known as: eternity, prophecy, orchestration,

initiative, persistence, bitachon (confidence), right leg, "Hosts of YHWH,"
associated with Moses)
8. Hod (

Primary meaning: Glory. Also known as: majesty, splendor, reverberation,

prophecy, surrender, temimut (sincerity), anchor, steadfastness, left leg, "Hosts
of ELOHIM," associated with Aaron)
9. Yesod (

Primary meaning: Foundation. Also known as: "Almighty God, Living God," the
"lower end" of the heavens, El Shaddai, El Hai, Tzaddik (Righteous One), pillar
connecting heaven and earth, seal of truth, phallus, the non-Lucid Mirror,
procreative power, Messiah, Covenant, Hidden Miracles, "all things," purity,
associated with Joseph)
10.Malkut (

Primary meaning: Kingdom. Also known as: Atarah (diadem), Kingship, Shekinah
(presence), Sabbath, lower Crown, the attribute of justice, Assembly of Israel,
Court of God, the oral Torah, Bride, Wife, lower Mother "the Spirit of His
holiness," the lesser "hay," ADONAI, the Honorable Name, the non-Lucid Mirror,
Hidden Miracles, the etrog [on Succot], earth, moon, queen, Tefillin of the Hand,
humility, associated with David)
(Note: As we will discuss later on, there is an additional "quasi-Sephirah" called
Da'at (Knowledge). This Sephirah is counted when Keter is not considered, for
reasons explained in the next part of this study.)
These ten Sephirot are further divided into two groups. The three "upper" ones,
associated with the "higher heavenly realms," are:
• Keter-Crown

• Chokmah-Wisdom
 • Binah-Understanding

(NOTE: When Da'at-Knowledge is mentioned it is considered as emanating

from the realm of the above three.)
The remaining seven are considered the "lower" ones and are associated with
creation and the world:
• Chesed-Mercy

• Gevurah-Judgment

• Tipheret-Beauty/Harmony

• Netzach-Victory

• Hod-Glory

• Yesod-Foundation

• Malkut-Kingdom

The names of the ten Sephirot are found scattered through the Scriptures.
Speaking of Betzalel's qualifications for building the Tabernacle, God says that
He gave him great insight into the three higher Sephirot:
Exodus 31:3 - And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in
understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Here we see that Betzalel was filled with the Sephirot of Chokhmah-Wisdom and
Binah-Understanding. Note also that he possessed the "Spirit of God," which, as
we will discuss later, is associated with Da'at-Knowledge.
The Talmud comments on how even Moses deferred to Bezalel:
Talmud - Mas. Berachoth 55a - R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R.
Johanan: Bezalel was so called on account of his wisdom. At the time when the
Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses; Go and tell Bezalel to make me a
tabernacle, an ark and vessels, Moses went and reversed the order, saying,
Make an ark and vessels and a tabernacle. Bezalel said to him: Moses, our
Teacher, as a rule a man first builds a house and then brings vessels into it; but
you say, Make me an ark and vessels and a tabernacle. Where shall I put the
vessels that I am to make? Can it be that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to
you, Make a tabernacle, an ark and vessels? Moses replied: Perhaps you were in
the shadow of God and knew!
The seven lower Sephirot can be found in another Scripture:
1 Chronicles 29:11 - Thine, O LORD is the greatness, and the power, and
the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and
in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as
head above all.
In the above verse, greatness is associated with Chesed (mercy) and "all" with
Yesod (foundation).
The Sephirot are often arranged vertically in four groups.1 Each one of these
groups is associated with one of the four heavens, previously mentioned in this
study. The four heavens are further linked to the carrying out of the will of God,
represented as "four worlds" of; calling (known as "emanation"), creating,
forming and making.
These four worlds are found together in Isaiah 43:7:
Even every one that is called by My name; for I have created him for My Glory,
I have formed him: yea I have made him.
These four levels of calling, creating, forming and making, recur throughout the
Scriptures and throughout Kabbalah. A common arrangement of the Sephirot
with regard to these "four worlds" is as follows:
•

Keter, which is so close to the Eyn Sof, and therefore unknowable, is considered
distinct from and above the remaining nine. It is therefore not considered in the
arrangement.
•

Chokmah is the highest possible Sephirah that can be contemplated. It is

associated with the aspects of time (the past), of "Father" and the "Y" in Y-H-W-
H.
• Binah, is the "Mother" aspect and associated with the dimension of time
(the future) and the first "H" in Y-H-V-H.

• The next six Sephirot are grouped together and relate to the six directions
of the space continuum and represent the concept of "relationship."
Collectively, these six are called "Zer Anpin" (small face), and are
associated with the "V," the Vav, which has a numeric value of six.
Tipheret is considered central to this group and often represents Zer
Anpin in itself.

• Last is Malkut, the Sephirah most closely associated with God's presence
on earth (the Shekinah). She is the bride and the last or small "H" in Y-H-
V-H.

This arrangement looks as follows:

Chokmah "Y" (Yod) Father
Binah "H" ("greater" Hay) "upper" Mother
Chesed
Gevurah
Tipheret "V" (Vav)
Son, Bridegroom
Netzach "Zer Anpin"
Hod
Yesod
Malkut "H" ("lesser" Hay) Daughter, Bride, "lower Mother"
(NOTE: Other systems of Kabbalah have different arrangements).2
With regard to the concept of dimensions, we recall the idea introduced earlier in
this study, that there are in reality five dimensions. There are three dimensions
of space (north-south, east-west, up-down) and one of time (beginning-end). In
addition to this, there is a moral/spiritual fifth dimension which ranges from
good-evil, (or clean-unclean). This dimension is directly related to the soul.
The ten Sephirot are said to to parallel the ten possible directions of these five
dimensions. These five pairs of opposites give us deeper insight into the nature
of the Eyn Sof.
The following table demonstrates this:
Keter Good - Evil Malkut
Chokmah Past - Future Binah
Netzach Up- Down Hod
Tipheret East - West Yesod
Gevurah North - South Chesed
In the relationship between Keter and Malkut, It should be noted that Malkhut
is not itself "evil" as all the Sephirot are aspects of God and therefore good.
Malkhut, being the Sephirot furthest from Eyn Sof, is simply said to be
representing the direction away from God, although (as Yeshua taught), it is also
the beginning point in a relationship with God.
The upper Sephirot of Chokmah and Binah relate to beginning and end (past
and future), as God Himself is the Aleph and the Tav. (Alpha and Omega in
Greek "New Testaments.")
Netzach and Hod have to do with bringing Divine governance down from
above, and are the source of prophecy, hence the connection to up and down.
Tipheret has a relationship to the East, particularly as the gate of the Holy of
Holies (This will be discussed in detail later). Yesod is considered to be the
"lower end" of the heavens (toward the "west"), thus the expression, "as far as
east is from the west."
Gevurah is judgment, which is said to come from the north (also the direction
from which evil comes). Alternately, Hesed (mercy) comes from the south, the
'right arm" of God.
THE TREE OF LIFE
The relationship between the ten Sephirot, (and the "quasi-Sephirah" of Da'at,
explained in the next part of this study), is said to be ruled by three Divine
principles; Mercy, Justice and Will (or Grace). As such, the Sephirot are presented
in three "columns" or "pillars." This arrangement is known as the "Tree of Life,"
or "Image of God".
(It should be noted that in the Tree of Life diagram, "east" is to the top, "south"
to the right, "west" to the bottom and "north" to the left.)
 Those Sephirot said to be ruled by
Mercy are on the right and are
governed by the Sephirah of
Chokmah (Wisdom). This is said to
be the expansive or active side.
(Think of God's mercy as "enduring
forever.")
The Sephirot on the opposite side of
Justice are governed by the Sephirah
of Binah (Understanding). This is
considered to be the constrictive or
passive side. (Think of justice being
"firm.")
Lastly, the middle pillar, ruled by the
Sephirah of Keter (Crown), and
associated with the Will (or Grace) of
God, is one of equilibrium or perfect
harmony. As seen above, the center
pillar runs from Keter to Malkhut,
which represent the dimensional
range of good to evil. This middle
pillar is associated with the "Tree of
Knowledge," having to do with the
mystery of the "Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil," seen in Genesis
2:9.
An example of these three pillars is related in the Zohar, which speaks of the
Patriarchs having relationships to the various attributes of God, with Jacob (as
the central pillar) bringing harmony to the judgmental side of Isaac and the
merciful side of Abraham. (This was alluded to earlier in our study.).
This section is a good illustration of the Sephirot being how we perceive God,
and how such an understanding enables us to see that God does not change:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 175b-176a - R. Simeon, we are
told, explained thus the words, "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards
shall pass from one end to the other." ‘ "The middle bar" ‘, he said, ‘signifies
Jacob, the perfect saint, as we have pointed out on another occasion in
connection with the characterization of Jacob as "a complete man, dwelling in
tents" (Gen. xxv, 27). It does not say, "dwelling in a tent", but "dwelling in
tents,’, which denotes that he unified the two "tents" (of Severity and Mercy).
The same implication may be found here: "The middle bar in the midst of the
boards shall pass from one end to the other", uniting them. Jacob was perfect in
regard to both sides, the Holy Ancient and the Microprosopus, and also to the
supernal Grace and the supernal Power, harmonizing the two.’ R. Simeon said
further: ‘I perceive that Wisdom (‘Hokmah) is the totality of all the holy Sefiroth,
and that supernal Grace (Hesed) emanates from Wisdom, and Power (Geburah),
which is the prompter of severe judgement, from Understanding (Binah). Jacob
harmonized both sides: the Fathers (Abraham and Isaac) signified the totality of
all, and Jacob signified the union of the Fathers. ...
Said R. Eleazar: ‘It would seem that Jacob emanated from the region of severe
Judgement, for Isaac laid hold on this attribute as his portion.’ Said R. Simeon to
him: ‘But was this the only grade? Isaac emanated from Grace, surely, and so
did all the Fathers. In fact, Judgement proceeds from Mercy, and Mercy from
Judgement. Abraham inherited Mercy, and Isaac proceeded therefrom, but with
the aura of Judgement about him; and Jacob in turn issued in Mercy from the
midst of Judgement. So one quality emanates from another, each imbibes from
each, and finally it is made manifest that all are one, and all depend on One, and
the One is all in all. Blessed be His Name for ever and ever.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘It is
evident that there can be no perfection except the one aspect be joined to the
other and a third hold them together to harmonize and complete them, like
Jacob in relation to Abraham and Isaac. That is why it is written: "And the middle
bar in the midst of the boards shall be fastening from one end to the other." We
have been taught that all this differentiation of the Divine Personality is
from our side and relative to our knowledge, and that, above, all is one, all
is set in one balance, unvarying and eternal, as it is written: "I the Lord change
not" (Mal. III, 6).’
As we have seen earlier in this study, the "middle pillar" of the Tree of Life is
closely associated with; Jacob, the Messiah, and the figure of Metatron. This
middle pillar (the pillar of equilibrium) strikes the "balance" between the
masculine and feminine sides.
THE "PLURALITY" OF GOD
Understanding the concept of the Sephirot enables us to explain the fact that the
word often used in Scripture for "God," Elohim, often appears in the plural -
several times with plural verbs and adjectives. When we realize that "God" in the
Bible is "represented" to us by His Sephirot, the problem of what appears to be
"multiple gods" is eliminated and a proper understanding of the plurality of the
Godhead (Sephirot/Elohim) may be attained.
The Zohar cautions against confusing the Eyn Sof with the Sephirot, by believing
that that any one particular Sephirot "is" the Eyn Sof. (Though each can be said
to contain some degree of all the others within it.) Each of us is to study the
Sephirot and learn about Elohim/God to the best of our ability:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 42b - Should one ask: "Is
it not written, Ye saw no manner of similitude?" the answer would be: "Truly we
did behold him under a certain similitude, for is it not written, ‘and the similitude
of the Lord should he (Moses) behold, (Num. XII, 8)?,’ But only in the similitude
which Moses beheld was the Lord revealed, not in any other similitude of any
creature formed by His signs. Hence it is written: "To whom then will ye liken
God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto him?" (Isa. XL, 18). Even that
"similitude" was a likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He, not in His own place,
for that cannot be penetrated, but in the aspect of the King when He shows forth
His power to rule over the whole of His creation, appearing, therefore, to each of
His creatures according to the capacity of each to comprehend Him, as it is
written: "And through the prophets I am represented in similitudes" (Hos. XII,
11). And therefore He says: "Although I represent Myself to you in your own
likeness, to whom will ye liken Me that I should be equal to him?" For in the
beginning, before shape and form had been created, He was without form and
similitude. Therefore it is forbidden to one who apprehends Him as He is before
creation to picture Him under any form or shape whatsoever, not even by His
letters He and Vau, nor by the whole of His Holy Name, nor by any letter or sign
soever. The words, "For ye saw no manner of similitude" thus mean, "Ye saw
nothing which could be represented by any form or shape, nothing which ye
could present or simulate by any finite conception". But when He had created
the form of supernal Man it was to Him as a chariot, and He descended on it, to
be known according to the style "YHWH", in order that He might be known by
His attributes and perceived in each attribute separately. For this reason He let
Himself be called "El, Elohim, Shaddai, Zebaoth, and YHWH", each being a
symbol to men of His various Divine attributes, that it may be made manifest
that the world is sustained by mercy and by justice, according to the works of
men. Had the brightness of the glory of the Holy One, blessed be His Name, not
been shed over the whole of His creation, how could He have been perceived
even by the wise? He would have remained unapprehendable, and the words
"The whole earth is full of his glory" (Isa. VI, 3) could never be spoken with truth.
But woe unto the man who should presume to compare the Lord with any
attribute, even one which is His own, much less any human created form,
"whose foundation is in the dust,, (Job IV, I9), and whose products are frail
creatures, soon vanishing, soon forgotten.
What is interesting at the end of the section (above) is the idea that God is
revealed through His creation. This is very much reminiscent of what Paul said
about the image ("that which may be known") of God:
Romans 1:19-20 - Because that which may be known of God is manifest in
them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
As Paul mentions, the things seen of God are there for a purpose -- for us to
learn of and become conformed to the image of God. The same applies to the
Sephirot, which came into existence from Eyn Sof, prior to the world we live.
As the Sephirotic "Tree of Life" is in the image of God, and the rest of creation
came through this, we can then expect to see some type of Sephirot pattern
within creation. (This is a deep subject that we will deal with in a separate
study.)
For now, it can be said:
The Universe is based on order; its basic pattern is summed up in the Laws
embodied in the Sephirotic Tree. The Tree at first sight is a rigid structure, but as
study and experience increase, the rigiditity of the diagram begins to dissolve as
the subtleties of its dynamics begin to emerge. 3
As we will discuss in detail further in this study, the Sephirot provide a "path" for
us to follow in our relationship with God, beginning with the one "furthest from
God," (closest to this world), that being Malkut-Kingdom. This explains why
Yeshua said we must first start by seeking the Kingdom.
The next section of this study will feature a detailed look at each of the Sephirot
and their interrelationships.
Click here to send us a question or comment on this part of the study!

1. All of the Sephirot exist in each of the four worlds, however they are also said
to have the particular relationships mentioned in this section. Also, the world of
Azilut (Emanation) is said to be outside of the realm of time, and contains the
other three worlds (Beriah, Yezirah and Asiyyah), as well as the purest essence
of the Sephirot, "within itself."
2. Another arrangement of the Sephirot in four worlds is as follows:
Keter
Pure Will
Chokma 4th heaven - "Y" (Yod)
Realm of Eyn Sof
h (Azilut - world Emanation)
Godly Unity
Binah
Chesed 3rd heaven - "H" ("greater"
Intellect/Thought
Gevurah Hay)
Realm of the Throne
Tipheret (Beriah - world Creation)
Netzach
2nd heaven - "V" (Vav) Emotional/Speech
Hod
(Yezirah - world of Formation) Realm of Angels
Yesod
Physical/Actions
1st heaven - "H" ("lesser"
Realm of the
Malkut Hay)
Shekinah
(Asiyyah - world of Action)
and physical creation
3. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach, Maine, 1976, p.142.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE SEPHIROT

(Last updated 3/14/01)

The following is an overview of the Sephirot, the emanations/characteristics of

God in creation. This is not meant to be an all-encompassing analysis. That is
beyond the scope of this study, though as we go forward, we will bring forward
examples of their occurence in Scripture. An understanding of the Sephirot (and
their relationship to Torah), is important in achieving the deepest level of
interpretation of Scripture, especially the more mystical texts, such as the book
of Revelation.

KETER - CROWN

Primary meaning: Crown. Also known as: Upper Crown, Ayin (nothingness),
Hokhmah Penimit (internal wisdom), Mahshavah Elohit (divine thought), Spirit of
God, root of roots, mysterious wisdom, the (primitive) point, "white head,"
ancient, Will, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, (I AM THAT I AM).
This is the first Sephirah and nearest in "proximity" to the Eyn Sof. As such, it is
said to "crown" all the others. Keter is said to rest on the edge, between infinity
and the finite world. Keter acts as a "barrier" between the other nine Sephirot
and the infinite Eyn Sof. It is also the divine principle that sits atop the middle
pillar of the Tree of Life (see previous section) known as the Will of God.

Keter is associated with the name God revealed Himself to Moses, Ehyeh Asher
Ehyeh ("I Am That I Am"). Other than this, there is little that can be said about it,
other than the powers of the rest of the Sephirot may be said to reside in it.
Although, as a sephirah, Keter is one of the emanations/characteristics of God, it
is in a slightly lesser sense as unknowable as the Eyn Sof.

As Keter cannot be known, it is also known as Ayin, meaning nothingness. From

Keter/Ayin emanates the next Sephirah, Chokmah, (wisdom).

This is seen in the book of Job:

Job: 28:12 - Wisdom comes into being from nothing (ayin).

CHOKHMAH - WISDOM

Primary meaning: Wisdom. Also known as: Revelation, the Primordial Torah (the
Torah that existed before creation), Father, Yesh me-ayin (being from
nothingness), beginning, YAH, YHWH.

Chokhmah (wisdom) is the first of the Sephirot that we can begin to actually
understand. In Scripture, Chokhmah is said to have been with God at the
creation of the world.

Speaking of Wisdom, it says:

Proverbs 8:22 - The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his
works of old.

As mentioned, Keter is associated with the infinite Eyn Sof and divine Will of God,
and is quite unknowable as this is outside the realm of creation. By comparison,
Chokhmah is considered to be the totality of all things to later come into
creation, and is the highest emanation of God that we can actually understand
(to some degree). Chokhmah is associated with the Eternal Torah, that was the
"blueprint" of all that would come into existence, therefore it is said that "by
Chokhmah" all things exist. Hokhmah is "general" in nature, consisting of vast
ideas and concepts of God.

As stated in a recent commentary on the Zohar:

The Zohar (Vol III, 235b, in Raya Mehemna), breaks up the word chochmah itself
into two words, koach, and mah. Koach means "potential," and "mah" means
"what is." Thus chochmah means, "the potential of what is," or, "the potential to
be." 1

Speaking of the Eternal Torah, Midrash Rabbah says the following:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis I:1, - Then I was by Him, as a nursling (amon); and
I was daily all delight (Prov. VIII, 30). 'Amon' means tutor; 'amon' means covered;
'amon' means hidden; and some say, 'amon' means great. 'Amon' is a tutor, as
you read, As an omen (nursing father) carrieth the sucking child (Num. XI, 12).

It is interesting to note that the very first verse of Midrash Rabbah (above) calls
Torah a "tutor." This is consistent with what Paul says about Torah in Galatians,
chapter 3. With regard to Torah and creation, Chokhmah has a relationship with
Yeshua, as it is written that He (like Wisdom); was there in the beginning with
God, is God, and it is by Him that all things exist:

John: 1:1-3 - In the beginning was the Word, [the Torah] and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things
were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Because Chokhmah is an active force within God, that causes ideas to come into
reality, it is associated with the concept of Abba ("Father") with regard to the
remaining eight Sephirot.

As there is a great deal of reference to Wisdom in Scripture, we will include a

separate detailed section on Chokhmah/Wisdom later in this study.

BINAH - UNDERSTANDING

Primary meaning: Understanding. Also known as: Intellect, Teshuvah

(Repentance), Reason, palace, temple, womb, upper Mother, Jerusalem above,
freedom, Jubilee, "YHWH pronounced as ELOHIM".

Binah (understanding) is said to have a relationship with Chokhmah, in that it

takes the general principles and concepts of the latter, and gives definition to
them, differentiating them into specific entities. Binah is also said to give a
"garment" to Chokhmah (the latter which is associated with the mystical name
YHWH), through the name ELOHIM, which manifests through the remaining
seven Sephirot. These seven ("lower") sephirot are also called "body" or
"building" of Azilut (the realm of the Eyn Sof).

Binah is said to be the feminine counterpart to the masculine Chokhmah.

Wisdom and Understanding are often mentioned together in Scripture, as one is
very much "in need" of the other. Binah is said to be the divine source of souls,
hence the "upper mother" aspect, which is also associated with New Jerusalem
(i.e., Galatians 4:26).

Binah is the head of the "restrictive" column of the Tree of Life. Its various
attributes are considered to be: judgment, understanding, reason and
repentance. All of these be seen in the following Scripture, where God judges
Israel for not understanding, and tells them to repent and reason with Him:

Isaiah 1:2-19 - Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has
spoken: "Sons have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master's crib; but Israel does not know,
my people does not understand." Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with
iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the
LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
Why will you still be smitten, that you continue to rebel? The whole head is
sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there
is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they are not
pressed out, or bound up, or softened with oil. Your country lies desolate, your
cities are burned with fire; in your very presence aliens devour your land; it is
desolate, as overthrown by aliens. And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in
a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. If the LORD of
hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and
become like Gomor'rah. Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give
ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomor'rah! "What to me is the
multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings
of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of
lambs, or of he-goats. "When you come to appear before me, who requires of
you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an
abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies--I
cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your
appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary
of bearing them. When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from
you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of
blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your
doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice,
correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. "Come now, let
us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become
like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;

A SUMMATION THUS FAR:

Keter (crown), Chokhmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding) are all directly
related to the highest of the four heavens, that of Azilut. As such, they are
distinct from the remaining seven Sephirot, which have a closer relationship to
the lower heavens that are part of creation.

Keter is so "close" to Eyn Sof itself, that little can be known about it, except at
rare times where God reveals Himself as Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh ("I Am That I Am").
Chokmah is the highest of the Sephirot that is understandable and attainable by
man. Out of Chokhma (wisdom), comes Binah (understanding), from which flows
the remaining seven Sephirot.

An example of using the above concepts to understand a mystical scripture,

would be the interpretation of the following verse:

Proverbs 9:1 - Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven
pillars.
Here we see Wisdom "building" a house (which is Binah/Understanding), from
which come seven pillars -- the seven lower Sephirot.

DA'AT - KNOWLEDGE

As mentioned in the previous section of this study, located beneath the

"supernal Sephirotic triad" of Keter, Chokhmah and Binah (and within the triad of
Chokhmah, Binah and Tipheret), is Da'at ("knowledge"). Da'at is considered a
"quasi-Sephirah," or "non-Sephirah," appearing on the central column between
Keter and Tipheret.

The reason for this status is explained in Rabbi Moshe Miller's commentary on
the Zohar:

"... there are only ten Sephirot, not eleven. However, sometimes keter is counted
in the ten, and at other times da'at is counted instead of keter, depending on
whether we are looking at them from the point of view of the Creator, or from
the point of view of the created. In the process of creation, in which the Sephirot
are emanted from above, i.e., from God to the physical world, keter is counted,
and not da'at, since it is the first emanation, the manifestation of the Divine Will,
whence all other emanations derive

... But when the process is from below to above, man elevating himself from
level to level in his desire to cleave to God, da'at is counted and not keter, since
the latter is a level so sublime that it is in general beyond the scope of the
average individual's ability to internalize or comprehend." 2

Corresponding to this location of Da'at, is the realm of the Ruach haKodesh

(Holy Spirit).

Da'at is knowledge that emerges out of nowhere and comes direct from God. It is
not only seen but known, not only observing, but becoming. 3

The location of Da'at on the Tree of Life, with regard to the Ruach haKodesh, is
significant. Looking at it from the "top down" (God's perspective), the Ruach
haKodesh comes "out of" Binah (following the order of Keter, Chokhmah, Binah,
etc.). Binah, however (representing the supernal "Mother"), is never separated
from Chokhmah (the supernal Father). Therefore, the Ruach haKodesh
"proceeds" from the Father (John 15:26) "through the Mother."

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,page 55a - The Yod and the He [Father
and Mother], in the Divine Name are mingled, and one is contained in the other
and they are never separated, being for ever united in love, being the source
whence emanate all those streams and springs of blessing and satisfaction to
the universe.

From the "bottom up" (our perspective), one ascends the middle pillar through
Tipheret to attain the Ruach haKodesh. Therefore it can be said that Tipheret
(the Son) also gives access to the Ruach haKodesh. This explains how Yeshua, in
John's gospel, can say in different places, that both He and the Father send the
Ruach haKodesh (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).

This may also explain why Yeshua had to return to His heavenly abode, in order
for the Ruach to come:

John 16:7 - But I tell you the truth; it is better for you that I go away, for if I may
not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you, and if I go on, I will send Him
unto you;

While on earth, Yeshua fulfilled the role of Messiah. (Tzaddik - "Righteous One -
this will be covered in a later section on the Sephirah of Yesod, which is on the
central column below Tipheret.) This action established the "connection"
between the heavenly and earthly realms. (This is a function of the divine
Tzaddik, with the earthly realm being associated with the Shekinah and
community of believers.) Having done this, Yeshua had to "return" to the higher
heavenly realm to the place of Tipheret, to renew the "channel of flow" of the
Ruach haKodesh.

The Father is also said to send the Ruach haKodesh on the authority ("name") of
Yeshua (John 14:26). Yeshua's authority was given to Him by the Father, for His
earthly role as Tzaddik and crucified Messiah:

Philippians 2:7-11 - But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and
given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Yeshua
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Yeshua haMashiach
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This concept of Yeshua's authority, with regard to the Ruach haKodesh, helps
explain one of the more peculiar discussions in the book of Matthew:

Matthew 21:23-27 - And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests
and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By
what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And
Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell
me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The
baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned
with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why
did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for
all hold John as a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell.
And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
things.

Here we see the situation whereby the religious leaders had "quenched" the
Ruach haKodesh in themselves (due to their own sin), and therby lacked the
Da'at to understand who Yeshua was (i.e., Romans 10:2). Prior to this (Matthew
12:31), they had gone as far as blaspheming the Ruach haKodesh, which was
working through Yeshua. (Our text analysis of Revelation chapter 2, will delve
more into this subject.)

As these religious leaders were not using properly what they had been given,
Yeshua would not bestow any more Da'at upon them (revealing the authority
from the Father), even taking what they had from them (Matthew 21:43 as a
fulfillment of the parable of 25:29).

The principle of being given spiritual blessings by God based on merit is also
addressed later in this study. The prophet Daniel said that da'at would increase
in the last days:

Daniel 12:4 - But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge [da'at] shall be
increased.

Daniel associates the idea that, "many shall run to and fro," directly to the
increase of da'at. As discussed in the introduction to this study, the idea of
"running" in the spiritual realm (where one gains da'at) is not physical travel, but
a mystical process of drawing nearer to God. Daniel is saying that in the last
days people's knowlege of the mysteries of God will increase, as they seek, are
given, and make use of, the means of acquiring this wisdom and understanding
from God.

CHESED - MERCY

Primary meaning: Mercy. Also known as: Grace, Love of God, right arm of God,
white, EL, associated with Abraham.

GEVURAH - JUDGMENT

Also called "Din" - Primary meaning: Judgment. Also known as: Strength,
Severity, Fear of God, left arm of God, red, ELOHIM, YAH, associated with Isaac.

Chesed symbolizes love and mercy in Scripture. It is the active, giving, aspect of
God. It is said to radiate the essence of the infinite Eyn Sof. The term "grace" as
seen in the "New Testament" is equivalent to Chesed, which is also called loving-
kindness.

Gevurah is a counterpart to Chesed. Gevurah symbolizes justice and severity in

Scripture. It is the passive, firm, aspect of God. Gevurah balances the Sephirot of
Chesed, as it "restricts" the force of Chesed, giving it definition and limit. (Thus
preventing the radiance of God's essence from overwhelming everything and
leaving no room for anything else to exist!)

As the Zohar puts it:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 42b - Had the brightness
of the glory of the Holy One, blessed be His Name, not been shed over the whole
of His creation, how could He have been perceived even by the wise? He would
have remained unapprehendable, and the words "The whole earth is full of his
glory" (Isaiah 6:3) could never be spoken with truth.

Gevurah is also said to be the feminine counterpart to the masculine Chesed.

TIPHERET - BEAUTY

Primary meaning: Beauty. Also known as: Harmony, Rahamim (compassion), the
attribute of mercy, the written Torah, Bridegroom, Husband, Son, King, Father,
Messiah, Tabernacle/Temple, the Holy Tree, (Tree of Life), heaven, the letter
"vav," Creator, Gate of Righteousess, Sun, "the Holy One blessed be He," HA-
SHEM, YHWH, YHWH-ELOHIM, the Great Name, the Unique Name, the Lucid
Mirror, Open Miracles, lulov [on Succoth], the shofar [as related to the mitzvot of
blowing the shofar], green, Tefillin of the Head, associated with Jacob.

Tipheret and Malkut ("Kingdom," see below) are said to be the two principle
Sephirot of the "lower seven" that deal with the world we live in. This is mainly
because of the relationship Tipheret has to the bridegroom, Messiah and written
Torah, and the association Malkut has with the bride, Shekinah and oral Torah.
Logically, the connection between bride and bridegroom implies a very intimate
relationship between Tipheret and Malkut, as depicted in the great wedding feast
to come in the Millennial Sabbath.

Tipheret is also associated with the "love of God" and in this respect offset by
Malkut, which is linked with the "fear of God." (See section on Malkut, below, for
more on this relationship.)

Tipheret has a central relationship to all of the other Sephirot, and an

involvement with the unification of the Sephirot and the name of God (this is
discussed in the next section). Because of this function, Tipheret is also known
by the name of "Harmony."

This name applies to Messiah as well, as He is the one that ultimately will bring
harmony and usher in the Kingdom and Olam Haba (world to come). Because
Tipheret brings harmony, it is also known by the most holy name Ha-Kadosh
Barukh Hu (The Holy One, Blessed be He), as well as the combined name YHWH-
ELOHIM.

As seen in the chart presented earlier in this study, Tipheret is seen as having a
relationship with the physical direction of East. This was the side of the
Tabernacle that Moses and Aaron and His sons made their camp. The star that
announced the birth of Messiah was in the east. It is also taught that the Messiah
will come to Jerusalem through the eastern gate.

Understanding of this relationship between Tipheret, which is associated with

beauty, and the direction of east, enables us to see a little deeper into passages
such as the following. The gate in question is the eastern one, where the sick
were placed. Note the name it is given:
Acts 3:2 - And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom
they laid daily at the [east] gate of the temple which is called Beautiful
[tipheret] to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.

Tipheret has a strong relationship with both Chokhmah and Binah above it, as
well as Chesed and Gevurah, alongside it. (See the Tree of Life chart.) With the
"lower" Sephirot of Chesed and Gevurah, Tipheret forms the triad of "Divine
Soul," and is often seen as the bridge between man and God. Along this line,
Tipheret is also analogous with the "voice of God," and is linked to the voice
heard on Mount Sinai.

NOTE: We will expound on the subject of Tipheret in several additional sections,

later in this study.

A SUMMATION THUS FAR:

The four Sephirot of Chokmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding), Chesed (mercy)

and Gevurah (judgment) are also considered to represent the inter-related and
often conflicting qualities of man. (Remember through all this study that we [in
fact all of creation], are made in the image of God - the Sephirot.) These Sephirot
are all "harmonized" within the Sephirah of Tipheret, which is itself an "image" of
the Eyn Sof.

NETZACH - VICTORY

Primary meaning: Victory. Also known as: eternity, prophecy, orchestration,

initiative, persistence, bitachon (confidence), right leg, "Hosts of YHWH,"
associated with Moses

HOD - GLORY

Primary meaning: Glory. Also known as: majesty, splendor, reverberation,

prophecy, surrender, temimut (sincerity), anchor, steadfastness, left leg, "Hosts
of ELOHIM, associated with Aaron."

YESOD - FOUNDATION

Primary meaning: Foundation. Also known as: "Almighty God, Living God," the
"lower end" of the heavens, El Shaddai, El Hai, Tzaddik (Righteous One), pillar
connecting heaven and earth, seal of truth, phallus, the non-Lucid Mirror,
procreative power, Messsiah, Covenant, Hidden Miracles, "all things," purity,
associated with Joseph.

The next three Sephirot, Netzach, Hod and Yesod, relate to the "second world,"
that of the realm of angels. (See previous study on Ezekiel's Chariot.) Yesod is
also known as the lower end (or termination) of the heavens.

Yesod acts as a channel for the light and power of the preceding Sephirot to
come to the last Sephirah of Malkut. In this way it is also linked to the ladder in
Jacob's dream. Therefore, it is considered both "all things" as well as El Shaddai
(the Lord our provider).
The concept of Tzaddik (Righteous One), comes from Proverbs 10:25; "The
righteous one is the foundation (Yesod) of the world." Because of these
characteristics, Yesod is often associated with Tipheret, and is even regarded as
being the groom (linked to Tipheret) to the bride (Malkut) in some literature.
More precisely, the function of Yesod is to bring Tipheret and Malkut together.

(NOTE: We will expound on the subject of Yesod in an indepent section later in

this study.)

Yesod is closely linked to Netzach and Hod, the three of them relating to the
most "physical" aspects of the image of God and God's governance and guidance
of the world. As such, Netzach and Hod also have a relationship to the angels
who do God's will in this world, the "Hosts of YHWH," (on the side of Chokmah
and Chesed) and the "Hosts of ELOHIM" (on the side of Binah and Gevurah).

Netzach and Hod act as "filters" through which pass the higher emanations of
Chesed and Gevurah. They are also considered to be the conductors through
which the God's essence is conveyed from the three upper Sephirot (Keter,
Chokmah, Binah) to the lower Sephirot. They are in this sense, the source of
prophecy.

The following Zohar passage gives insight as to the role of Netzach and Hod in
connecting this world to the one above. All parts of the Tabernacle/Temple are
said to be a representation of the heavenly realms. Netzach and Hod are
represented by the hooks:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 175b - THE HOOKS OF THE

PILLARS AND THEIR FILLETS SHALL BE OF SILVER. Said R. Isaac: ‘I presume that
the "hooks of the pillars" symbolize all those who are attached to the supernal
unifying pillars, [Tr. note: i.e. Nezah and Hod, who are attached to the three
Sefiroth above them] and that all those who are below depend on them. What is
the significance of the word vavim (hooks; also the letter vau, the numerical
value of which is six)? Six within six (vv), all united and nourished by the Spine
which is set over them. And we have learnt in the Book of the Hidden Mystery
(Sifra di-zeniutha) this dictum: "Hooks above, hooks below (six above, six below),
all comprehended in one meaning and one name, having one and the same
significance."

Kabbalist Aryeh Kaplan writes about the triad of Netzach, Hod and Yesod as
follows:

These are said to surround the physical world, that is, all influence and
enlightenment in the physical world comes through these. 4

MALKUT - KINGDOM

Primary meaning: Kingdom. Also known as: Atarah (diadem), Kingship, Shekinah
(presence), Sabbath, lower Crown, the attribute of justice, Assembly of Israel,
Court of God, the oral Torah, Bride, Wife, lower Mother, "the Spirit of His
holiness," the lesser "hay," ADONAI, the Honorable Name, the non-Lucid Mirror,
Hidden Miracles, the etrog [on Succot], earth, moon, queen, Tefillin of the Hand,
humility, associated with David.)

Malkut is the Sephirah directly associated with the Shekina, God's visible
presence on earth. The realm of Malkut is the first spiritual world closest to the
physical earth. Malkut, with its association to the image of "the bride," has a
special relationship with the sephirah of Tipheret, the latter being linked to
Messiah and the bridegroom. This insight can be applied to the gospel texts
where Yeshua, the bridegroom, seeks to bring in the Kingdom (Malkut), the
bride.

When Malkhut is said to draw more from the left (judgmental) side of the Tree of
Life, it is associated with the "fear of God." This gives Malkut another aspect to
its relationship with Tipheret, which is linked to the "love of God," drawing more
from the right (merciful) side.

Malkut also has a relationship with Chokmah in that they are the first and last of
the nine knowable Sephirot (those below Keter). An understanding of this
relationship between Malkut and Chokmah, sheds light on certain scriptures.
Malkhut, with its aspect of "fear of God," and being the closest Sephirah to man,
is the first one that we should try "seek." Chokmah, as mentioned, is Wisdom,
the Sephirot from which all things in creation emanate.

Keeping this in mind, note the following verses, which when interpreted apart
from the Sod level, don't seem to have have a direct connection.

Proverbs 9:10a - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you. 5

However, by interjecting the equivalent Sephirotic terms, the interpretation of

the above two verses becomes quite similar:

Proverbs 9:10a - The MALKUT of the LORD is the beginning of CHOKMAH:

Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the MALKUT of God, and his righteousness;
and CHOKMAH shall be added unto you.

We can now see that Solomon and Yeshua are teaching the same lesson. In both
cases, we are told to seek the closest Sephirot of Malkut (the Kingdom) so that
knowledge (Da'at) of the entire Image of God (which is imbedded Chokmah) will
be opened up to us.

Wisdom was then given to Solomon through the "daughter" which is also the
Sephirah of Malkhut-Kingship. It is an important Kabbalistic teaching that
Malkhut-Kingship is the Sefirah through which all others are revealed. Since
Solomon made himself a counterpart of Malkhut-Kingship, he could draw through
it. 6
NOTE: We will expound on the subject of Malkut-Kingdom, in several additional
sections, later in this study.

1. Zohar, Selections translated and annotated by Moshe Miller, Rabbi Moshe L.

Miller, Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars, Morristown NJ, 2000, p.45.

2. ibid, p.42.

3. Kabbalah, Tradition of Hidden Knowledge, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Thames

and Hudson, 1979, p.6.

4. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.183.

5. Alternately, the term "all these things," could represent Yesod, the Sephirah
immediately above Malkut, as all the other Sephirot (and the creation that
springs from them), "channel" through Yesod in order to get to Malkut on the the
kabbalistic "Tree of Life." This will be addressed in detail in our further teachings
on Yesod.

6. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.130.

TIPHERET - THE IMAGE OF THE EYN SOF

(Last updated 3/26/01)

Through the next two major sections of our study (concerning the Sephirot of
Tipheret and Yesod), we present information at a kabbalistic level, regarding the
subject of Messiah.

TIPHERET - ATTAINING THE NESHEMAH

The Soncino Zohar Appendix III - The Divine Name, states the following:

It remains to say a few words on the place occupied by the Holy Name, the
Tetragrammaton [YHVH], in the scheme of the Zohar. In the Cabbalistic doctrine
the name formed by the four Hebrew letters yod, he, vau, he, has a special and
intimate connection with the grade of Tifereth, of which it is in the strict sense
the proper name. We must understand this to mean that if one could grasp with
sufficient clearness the nature of the grade Tifereth, especially as the originator
of the neshamah, he would automatically perceive that this is the fitting
appellation which should be given to it. To this grade of comprehension Moses
and the other prophets actually rose, and this was the basis of their inspiration.
There is, however, a difference between the inspiration of Moses and that of the
other prophets. Moses was able to grasp the connection between the grade and
the Name fully and clearly, but the others only through a haze, as it were, since
their comprehension only reached fully to the two inferior grades of Nezah and
Hod, the two ‘pillars’ or ‘willows of the brook’, as they are fancifully called.
The term Neshemah (above) needs to be explained. A common Kabbalistic view
of man (living in the present spiritual realm) is that of three spiritual "parts," or if
you will, three parts of his soul.1

There are several schools of thought within this area, but in its most basic terms,
the Nefesh is the "soul" that all breathing creatures, man and beast, possess -
their lifeforce. Regarding the Torah, Nefesh is connected to the basic
performance of the commandments in order to have a relationship with God and
help us get through the physical dimension of life.

The Ruach is the spirit that distinguishes man from the animals. (This is not the
same as the Ruach haKodesh - God's Holy Spirit) The Ruach gives man with the
ability to go beyond the physical existence of animals, and reach into spiritual
dimensions -- specifically to try to understand the deeper meanings of God's
Torah.

All people have a Nefesh and Ruach within their being. The Neshemah however,
is an additional part of man's spiritual makeup. Neshemah is a spirit (or "spiritual
connection"), given by God when a person through faith/trust, begins to truly
seek Him (through His Torah). The Neshemah is the spiritual faculty given to
man that connects with the Ruach haKodesh (God's Holy Spirit).

Such a person is considered linked to Tipheret and is even thought of as being

greater than the prophets:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Section 2, Page 35a - What, now, is the
difference between those who study the Torah and faithful prophets? The former
are ever superior, since they stand on a higher level. Those who study the Torah
stand in a place called Tifereth (Beauty), which is the pillar of all faith, whereas
the prophets stand lower in the place called Nezah (Victory) and Hod (Majesty);
and those who merely speak in the spirit of holiness stand lower still. He who
studies the Torah needs neither peace offerings nor burnt offerings, since the
Torah is superior to all and the bond of faith; wherefore it is written “Her ways
are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace” (Prov. III, 17), and also,
“Great peace have they which love thy law and they have no occasion for
stumbling” (Ps. CXIX, 165).’

God has promised a reward to those who seek Him in faith:

Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please God, because

anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who earnestly seek him.

Exploring a bit deeper, Nefesh, as it is freely given and present in all men, is said
to come from the right side of the Tree of Life, the side of Chesed (mercy). The
Ruach, is said to be from the left side, which is the critical/judgmental side. Here
is where man can choose between following the path of Torah to God, or
considering himself not under God's Torah and moving away from Him.
This is where man's yetzer hara (evil inclination) comes into play. (The yetzer
hara is also said to come from the left side, which is also where evil eminates
from.) When presented with God's Torah, and its defintion of sin, man can give in
to his yetzer hara and transgress the Torah, or can place his yetzer hara under
subjugation, even using it to serve God. (Think of an athlete channeling natural
aggressiveness into better performance.)

Lastly, the Neshemah is said to be of the central pillar of the Tree of Life, (where
Tipheret is located), that of balance and harmony (between man's animal and
spiritual aspects).

When Adam was created, it was the Neshemah that God breathed into Him:

Genesis 2:7 - And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; [neshmat hayyim] and man
became a living soul [nefesh hayyah].

Having the Neshemah directly placed into him by God, Adam had very personal
relationship with his maker. The Neshemah is what we have lost through sin, and
what we need to recover in order to go on and become conformed to His image.
It is interesting that in the Genesis text, the word we see is neshmat, the plural
of neshemah. This implies a spiritual attachment to the multiple Sephirot of God.
(Adam was "well connected.")

TIPHERET - MESSIAH AND FAITH

Recall that the Zohar Appendix (top of page) states that Tipheret (which is
directly associated with Messiah), is the originator of the neshamah, which
connects us to God in faith.

The "New Testament" states that Yeshua fills a similar role:

Hebrews 12:2a - Looking unto Yeshua, the author and finisher of our faith;

The Zohar Appendix commentary above (as well as Zohar, Section 2, Page 136a
-138b, below), make clear that to comprehend Tipheret is equivalent to grasping
the essence of God. The relationship between the centralized, harmonizing
Tipheret and the invisible Eyn Sof, can again be compared to that of Yeshua and
the invisible God.

This gives us a better understanding of two verses quoted earlier in this study:

Romans 8:29 - For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be

conformed to the image of his Son ...

Colossians 1:15 -

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

One can grasp the image of the invisible God throught Tipheret, due to its
embodiment of the characteristics of all the Sephirot. The Messiah's
encompassing relationship to the Sephirot (also called spirits of God) and to
da'at, (knowledge) is seen in this prophetic verse:

Isaiah 11:2 - The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and
of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the LORD

This same Messiah (whom the Spirit of the Lord rests on), will usher in the Day of
the Lord and Jubilee Release, a time when all things are brought into beauty and
harmony:

Isaiah 61:1-3 - The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and
the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto
them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be
called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be
glorified.

Revelation 21:3-4 - And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be
his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away.

TIPHERET - HARMONY OF THE SEPHIROT

As mentioned earlier in this study, Paul makes the mystical statement that the
rock (or "well") that followed the children of Israel in the Wilderness was Yeshua.
The Zohar gives a description of this rock as holding the characteristics of
Tipheret -- a combination of both judgment and mercy, and also a reflection of
God Himself:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 64b - Geburah emanates from

her. Therefore She is called “Supernal Rock”. And in the same verse the words,
“And hast forgotten God that formed thee” refer to the brightness of the Father,
viz. the Supernal Grace.’ R. Abba further said: ‘We know that “water”
everywhere symbolizes God's kindness, “Grace”, and yet the Holy One, blessed
be He, on this occasion caused water to come from the “Rock” (the symbol of
Judgement), though it ought to be connected with “Greatness” (=Grace). In this,
however, consisted the “sign” and wonder of the Holy One: “Who turned the
Rock into a pool” (Ps. CXIV, 8). “Turned” suggests that it is not the usual function
of the rock to produce water. Therefore He caused water to come from the place
below by means of the Supernal Rock. And what is the name of the place below?
“Sela”’, for it is written: “And thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock
(sela’)” (Num. xx, 8). And wherewith did this sela’ bring forth water? By the
power of the Supernal Rock.’

(Note: This rock/well is also closely associated with the Sephirah of Yesod as we
will discuss later in this study.)

The Zohar states that Tifereth itself, may be considered, the "central pillar" of
the Tree of Life:

Zohar Appendix III - The Designations and The Categories, 3a - Thus it is

possible to speak of a ‘straight line’ from Kether to Tifereth, and to designate
Tifereth the ‘central pillar’.

The following section of the Zohar indicates how the central column of the
Sephirot (i.e., Tipheret), is the perfect will of God that holds the merciful and
judgmental columns in harmony. This section goes so far to say that the three
must be in agreement before God makes a "final decision" to pass judgment.
However, the Zohar says, even when this has happened, true repentance can
still move the merciful side of God to reconsider:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 22b - They all rose and
prostrated themselves before him, saying, ‘happy the man whose Master agrees
with him in the exposition of hidden mysteries which have not been revealed to
the holy angels.’ He proceeded: ‘Friends, we must expound the rest of the verse,
since it contains many hidden mysteries. The next words are: I kill and make
alive, etc. That is to say, through the Sefiroth on the right side I make alive, and
through the Sefiroth on the left side I kill; but if the Central Column does not
concur, sentence cannot be passed, since they form a court of three. Sometimes,
even when they all three agree to condemn, there comes the right hand which is
outstretched to receive those that repent; this is the YHWH, and it is also the
Shekinah, which is called "right hand", from the side of Hesed (kindness).

An example of the above teaching, that judgment can be suspended even after
God has "made up His mind," would be when God sent Jonah to preach to
Ninevah. His instructions to Jonah were not to "warn" Ninevah. Rather, God said
they were going to be destroyed. There was no offer of repentance attached. As
the story goes, Ninevah, without being told to, immediately repented, and God's
judgment on that generation was withdrawn.

As mentioned earlier, Jacob was a picture of the Messiah to come, in that he had
the qualities that balanced the merciful and judgmental sides of God in perfect
harmony. Here the idea of Jacob unifying "tents," takes on a mystical meaning of
harmonizing the pillars of the Tree of Life.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 175b - R. Simeon, we are told,

explained thus the words, "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall
pass from one end to the other." ‘ "The middle bar" ‘, he said, ‘signifies Jacob,
the perfect saint, as we have pointed out on another occasion in connection with
the characterization of Jacob as "a complete man, dwelling in tents" (Gen. xxv,
27). It does not say, "dwelling in a tent", but "dwelling in tents,’, which denotes
that he unified the two "tents" (of Severity and Mercy). The same implication
may be found here: "The middle bar in the midst of the boards shall pass from
one end to the other", uniting them. Jacob was perfect in regard to both sides,
the Holy Ancient and the Microprosopus, and also to the supernal Grace and the
supernal Power, harmonizing the two.’ R. Simeon said further: ‘I perceive that
Wisdom (‘Hokmah) is the totality of all the holy Sefiroth, and that supernal Grace
(Hesed) emanates from Wisdom, and Power (Geburah), which is the prompter of
severe judgement, from Understanding (Binah). Jacob harmonized both sides:
the Fathers (Abraham and Isaac) signified the totality of all, and Jacob signified
the union of the Fathers. Then came the merit of Jacob and synthetized both and
made them one, for he signifies supernal harmony.’

TIPHERET - THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The book of Malachi contains a mystical allusion to a Sun of righteousness, even

referring to this "Sun" as a person. The context clearly shows that Sun of
righteousness is another name for the Messiah, who will usher in the Day of the
Lord and subsequent healing of all things (Rev. 22:1-3).

Malachi 4:1-6 - For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all
the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them
neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of
righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and
grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall
be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the
LORD of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded
unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of
the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a
curse.

The Zohar makes a connection between Tipheret and this "Sun." This passage
states that to grasp the Sun is equivalent to grasping all the grades as the Sun is
said to be a Tabernacle, representing of all the grades (Sephirot):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136a -138b - Because of this

current, we have a true Faith in this world, and all mankind can discourse of the
mystery of the Faith of the Holy One in connection with these grades, as if they
were revealed to and not hidden from them. Therefore it says: "And their words
to the end of the world" (Ibid.), which means that from the beginning to the end
of the world the "wise of heart" discourse of those hidden grades although they
cannot be comprehended. And how far are they comprehended? "In them hath
he set a tent for the sun" (Ibid.), because the holy sun [Tr. note: ‘ Tifereth.]
is as a tabernacle of all those supreme grades, and is as a light which has
taken into itself all the hidden lights and the whole current of their extension,
whereby Faith is manifested in the whole world. To grasp the Sun is
equivalent to grasping all grades, because the sun is a "tent" including all
and absorbing all; and he in turn lights up all the shining colours below. Hence
"He is a bridegroom coming forth from his canopy (covering)" (v. 6), in the
gleam and flash of those hidden lights which in strong yearning and desire give
him tokens of their love, as to a bridegroom to whom all his friends give presents
and gifts. And what is "his covering"? Eden, the "covering" which covers up all
things. "He rejoiceth" from the side of the primeval light in which judgement has
no place at all. "As a strong man" (gibbor) - from the side of "strength"
(geburah); and note that it does not say here "a strong man", but "as a strong
man", which means that Judgement is tempered by Mercy.

Thus the sun gathers all together in one, in perfect devotion and love. "To run on
the way", in order to nourish and complement the Moon on every side and make
it possible for her to shed her light downwards. "His going forth is from the end
of the heaven" (v. 7). He goes forth from the end of that supernal heaven, from
the termination [Tr. note: Yesod.] of the Body, as it is written, "From one end of
heaven to the other end of the heaven" (Deut. IV, 32); where the "one end"
designates the upper world, and the "other end" its termination. "And his circuit
unto the ends of it" (Ibid.): he (the sun) runs through all those holy regions that
are capable of being vivified and nourished by his rays. "And there is nothing hid
from the heat thereof" (Ibid.): nothing is hidden from that radiance, for it is
directed towards all together, to each according to its capacity of reception.

The following text also has reference to the "Sun" containing aspects of all the
"grades" (sephirot). Here the sun is representative of YHWH and "shield" of
Elohim:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 224b - R. Jose then continued to

discourse, citing the verse: “For the Lord God (YHWH ELOHIM) is a sun and a
shield; the Lord giveth grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them
that walk uprightly” (Ps. LXXXIV, 12). ‘The “sun”, he said, ‘contains the
mystery of the Divine Name YHWH, wherein is the abode of rest of all
the grades, whereas “shield” contains the mystery of the Divine Name ELOHIM;
the same is indicated in “I am thy shield” (Gen. XV, 1). The two together, sun
and shield, constitute thus the mystery of the Divine Name complete: “the Lord
giveth grace and glory”, so that the whole should merge into a unity.

The kabbalistic "tree of life" containing "all of the grades/Sephirot) (as shown in
our previous study on the ten Sephirot), can be said to be a representation of the
Messiah.

As one modern kabbalah author writes:

The cosmic tree then, would not only be the ontic source of all souls, but it would
also be a Messianic figure. 2

At the end of the age, the Messiah is "kissed" by God, given His proper
adoration, and commence vengeance upon His enemies:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 8b-9a - He shall take out from a
certain temple in it a crown inscribed with holy names. It was with this crown
that the Holy One adorned Himself when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and
He avenged Himself on all the chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen. With this
same crown will He crown King Messiah. As soon as he is crowned, the
Holy One will take him and kiss him as before. All the holy multitude and
the whole holy army will surround him and will bestow upon him many wonderful
gifts, and he will be adorned by them all. Then will he enter into one of the
temples and behold there all the upper angels, who are called "the mourners of
Zion" because they continually weep over the destruction of the Holy Temple.
These angels shall give him a robe of deep red in order that he may commence
his work of revenge.

TIPHERET - BACK TO JACOB'S LADDER

Lastly, several times earlier in this study, we have mentioned the dream Jacob
had of a ladder reaching from earth to heaven. The following section of the
Zohar indicates that by this dream, Jacob comprehended the unity (harmony) of
the Sephirot:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 150a - Jacob was beholden to

dreams, as explained before. AND BEHOLD, THE LORD STOOD (nitsab) UPON IT,
ETC. Here Jacob discerned the essential unity of the object of faith. This is
implied in the term nitsab (firmly knit), which implies that Jacob saw all grades
stationed as one on that ladder so as to be knit into one whole. And
inasmuch as that ladder is situated between two sides, God said to him: I AM
THE LORD, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM THY FATHER, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC , these
two being respectively of the two sides, one of the right and the other of the left.

As mentioned earlier, Tipheret is an image of the Eyn Sof, the invisible God. As
such, Tipheret is the mystical key to salvation, becoming conformed to the
image of God, and growing in intimacy in our relationship with God.

If one could outline a "process" to what has been presented thus far, it might
look like this:

• When man focuses on his spiritual self (ruach) and

• does not seek his own righteousness, but rather

• seeks God's Kingdom (Malkut) through humility, Torah study and prayer,

• he will receive Neshemah from God and "connect" with the Ruach
haKodesh, which will

• draw him to God and provide him with a certain level of God's Chokmah
(wisdom), which embodies all the Sephirot within it. With this knowlege of
the Sephirot,

• he is enabled to understand that Tipheret is the; Holy Sun, Temple,

Bridegroom, Messiah, giver of the Neshemah, author of our faith, and as
the "tabernacle of all those supreme grades," is also a reflection of the
Eyn Sof.
 • He can then begin to understand how Yeshua can be the image of the
invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and is Elohim, who tabernacled among us
in the flesh (John, chapter 1) and will come again to judge the world.

(Note: We will deal with the dual role of Yeshua, as the suffering servant and
judge of the world, in our study of Yesod.)

1. Kabbalistic teachings actually indicate five levels of the soul, but only the
three mentioned (Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshemah), can be experience in this
lifetime. The two higher levels, called Chayah (Vitality) and Yechidah
(Uniqueness), are given to those who enter the Kingdom of God.

2. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 82.

TIPHERET - ADDITIONAL REFERENCES - PART 1

(Last updated 8/21/00)

There are numerous additional references to the Sephirah Tipheret in Jewish

literature, that can be connected to the Tenakh, and the "New Testament." The
next two sections of this study will further clarify the connection between
Messiah and Tipheret.

TIPHERET - KING, RULER AND JUDGE

In the Appendix to the Soncino Zohar, Tipheret is personified to a highest

degree, and called the; Holy King, Ruler, and Judge of the world:

Zohar Appendix III - The Designations and The Categories, 3b - A second

use of the terms ‘right and left’ is based on the identification of the grade
Tifereth with the Holy King, the Ruler and Judge of the world. The Holy King as
judge can exercise either clemency or rigour, and it is a not unnatural figure to
say that He exercises clemency with His right hand and rigour with His left.

The "New Testament" makes the claim that Yeshua is the King, Ruler and Judge,
though He will fulfill these roles at a future time:

Matthew 21:5 - Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

Revelation 19:16 - And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Matthew 2:6 - And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among
the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my
people Israel.

Revelation 19:15 - And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
John 5:22 - For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son:

John 5:30 - I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father
which hath sent me.

In the Zohar section below, is a discussion of a heavenly Temple that was

established at the same time that the earthly Temple was built. This higher
Temple is said to be that of Metatron, whom we have discussed as representing
the Messiah. This Temple is also associated with the middle pillar of the Tree of
Life, which is associated with Tipheret.

In addition to this, Tipheret is called the Supernal King as well as the King to
whom peace belongs. This is reminiscent of the title "Prince of Peace," given to
the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 143a - R. Jose thereupon began

to speak on the words: The song of songs, which is Solomon's (S.S.I, 1). Said he:
‘This song King Solomon poured forth when the Temple was erected and all the
worlds, above and below, had reached their perfect consummation. And
although concerning the exact time of its singing there is some difference of
opinion among the members of the Fellowship, we may be certain that it was not
sung until that time of absolute completion, when the Moon-the Shekinah-came
to her fulness and was revealed in the full perfection of her radiance, and when
the Temple had been erected in the likeness of the Temple that is above. The
Holy One, blessed be He, then experienced such joy as He had not known since
the creation of the world. When Moses set up the Tabernacle in the wilderness,
another such was raised in the heavenly spheres, as we learn from the words:
“And it came to pass... that the Tabernacle was reared up”, the reference being
to the other Tabernacle, to that which was above, namely the Tabernacle of the
“Young Man”, Metatron, and nothing greater. But when the first Temple was
completed another Temple was erected at the same time, which was the centre
for all the worlds, shedding radiance upon all things and giving light to all the
spheres. Then the world was firmly established, and all the supernal casements
were opened to pour forth light, and all the worlds experienced such joy as had
never been known to them before, and celestial and terrestrial beings alike
broke forth in song. And the song which they sang is the “Song of Songs”, or, as
we might render, “Song of the Singers”, of those musicians who chant to the
Holy One, blessed be He. King David sang “A song of degrees”: King Solomon
sang “the Song of Songs”. Now what is the difference between the two? Do we
not interpret both titles to signify one and the same thing? Verily, this is so, for
both things are certainly one, but in the days of David all the singers of the
spheres were not yet set in their rightful places to chant the praises of their King,
because the Temple was not as yet in existence. For, as on earth, the levitic
singers are divided into groups, so is it likewise above, and the upper correspond
to the lower. But not before the Temple was erected did they assume these their
due places, and the lamp [Tr. note: Malkuth.] which before gave no light began
then to shed radiance abroad, and then this song was sung to the glory of the
Supernal King, [Tr. note:Tifereth.] the “King to whom peace belongs”.
This song is superior to all the hymns of praise which had ever been sung before.
The day on which this hymn was revealed on earth was perfect in all things, and
therefore the song is holy of holies.

This next section of the Zohar, gives credit to Tipheret (the Holy One), for
maintaining the order of the universe:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 22a - AND GOD SPAKE UNTO
MOSES, ETC. R. Abba began his reflections on this portion with the verse: Trust
the Lord for ever (lit. unto ’Ad), for in KAH TETRAGRAMMATON is fashioning of
worlds (lit. rock of ages) (Isa. XXVI, 4). ‘AII mankind’, he said, ‘should cleave to
the Holy One, blessed be He, and put their trust in Him, in order that their
strength should be drawn from the sphere called ’Ad [Tr.note: Tifereth.], which
sustains the universe and binds it into an indissoluble whole.

The "New Testament" attributes the same function to Yeshua:

Colossians 1:16,17 - For by him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Hebrews 1:1-3 - God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

In the following passage we have discussion within the context of Jacob (a

picture of Messiah) talking with his sons about the end times when unity
(tipheret) will come to the earth. A connection is made between this concept and
the heave offering found in the Torah. Here, the heave offering is said to
represent the unification of what is below (represented by Malkut/Kingdom) to
what is above (represented by Tipheret). This, as wehave seen, is a function of
Messiah. There is also a lesson given that only some people are able to perform
the heave offering while completely focusing on the Heavenly King, Tipheret, for
which they are blessed:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - ‘Now when Jacob

perceived that the Shekinah was withdrawing from him, he questioned his sons,
as we have pointed out. And as Jacob and his sons proclaimed the union of the
world above and the world below, so also must we. Blessed is he who
concentrates his mind and will, with true humility and longing, upon this
mystery. Blessed is he in this world and blessed shall he be in the world to
come!’ Said R. Hamnuna the Ancient: ‘This stirring up of the unity has indeed
been rightly and justly expounded, and that which we have just now heard is
indeed very true; and in the future time these word's which we have now uttered
will stand before the Ancient of Days and in no wise be abashed.’He then began
to expound this passage as follows. ‘ “They shall take Me a heave offering.” Here
we have displayed an inclusive union of the above with the below, for it does not
say “They shall take a heave offering”, but “They shall take Me a heave
offering”, which denotes a fusion of the upper with the lower spheres. [Tr. note:
i.e. Tifereth with Malkuth.] “On the part of everyone whose heart is willing ye
should take my heave offering.” The words “on the part of” seem at first sight to
be superfluous, but in reality they contain a deep lesson for the masters of the
esoteric lore. Blessed are the righteous who have learnt how to centre all
their thoughts and desires on the Heavenly King, and whose aspirations
are directed, not towards the vain and foolish toys of this world and its lusts, but
to attaching themselves wholeheartedly to the world above in order to draw
down the favour of the Lord Himself from heaven to earth.

TIPHERET - ENEMY OF SATAN, ATONEMENT OF ISRAEL

In the same Appendix is an interesting statement that Satan (called Samael) is

the enemy of Tipheret, again called the Holy King, who will be united with
Shekinah, further linking Tipheret to the Messiah:

Zohar Appendix III - The Designations and The Categories, 3c - The

distinction between ‘right’ and ‘left’ in the Zohar corresponds, not only to the
distinction between reward and punishment in the next world, but also between
good and evil, and specifically moral good and evil in this world. Samael, the
power of evil, the tempter, the accuser, the evil Serpent, is placed on the left
and is identified with the grade Geburah. Now Samael is represented as the
opponent not of Hesed but of Tifereth. He is the Great Dragon, who on New Year
swallows the Moon, that is, prevents the union of the Matrona with the Holy King,
until Israel by their sacrifice on the Day of Atonement induce him to desist.

What is interesting in the verse above is the allusion to left and right
representing good and evil in this world and their accompanying reward or
punishment in the next world.

This is reminiscent of Yeshua's description of what faces the nations He will one
day judge:

Matthew 25:32-33 - And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

It may sound odd to hear of Satan "being placed on the left side" with Gevurah,
an attribute of God. However, even the prince of darkness is subject to the will of
God and serves His ultimate purpose. (Recall that the Yetzer hara - man's "evil
inclination," is also said to come from the left side.)

Another key point above, is the reference to Satan "swallowing the Moon" on
New Year (Rosh Hashana) and being defeated by Israel's Yom Kippur sacrifice.
The seven day period between these two feasts mirrors the seven years
tribulation period preceding the final defeat of Satan.

The "New Testament" states that it is Yeshua's salvation sacrifice that defeats
Satan:

Revelation 12:10 - And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Messiah; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them
before our God day and night.

Note the linguistic similarity between the Zohar Appendix (above) and
Revelation:

Revelation 12:1-11 - And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman

clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown
of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to
be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great
red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his
heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them
to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be
delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth
a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was
caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a
thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his
angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in
heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and
the power of his Messiah: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the
blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not
their lives unto the death.

Both the Zohar and book of Revelation use terms such as sun, moon and stars to
represent heavenly beings. Paul, in speaking of the resurrection and end times,
also alludes to the glory of heavenly beings, using the same terms. The context
of the passage below is concerned with physical bodies that will pass away, as
opposed to spiritual and eternal ones. The latter are represented by the sun,
moon and stars.

The Sod level understanding here would be that of Tipheret/Messiah (sun),

Malkut/Shekinah (moon) and the angels of God (stars):

1 Corinthians 15:35-57 - But some man will say, How are the dead raised up?
and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not
quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body
that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But
God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All
flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of
beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies,
and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the
terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the
moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in
glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised
in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in
weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual
body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a
quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is
natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth,
earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are
heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I
shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this
mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying
that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is
the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Yeshua haMashiach.

The Zohar section above also speaks of Israel, by their sacrifice on the Day of
Atonement, inducing Satan to desist. The book of Hebrews says that Yeshua is
Israel's final Yom Kippur sacrifice for salvation. (Explanatory notes have been
interjected into the text):

Hebrews 9:7- 28 - But into the second went the high priest alone once every
year, [Yom Kippur sacrifice] not without blood, which he offered for himself,
and for the errors of the people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into
the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered
both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as
pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers
washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
[the Millennial Sabbath] But Messiah being come an high priest of good
things to come, [Jubilee Release] by a greater and more perfect tabernacle,
[Tipheret, the heavenly tabernacle of all the Supreme grades - Zohar
Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136a -138b] not made with hands, that is to say,
not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling
the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the
blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to
God, purge your conscience from dead works [works of Torah- Ephesians
2:10-13, Romans 3:31] to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the
mediator of the new testament, [the New Covenant made with Israel,
Jeremiah chapter 31] that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might
receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must
also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after
men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
[through faith we are considered heirs, but inheritance only comes
upon death] Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without
blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to
the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool,
and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, Saying, This is the
blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled
with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all
things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens
should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better
sacrifices than these. For Messiah is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in
the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the
high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then
must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in
the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So Messiah was once offered to bear the sins of many; [the context is still
solely the Yom Kippur sacrifice for salvation] and unto them that look for
him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. [at "Yom
Kippur" - the end of the seven year tribulation].

TIPHERET - THE "SON"

The following section of the Zohar, relates a conversation between two rabbis,
discussing Proverbs 30:4, particularly the end of the verse, which asks "and what
is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" The answer they arrive at for the name of
the "Son of God" should not be surprising:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 79b - ‘R. Jose applied the verse,
“Who hath ascended, etc.”, first to Moses, then to the Holy One, and finally to
the four elements, and I saw that thou, Master, didst bless him!’ Said R. Simeon:
‘What he said was perfectly true. All the applications signify one and the same
thing, since they all have their root and fulfilment in the Holy One, and they are
all practically equivalent.’ R. Jesse was deeply impressed by these words and
said: ‘Now I see that this is indeed so. And I have also heard it on another
occasion from the mouth of the Master. But what is the meaning of the words,
“And what is his son's name?” ‘ R. Simeon replied: ‘The inner meaning of this I
myself have taught my son, R. Eleazar.’ ‘I pray thee, tell it to me, for I did ask
thee concerning it in a dream, but when I awoke I had forgotten thine answer.’
‘And now, when I tell thee, wilt thou remember it?’ ‘I surely will,’ replied R. Jesse,
‘I always remember what my Mastor tells me.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘The words must
be understood in the light of the expression, “My first-born son Israel” (Ex. IV,
22), and “Israel, in whom I am glorified” (Isa. XLIX, 3). “Israel” here refers to the
supernal world, and it is this which is called “son”. Whereupon R. Jesse replied:
‘With all due respect to the Master, this is a secret which I already know.’ But yet
again he forgot it. He was much perturbed. But when he went into his house and
lay down to sleep, he saw in his dream an haggadic book, wherein it was written:
“Wisdom (Hokmah) and glory (Tifereth) in His sanctuary.” When he awoke, he
straightway went to R. Simeon, kissed his hand, and said: ‘This night I saw in my
dream an haggadic book wherein were written the words: “Wisdom and glory in
His sanctuary”, “Wisdom” above, “Glory” below, and “in His sanctuary” at the
side. This I saw in a dream, and I found it on my lips when I awoke.’ Said R.
Simeon to him: ‘Until this time thou wast too young to join the company of the
“reapers of the field”, but now everything has been shown unto thee! Thus the
meaning is: Wisdom (Hokmah) is His Name and Glory (Tifereth) the name of
His son.’

Another section of the Zohar refers to the "firstborn son Israel," (also known as
"supernal Israel.") and links this to Tipheret. (Keep in mind that Israel is also
God's Messiah.) There is a reference to the "Jubilee," which as we have seen is
directly associated with Messiah and the Millennium:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 85a - ‘We have been taught in
the name of R. Simeon that in the hour when the Torah was given to Israel
Mother and children were together in perfect harmony, as it is written, “the
mother of the children rejoiced” (Ps. XCIII, 9).’ Thus “I” in this verse refers to the
Shekinah, called “daughter” in the dictum “Abraham had a daughter, the
Shekinah”. “The Lord thy God” has the same reference as in the verse, “My
firstborn son Israel” (Ex. IV, 22) (i.e. Tifereth); while the words “who hath
brought thee out of the land of Egypt” refer to the mystery of “Jubilee.”

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, refers to Yeshua as bringing to us both

wisdom and understanding (the higher Sephirot). This is done through faith and
is referred to as the mystery of his will. This is further associated with the end
times where He will bring all things into harmony:

Ephesians 1:8-9 - Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and

prudence [understanding]; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Messiah, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
The language in the next section of the Zohar, parallels Paul's statement in
Ephesians (above). Here we have Tipheret called "the firstborn son" of the Father
(Chokhmah/Wisdom) and Mother (Binah/Understanding). This is of course at the
"Sod" level, (i.e., metaphorical), but so is the idea of "Father" in the Bible
(otherwise you have to have a literal mother and impregnation to have a "son").

It is the Son (Tipheret) Who brings us (our Neshamah - see previous section), into
a relationship with Wisdom (Chokhmah) and Understanding (Binah). This is all
tied to spiritual knowledge (da'at), caled the mystery of the heavens, which is
the realm of the Ruach haKodesh (God's Holy Spirit).

All of this is considered (in the same language as Paul) to be part of what is
called the mystery of the Faith:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136b - The word OMeR (speech)
indicates the letters and paths which proceed from the Father[Tr. note:
Hokmah.] the Mother, [Tr. note: Binah.] and the head which issues from them,
who is the firstborn Son. [Tr. note: ‘ Tifereth.] Aleph symbolizes the Father,
and when it ascends and descends, the Mem unites itself with it, producing em,
which signifies Mother; the resh is the Head (rosh =head), signifying Son. When
these three unite the result is that they form “Word”, “Speech”. Thus the Father,
the Mother, and the first born Son radiate one within the other in one union,
which has its reign and duration upon the Sabbath. Thus all are united so as to
become one, and therefore they hasten one to another that Omer, as a supernal
reign, in order that all should be one. But when all has been conveyed down to
that “firmament”, then it diffuses light upon the “Glory of God” below that it may
produce beings in the likeness of the heavens which give light to that Glory.
“And night unto night declareth knowledge.” These are those “chariots” which
form the body of the Throne; they are called “nights”, as it is written: “My reins
also instruct me in the nights” (Ps. XVI, 7). The upper chariot is called “Days” or
“day unto day’,, the lower “Nights”, or “night unto night”. Ye-hawe (declares)
may also mean “makes alive”, to wit, produces the progeny of the heavens,
“brings unto life” generations. “Knowledge” designates the mystery of the
heavens: as the heavens have six sides, so also the generations which they
bring into life in their likeness. Thus “day unto day” is included in a supernal
sphere called “Word” (omer), and “night unto night” in the mystery of the Male,
who gives light to her and whose name is “Knowledge”. And because this
“Word” is not like other words, but is a supernal mystery, Scripture comes back
to it and says: “There is no word (omer) nor speeches, their voices are not
heard” (v. 3). This “word” is a supreme mystery of supernal grades, where there
are no voices nor speech, and which cannot be understood like the other grades
which constitute the mystery of the Faith, and which are voices that can be
heard. And yet “Their line is gone out through all the earth” (v. 4), although they
are supernal mysteries which can never be perfectly comprehended, yet the
current of their flow is downward. Because of this current, we have a true Faith
in this world, and all mankind can discourse of the mystery of the Faith of the
Holy One in connection with these grades, as if they were revealed to and not
hidden from them. Therefore it says: “And their words to the end of the world”
(Ibid.), which means that from the beginning to the end of the world the “wise of
heart” discourse of those hidden grades although they cannot be
comprehended. And how far are they comprehended? “In them hath he set a
tent for the sun” (Ibid.), because the holy sun [Tr. note: ‘ Tifereth.] is as a
tabernacle of all those supreme grades, and is as a light which has taken into
itself all the hidden lights and the whole current of their extension, whereby
Faith is manifested in the whole world. To grasp the Sun is equivalent to
grasping all grades, because the sun is a “tent” including all and absorbing all;
and he in turn lights up all the shining colours below. Hence “He is a bridegroom
coming forth from his canopy (covering)” (v. 6), in the gleam and flash of those
hidden lights which in strong yearning and desire give him tokens of their love,
as to a bridegroom to whom all his friends give presents and gifts. And what is
“his covering”? Eden, the “covering” which covers up all things. “He rejoiceth”
from the side of the primeval light in which judgement has no place at all. “As a
strong man” (gibbor)-from the side of “strength” (geburah); and note that it does
not say here “a strong man”, but “as a strong man”, which means that
Judgement is tempered by Mercy. Thus the sun gathers all together in one, in
perfect devotion and love. “To run on the way”, in order to nourish and
complement the Moon on every side and make it possible for her to shed her
light downwards. “His going forth is from the end of the heaven” (v. 7). He goes
forth from the end of that supernal heaven, from the termination[Tr. note:
Yesod.] of the Body, as it is written, “From one end of heaven to the other end of
the heaven” (Deut. IV, 32); where the “one end” designates the upper world, and
the “other end” its termination. “And his circuit unto the ends of it” (Ibid.): he
(the sun) runs through all those holy regions that are capable of being vivified
and nourished by his rays. “And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof”
(Ibid.): nothing is hidden from that radiance, for it is directed towards all
together, to each according to its capacity of reception. When all are thus
completed and vivified by the Sun, then the Moon is crowned in the likeness
of the supernal perfect Mother in fifty gates.

Note also the reference to the bridegroom being "strength" (gevurah) above and
in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 12:10 - And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his
Messiah.

TIPHERET - ADDITIONAL REFERENCES - PART 2

(Last updated 3/23/01)

In this section we continue to review references to the Sephirah of Tipheret in

Jewish literature, that can be connected to the Messiah, the Tenakh, and the
"New Testament."

TIPHERET - LIVING WATERS AND THE "FATHER"

The following section of the Zohar comments on the fifth commandment to

honor father and mother. Much has been written on why this commandment is
within the "first five," which are said to be commandments between God and
man (as opposed to the "second five," considered to be between man and
neighbor).

The Zohar extends the idea of "father and mother" beyond our physical parents,
to honoring God, that is both the "masculine" and "femine" aspects of God
(Chokhmah and Binah). Tipheret is referred to in the context of the living waters
of Eden (see previous study section) that decend from the realm of Eyn Sof. As
previously mentioned, in the "New Testament," Yeshua called Himself the source
of living waters. Interestingly, we also see Tipheret called "the Father" in this
section:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 90a - HONOUR THY FATHER AND
THY MOTHER. R. Hiya connected this command with the words: “And a river
went out of Eden to water the garden” (Gen. II, 10). ‘The “river” he said, is
the issue of the fountain which flows perennially and from whence the whole
Garden of Eden is watered, and this issue [Tr. Note: Tifereth.] of the holy
fountain is called Ab- "Father".’

(Note: The subject of "living waters" is also closely associated with the Sephirah
of Yesod, which we will discuss in a future section.)

The prophet Isaiah refers to a significant child being called "father":

Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

John makes the following series of mystical references to Yeshua being one with
the Father:

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.

John 10:30 - I and my Father are one.

John 14:7-11 - If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and
from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord,
shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Yeshua saith unto him, Have I been so
long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen
me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I
speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he
doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or
else believe me for the very works' sake.

John 15:23-24 - He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done
among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now
have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
John 17:21-23 - That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I
in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they
may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and
hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

The next Zohar section speaks of the flow of blessings (the waters of Eden) from
Chokhmah (Wisdom) down through Yesod (Foundation), then to Malkut
(Kingdom). This text refers to Tipheret (which is in the middle), as being "the
Lord."

Note also the role of Yesod, which will be discussed in detail in the sections of
this study:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135b - ‘The congregation

respond: “Blessed is the Lord who is blessed for ever and ever.” The expression
“who is blessed” indicates the streaming of blessings from the source of life to
the place whence issue nourishment and bounty for all creatures. And why do we
call this source “blessed”? Because it sustains and waters ’olam va'ed (lit. for
ever and ever), which is the Sabbath eve. In this way blessings are transmitted
to this ’olam va'ed from the highest world, so that it attains its full perfection.
Thus in this benediction, “blessed” represents the ultimate source whence all
blessings emanate ; [Tr. note: Hohmah.] “the Lord” is the centre [Tr. note:
Tifereth.] of all the supernal sides; “who is blessed” represents the peace of the
house, the fountain of the cistern, [Tr. note: Yesod]. providing completion and
nourishment for all, while “for ever and ever” refers to the world below, [Tr.
note: Malkuth.] which needs these blessings: the “good oil” of “blessed”, “the
Lord”, and “the Blessed One” is all for this ’olam va'ed. Therefore the whole
congregation has to recite this every day; but on Sabbath eve it must be recited
with special devotion and gladness, in order that the Sabbath may be fitly
blessed by the holy people. When they begin to recite this benediction a voice is
heard in all the heavens that are sanctified by the entrance of the Sabbath:
“Blessed are ye, holy people, for that ye bless and sanctify on earth below, that
thereby many supernal holy hosts may be blessed and sanctified above.”
Blessed are they in this world and blessed are they in the world to come. The
Israelites do not recite this benediction until they are crowned with the
crowns of holy souls, as we have said before. Blessed is the people who is
worthy of them in this world, so that it may merit them in the world to come.

The end of this portion (above) speaks of the faithful as receiving "crowns," for
their faithfulness, which is of course similar to the teachings of the "New
Testament":

2 Timothy 4:8 - Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,

which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
James1:12 - Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that
love him.

1 Peter 5:4 - And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away.

Revelation 3:11 - Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that
no man take thy crown.

The language in the Zohar portion (above) concerns; a) Tipheret (Messiah), b)

the "House," c) Yesod (Foundation) and d) God's people sanctifying themselves
so as to act as vessels that can receive God's living waters.

This closely resembles a portion in one of Paul's letters to Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:19-21 - Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure,

having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that
nameth the name of Messiah depart from iniquity. But in a great house there
are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and
some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself
from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

TIPHERET - THE BRIDEGROOM OF UNITY

The Biblical book Song of Solomon ("Song of Songs") is considered to be one of

the most mystical texts of the Bible. The term "Song of Songs" is equated with
"Holy of Holies." It is evident from its text that Song of Songs is not meant to be
taken at the literal level. Its deeper meaning is found at a Kaballistic level, where
which understands it as being a dialogue between the Messiah and the Shekinah,
who are presently separated, but will become united at the end of this age, when
the Name of God is made One again.

The following text concerns the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), and two other verses
that also start with the words, "Hear O Israel." The teaching shows that the
Shema is directly tied to the idea of the unification of God's name, which comes
when Tipheret (the husband) and Malkut (the bride) come together in the
Millennium. (This will be discussed in detail in an upcoming section of this
study.):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 160b - R. Hiya and R. Jose were
walking together. Said R. Jose: ‘Let us now think on spiritual matters and talk on
the words of the Torah.’ He thereupon began by pointing out that three passages
are introduced by the words, Hear, O Israel. “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the
Lord is One” (Deut. VI, 4); “Hear, O Israel, this day thou hast become a people to
the Lord thy God” (Ibid. XXVII, 9); and “Hear, O Israel, thou art to pass the Jordan
this day” (Ibid. LX, I). ‘Why’, he said, ‘did Moses commence in each of these
cases with the word “hear”? In the first, indeed, the word seems appropriate, but
what is its point in the other two cases? The truth is that in all three passages it
is meant to teach a special lesson. This is obvious in the case of the first, where
the word “hear” indicates the unity in the supernal Wisdom of what is
above and what is below. The word Shema’ consists of shem (name) and ‘ain
(seventy), indicating the combination of this Name and the other seventy from
whence it derives blessing. At the recitation of the Shema’, therefore, one must
concentrate attention on this union of all the Divine names. For these seventy
Names constitute the mystery of the supernal Chariot from whence that Name
receives blessing and in which it is contained. Then comes the word Israel,
referring, as we have learnt, to “Ancient Israel” (Tifereth), so that this
emanation may also be included. So “Hear, O Israel,” signifies the union of the
Spouse with her Husband (i.e. Malkuth with Tifereth), so that all is in all,
and all is one.

The union of Tipheret to the Shekinah (at the end of this age) is said to be the
union of the "Supernal Sabbath," to the earthly Sabbath, a time known as Yom
Shekulo Shabbat - "a time that is all Sabbath" - the Kingdom of God on earth.
The following text associates Tipheret (which is "male") with the heavenly
Sabbath and the Shekinah (which is "female") to the earthly Sabbath:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 138a - In fact, whenever

“Sabbath” is mentioned it refers to the “eve of the Sabbath” (i.e. the Shekinah),
but when it says “the Sabbath day”, it denotes the Supernal Sabbath (i.e.
Tifereth). The former is symbolized by the Female, the latter by the Male. Thus
“And the children of Israel should keep the Sabbath” (Ex. XXXI, I6) alludes to the
Female, which is the night (layla), and “remember the Sabbath day” (Ibtd. xx, 8)
alludes to the Male. Thus the sabbath here below sings a hymn to the Sabbath
above.

This next reference contains an interesting teaching that says in the days of
Solomon, the sun (Tipheret) was hidden and the moon (the Shekinah) was
present. In the days of Moses however, the moon was "gathered in," while the
sun "held sway."

As mentioned earlier, Moses is the only prophet ever to have vision "at the level
of Tipheret." That being the case, and Tipheret being linked to the "voice of
God," and knowing that Moses "spoke directly with God," and that according to
Paul, the "well" (rock) in the wilderness was Yeshua, we can see a close
association between Moses and Yeshua, the latter of whom, being Messiah, is
associated with Tipheret:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 181b - When Miriam departed,

the well which accompanied Israel in the wilderness also departed. Therefore
THERE WAS NO WATER FOR THE CONGREGATION, because the well had
departed both above and below. Then the right hand was broken, as it says,
“Let Aaron be gathered to his people”, and finally the sun was darkened, when
God said to Moses, “And die in the mountain”, etc. There never was a generation
like that in which Moses was present along with Aaron and Miriam. And think not
that there was the like in the days of Solomon, for in the days of Solomon the
Moon held sway but the Sun was gathered in, whereas in the days of Moses the
Moon was gathered in but the Sun held sway. It is written: “And the sun ariseth
and the sun goeth down” (Eccl. 1, 5). This signifies, as we have explained, that
when the Israelites came forth from Egypt the Sun [Tr. note: Tifereth.] shone
for them and not the Moon, but it went down in the wilderness. To where, then,
was it gathered in? “Unto its place”, in order to give light to the Moon.
So it was with Moses, and that is the point of the verse, “What profit is there to a
man from all his labour”, etc. (Ibid. 3). The “man” here is Joshua, who laboured
to give Israel possession of the land and yet did not succeed in bringing the
Moon to fullness, because he laboured for Israel “under the sun”, that is, on a
lower plane than the sun of Moses, and he did not really take his place. That
being so, what was his glory, seeing that he did not reach perfection on either
side (either of the sun or of the moon)? R. Simeon said: ‘What is “under the
sun”? This is the moon; and whoever attaches himself to the moon without the
sun, his labour is “under the sun” assuredly; and this was the original sin of the
world; and hence it says, “What profit is there to man in all his labour, to wit, to
the first Adam and all who have followed him.’

What is interesting in the above text is the implication that the sun (Tipheret)
departs for the moon (Shekinah) to manifest. This is reminiscent of Yeshua's
words when He was approaching the time of His departure:

John 16:7 - Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I
will send him unto you.

As mentioned earlier, the merciful (right) side of God can "carry the day," when
moved by true repentance -- even when His "mind is made up." The following
text shows an example for us, in this life. Although we are to be conformed to
the entire image of God (left and right sides), we too are to bring the thoughts
and actions of the (judgmental) left side "into" the (merciful) right side, allowing
the latter to "have the final say." In this way we fully emulate God and are
acceptable to Him.

This section also teaches, that one cannot wait to do this after leaving this world.
(i.e., And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. -
Hebrews 9:27.):

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 178a - R.Simeon, he quoted to

him the verse: “See life with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of
thy vanity” (Eccl. IX, 9). ‘This’, he said, ‘is a hint to a man that he should unite
Life with this place, [Tr. note: i.e. Tifereth with Malkuth.] the measure of day
with the measure of night. All Solomon's words’, he went on, ‘are written in
wisdom, yet it would seem that here he is giving the rein to worldliness, and
equally in the words that follow: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy
might, for there is no work nor device”, etc. How could the wise Solomon speak
thus? But, indeed, all the words of Solomon have a deep inner significance. What
is indicated here is that a man should always merge the left in the right,
and all his actions should be controlled by the right. Thus we interpret,
“all that thy hand findeth to do” of the left, and “that do with thy might” of the
right. When a man is careful that all his acts should be towards the right side,
and that he should include the left in the right, then God dwells within him in this
world and brings him into the next world. A man should not say, When I
reach that world I will seek mercy of the King and repent before him,
for “there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom” after a man
departs from this world, but if a man desires that the Holy King should
illumine him for that world and give him a share in the world to come, he should
strive in this world to place his actions in the sphere of the right.

The example given above, is that man is to understand and follow Tipheret. As
was already mentioned; "To grasp the Sun (Tipheret) is equivalent to grasping all
grades," (Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136a -138b).

Paul taught the same about Yeshua. To "grasp Him" (by faith) enables us to be
like Him ("the image of the invisible God" - Colossians 1:15), in Whom is the
fulness of God (all the grades/Sephirot), "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of
the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9):

Ephesians 3:17-19 - That Messiah may dwell in your hearts by faith; [to
"grasp Him"] that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height [the dimensions of physical space as represented by Tipheret];
And to know the love of Messiah, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be
filled with all the fulness of God ["all of the grades"].

TIPHERET - HIGH PRIEST

The Zohar explains that the purpose of the Priesthood here on earth was similar
to that of Tipheret in the heavenlies, that being to unify the left and right sides of
the Godhead, which in turn unifies the upper and lower worlds (i.e., Tipheret and
Malkut).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 244a - It is written: “The one

lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the second lamb shalt thou offer at
even” (Num. XXVIII, 4). Prayers have been ordained to correspond to the daily
offerings. Through the impulse from below there is a stirring above, and through
the impulse from above there is a stirring higher up still, until the impulse
reaches the place where the lamp is to be lit and it is lit. Thus by the impulse of
the smoke (of the sacrifice) from below, the lamp is kindled above, and when
this is kindled all the other lamps are kindled and all the worlds are blessed from
it. Thus the impulse of the sacrifice is the mainstay of the world and the blessing
of all worlds. When the smoke commences to rise, the holy forms in charge of
the world derive satisfaction, and are disposed thereby to stir the grades above
them; and so the impulse rises until the King desires to associate with the
Matron. Through the yearning of the lower world the lower waters flow forth to
meet the upper waters, for the upper waters do not flow save from the impulse
of the desire from below. Thus mutual desire is kindled and the lower waters flow
to meet the upper waters, and worlds are blest, and all lamps are kindled, and
upper and lower are endowed with blessings. Observe that the function of
the priests and Levites is to unite the Left with the Right. Said R. Hizkiah:
‘That is so, but I have been told that one rouses the Left and the other the Right,
because the union of male and female is only brought about by Left and Right,
as it says: “O that his left hand were under my head, and his right hand should
embrace me” (S. S. II, 6). Then male and female are united, and there is mutual
desire and worlds are blessed and upper and lower rejoice. Hence we see that
the sacrifice is the support and the mainstay of the world, and the joy of upper
and lower.’ Said R. Jose: ‘You are certainly right, and I had heard this before but
had forgotten it. This, too, I have learnt, that nowadays prayer takes the place of
sacrifice, and a man should fittingly pronounce the praise of his Master, and if
not, his prayer is no prayer. The most perfect form of praising God is to unify the
Holy Name in the fitting manner, for through this upper and lower are set in
motion, and blessings flow to all worlds.’

Midrash Rabbah gives us a direct connection between Tipheret and the High
Priesthood:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus IX:7 - And the honour of his excellent (tifereth)
majesty, and elsewhere we read: And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron
thy brother, for splendour and for beauty-tifereth (Ex. XXVIII, 2). Just as the word
'tifereth' in this connection refers to the robes of the High Priest, so does the
word 'tifereth' mentioned in the story of Ahasuerus refer to the robes of the High
Priest. ’

Midrash Rabbah also connects Tipheret to the one who calmed the seas
(Matthew 8:24-27):

Midrash Rabbah - Esther II:1 - A fool spendeth all his spirit (Prov. XXIX, 11):
this applies to Ahasuerus. But a wise man stilleth it within him (ib.): this applies
to God who calmed Ahasuerus, in the same way as it says, Who stillest the
roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples
(Ps. LXV, 8.). 1. WHEN HE SHOWED THE RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS KINGDOM (I,
4). The School of Jannai and Hezekiah both said: He used every day to open six
treasuries and show them the contents. R. Hiyya b. Abba said: He showed them
the accounts of his expenditure. R. Judah b. Simon said: He showed them the
dishes of the Land of Israel. R. Levi said He showed them the priestly robes. It
says here, HIS GLORIOUS (TIFERETH) KINGDOM, and it says elsewhere, And
thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for splendour and for
beauty-le-tifereth (Ex. XXVIII, 2). Just as the word 'tifereth' there refers to the
garments of the high priest, so here it refers to the garments of the high
priest.

Concerning the above, the "New Testament" teaches that Yeshua is our heavenly
High Priest, and that we are to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). Paul,
in his letter to Ephesians, encourages believers to do this by being "strong in the
Lord and in the power of his might."

Paul's description of how we are to do this, is to "put on" the priestly garments:
Ephesians 6:10-17: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you
the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with
the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take
the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

THE UNIQUE NAME OF GOD

(Last updated 7/18/01)

There is a specific and important reason that we have presented the preceding
material on Tipheret and that of the following sections. Though many of the
Pharisees and other Jews may not have accepted Yeshua when he walked among
them, and later Jews have come to reject the Christianized view of Messiah (in
the form of an anti-Torah "Jesus"), it is clear that the Jewish sages of the Talmud,
Midrash, Zohar, and other writings, arrived at conclusions that mirror the
teachings of the "New Testament," when the latter is interpreted at the same
level.

This is especially true in their teachings on; Yesod, the Tzaddik, Tipheret,
Metatron, the "middle pillar," Melchizadek, Boel, and the "Memra." This makes
sense, as Yeshua fills the "mold" that the Torah presents of Him. One can only
wonder where we would all be in our learning if the the "New Testament"
writings had been taught at such a level since their origin, as opposed to the
non-Hebraic, anti-Torah interpretation that has been placed on them.

What do the following three Scriptures have in common?

Matthew 1:17 - All the generations, therefore, from Abraham unto David are
fourteen generations, and from David unto the Babylonian removal fourteen
generations, and from the Babylonian removal unto the Messiah, fourteen
generations.

Numbers 33:1-2 - These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went
forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and
Aaron. And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the
commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according to their
goings out.

Exodus 24:9-10 - Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and
seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was
under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the
body of heaven in his clearness.
If the "connection" seems difficult to see - don't worry - it's far from obvious.
(Yes, the "answer" will be revealed.) This is a complex section - the reader is
encouraged to refer back to previous sections on the Shekinah and Tipheret
wherever needed.

One of the more interesting, yet esoteric topics in Bible study, is that of the use
of numbers. Most Bible students are aware of certain numbers that have special
signficance. Numbers such as 3,7,10,12 and 40, appear often in both the Tenakh
and "New Testament." The Jewish mystical writings have a lot to say about
numbers and also about the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, including their "role"
in creation, their numerical values, combinations of certain letters, and the
amount of letters used to form various "names" of God.

The most obvious example would be the four-letter name of God, YHWH. There
are also other "names" of God referred to in Judaism, including one with twelve
letters, one with forty-two letters, and another containing seventy-two. The focus
of this study will be on the forty-two letter name of God, also known as the
Unique Name of God.

There is no single name of forty-two letters known in any language. Maimonides

concluded that the forty-two letters formed several words, each expressing a
definite idea or fundamental attribute of the Supreme Being, and all together
providing the true definition of the Divine essence.1

Early commentators say that the forty-two letters are a combination of the first
forty-two letters of the Torah. The Name may also be associated with the phrase
God used to reply to Moses, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh", ("I Am that I Am"), which
comes out to 42 in gematria (doubling the value of the Name Ehyeh, which
equals 21 in Hebrew numerology.)

There is an interesting blessing regarding this particular name of God,

reminiscent of how the book of Revelation begins with a blessing:

Talmud - Mas. Kiddushin 71a - The forty-two lettered Name is entrusted only
to him who is pious, meek, middle-aged, free from bad temper, sober, and not
insistent on his rights. And he who knows it, is heedful thereof, and observes it in
purity, is beloved above and popular below, feared by man, and inherits two
worlds, this world and the future world.

THE NAME IN CREATION

The forty-two letter Name of God is closely associated with God and His role in
creation. The following verse from the Zohar speaks to this, also describing these
letters as being an "ornament," which is another translation of the word Tipheret
(Strong's #8597):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 30a - AND THE EARTH WAS
VOID AND WITHOUT FORM. This describes the original state-as it were, the dregs
of ink clinging to the point of the pen-in which there was no subsistence, until
the world was graven with forty-two letters, all of which are the ornamentation of
the Holy Name.

The "New Testament" refers to this being the role of Yeshua:

John 1:3 - All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
made that was made.

The "Holy Name" of God (in the Zohar above), also called the Unique Name, is
directly associated with Tipheret. (See section below on "The Name at Sinai.")

The Zohar has a section on the creation of all the heavens, which is said to have
"six sides." These heavens (which testify to God) are said to hold the mystery of
the forty-two letter name of God:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 16a - Up to this point only

extend the allusions to the Most Mysterious who carves out and builds and
vivifies in mysterious ways, through the esoteric explanation of one verse. From
this point onwards bara shith, “he created six”, from the end of heaven to the
end thereof, six sides which extend from the supernal mystic essence, through
the expansion of creative force from a primal point. Here has been inscribed the
mystery of the name of forty-two letters.

The forty-two letters of the Divine Name are also said to be the power (along
with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet) behind the Urim and
Thummin, which the High Priest used to determine the will of God. Here we see
reference to the luminous speculum (mirror) and non-luminous speculum. The
former is the clear mirror through which only Moses saw (Tipheret), and the
latter the dim mirror (Malkut) through which all other prophets see. (See section
below on "The Name at Sinai" for more on this subject):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 234a - R. Judah followed with a

discourse on the verse: “The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear him; and
his covenant to make them know it” (Ps. xxv, 14). ‘ “The counsel” he said,
‘alludes to the sublime mystical knowledge which remains hidden and
undisclosed save for those that fear the Lord continuously and thus prove
themselves worthy of these secrets and able to keep them. Observe that the
world has been made and established by an engraving of forty-two letters, all of
which are the adornment of the Divine Name. These letters combined and
soared aloft and dived downwards, forming themselves into crowns in the four
directions of the world, so that it might endure. They then went forth and
created the upper world and the lower, the world of unification and the world of
division. In the latter they are called “mountains of separation” ("bather" - Song
of Songs II, 17), which are watered when the south side begins to come near
them. The water flows with supernal energy and with ecstatic joy. Whilst the
Thought mounts up with exulting joy out of the most Undisclosed One, there
flows out of it a spark: the two then come into contact with each other, as
explained elsewhere. [Tr. note: Zohar, Exodus, 220b.] These forty-two letters
thus constitute the supernal mystical principle; by them were created the upper
and the lower worlds, and they indeed constitute the basis and recondite
significance of all the worlds. Thus is explained the verse, “The secret of the Lord
is to them that fear him; and his covenant to make them know it”, the first part
alluding to the undisclosed engraven letters, whereas the latter speaks of the
revealed. Now, it is written: “And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgement
the Urim and the Thummim” (Ex. XXVIII, 30). The term “Urim” (lit. Iight,
illumination) signifies the luminous speculum, which consisted of the engravure
of the Divine Name composed of forty-two letters by which the world was
created; whereas the Thummim consisted of the non-luminous speculum made
of the Divine Name as manifested in the twenty-two letters. The combination of
the two is thus called Urim and Thummim. Observe that by the power of these
sunken letters were the other letters, namely, the raised letters forming the
names of the tribes, now illumined, now darkened. The letters of the Divine
Name embrace the mystery of the Torah, and all the worlds are a projection of
the mystery of those letters.

THE NAME WITH JACOB

The following section explains how the Shekinah accompanied Jacob when he
went to Egypt. It is said that "forty-two heavenly attendants," which are
associated with the Holy Name of God, were with the Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 5a - Said R. Simeon: ‘When the

Shekinah went down to Egypt, a celestial "living being" (Hayah, cf.Ezek. 1, 5),
called "Israel", in form like the patriarch Jacob, went down with Her,
accompanied by forty-two heavenly attendants, each of whom bore a letter
belonging to the Holy Name. They all descended with Jacob to Egypt, and hence
it says “and these are the names of the children of Israel which came into
Egypt... with Jacob”.’ ... When R. Isaac was once studying with R. Eleazar, the
son of R. Simeon, he asked him: ‘Did the Shekinah go down to Egypt with Jacob?’
Said R. Eleazar: ‘Surely! Did not God say to Jacob, "I will go down with thee into
Egypt" (Gen. XLVI, 4)?’

One of the mystical interpretations of Exodus 12:40-41, is that the heavenly

hosts that accompanied Jacob into Egypt, left with Moses and the children of
Israel:

Exodus 12:40-41 - Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in
Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the
four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all
the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

THE NAME WITH MOSES

Next, we have mention of the rod that Moses carried with him. Earlier in our
study, we saw how the Zohar said this rod was Metatron, who exercises both
mercy (life) and judgment (death). (See section below on The Name in Song of
Songs, regarding the colors red and white symbolizing judgment and mercy.)

Here, the rod is said to have the forty-two letter name of God engraved in it:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 8b - “And in the Egyptian's hand
was a spear like a weaver's beam” (I Chr. XI, 23). This alludes to the divine rod
which was in Moses’ hand, and on which there was engraved the divine ineffable
Name radiating in various combinations of letters. These same letters were in
possession of Bezalel, who was called “weaver”, and his school, as it is written:
“Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart... of the craftsman and the skilled
workman, and the weaver, etc.” (Exod. XXXV, 35). So that rod had engraved on
it the ineffable Name on every side, in forty-two various combinations,
which were illumined in different colours.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 27a - AND THE LORD GOD TOOK
THE MAN AND PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ETC. From whence did he take
him? He took him from the four elements which are hinted at in the verse “and
from there it parted and became four heads”. God detached him from these and
placed him in the Garden of Eden. So does God do now to any man created from
the four elements when he repents of his sins and occupies himself with the
Torah; God takes him from his original elements, as it is said, “and from there he
parts”, i.e. he separates himself from the desires which they inspire, and God
places him in his garden, which is the Shekinah, “to dress it”, by means of
positive precepts, “and to keep it”, by means of negative precepts. If he keeps
the law, he makes himself master of the four elements, and becomes a river
from which they are watered, and they obey him and he is their ruler. But if he
transgresses the law, they are watered from the bitterness of the tree of evil,
which is the evil inclination, and all his limbs are full of bitterness; but when the
members of the body are kept holy from the side of good, it may be said of them
that “they came to Marah and were not able to drink waters from Marah, for they
were bitter” (Ex. XV, 23). Similarly, the study of the Talmud is bitter compared
with that of the esoteric wisdom, of which it is said, “And God showed him a
tree” (Ibid.); this is a tree of life, and through it “the waters were sweetened”.
Similarly of Moses it is written, “And the staff of God was in his hand.” This rod
is Metatron, from one side of whom comes life and from the other
death.

THE NAME AT SINAI

When Moses received the commandments at Sinai directly from God, he heard
(shema) His voice. As seen in our earlier studies, Moses had an intimate
understanding of this emanation of God:

Soncino Zohar Appendix III - The Divine Name - It remains to say a few
words on the place occupied by the Holy Name, the Tetragrammaton [YHVH], in
the scheme of the Zohar. In the Cabbalistic doctrine the name formed by the
four Hebrew letters yod, he, vau, he, has a special and intimate connection with
the grade of Tifereth, of which it is in the strict sense the proper name. We must
understand this to mean that if one could grasp with sufficient clearness the
nature of the grade Tifereth, especially as the originator of the neshamah, he
would automatically perceive that this is the fitting appellation which should be
given to it. To this grade of comprehension Moses and the other prophets
actually rose, and this was the basis of their inspiration. There is, however, a
difference between the inspiration of Moses and that of the other prophets.
Moses was able to grasp the connection between the grade and the Name fully
and clearly, but the others only through a haze, as it were, since their
comprehension only reached fully to the two inferior grades of Nezah and Hod,
the two ‘pillars’ or ‘willows of the brook’, as they are fancifully called.

Jewish mystical literature identifies the voice at Sinai, and the God "seen" at this
time, with the sephirah of Tipheret (the sephirah associated with the Messiah).
Among the titles given to Tipheret, is the "Great Name," or "Unique Name" of
God. The last sephirah (Malkhut/Kingdom) is also known as Atarah, and is
entitled the "Honorable Name" of God.

A recent publication2 on the life of the famous Jewish mystic and teacher, Rabbi
Moses ben Nachman (Nachmanides, also called Ramban), annunciates this
thought:

"Moses received his prophecy via the central sephirah of Tifereth, whereas Israel
received theirs via the last sefirah of the Atziluth, via Atarah or Malkhuth. ... In
slightly different words, all Torah prophecy derives from the Great [Unique]
Name, the sefirah of tifereth. Moses, because of his greatness, received Torah
prophecy from it directly, whereas Israel, could receive such prophecy only via
the Honorable Name, the sefirah of Atarah (Malkut), which serves as a garment
to the Sefirah of Tifereth, which so to speak, rests in her."

The author quotes from Nachmanides teachings about the giving of the Ten
Commandments:

"And God descended upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20) - If you will look into this
Portion, you will understand that the Great [Unique] Name descended on Mount
Sinaia, and rested on it in Fire [Atarah, called "Fire"]. And He [Unique Name]
spoke with Moses; and in the whole Portion this Name talks to him. And also
Moses' going up ("Moses rose up to God" - 19:3), and his going forth ("Moses
[went] led forth the people towards God" [Ibid., v.17]) towards the place of
Divine Honor [Atarah] ..."

Nachmanides also makes it a point to associate Tifereth, with coming in a cloud,

adding yet another link between Yeshua and Tipheret:

"The correct interpretation in my eyes is, He [God] said to him [Moses]: 'I come
to you in a thickening of the cloud, that you approach to the dark cloud, in order
that the people may hear My words, and they themselves will be prophets
through My words, and they will not have to believe via others.'"

THE NAME IN THE WILDERNESS

The manna in the wilderness is also associated with the forty-two letter Name of
God. The children of Israel in their journey from Sinai to the Promised Land,
stopped a total of forty-two times, at each point meeting with God in the form of
the Shekinah appearing:
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXV:5 - and God said, BEHOLD, I WILL CAUSE TO
RAIN BREAD FROM HEAVEN FOR YOU. R. Judah b. Shalom the Levite said in the
name of R. Jonah, and also R. Levi in the name of R. Hama b. R. Hanina said: The
manna descended after [they had travelled] forty-two stages.

This gives us yet another "connection," as in the "New Testament," Yeshua refers
to Himself as being this manna:

John 6:33 - For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and
giveth life unto the world.

During this excursion to the Promised Land, The children of Israel experience
their encounter with the evil prophet, Balaam, who offered his services to the
king Balak, who had sought him out. The Talmud records that Balak (and
Balaam) offered a total of forty-two sacrifices to come against the power(s) that
supported Israel:

Talmud - Mas. Sotah 47a - R. Hanina said: On account of the forty-two

sacrifices which Balak, king of Moab, offered, were forty-two children cut off from
Israel.

The Zohar states the same about Balak and Balaam, and then goes on to explain
that the prophet Elisha exacted revenge upon forty-two children for the curses
that Balak and Balaam attempted to inflict upon Israel:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 224a - R. Simeon said: ‘Observe

that the forty-two offerings brought by Balaam and Balak were offerings diverted
from the “other side” towards the Holy One, blessed be He, and so the “other
side”, which is called “curse”, had to be repaid these offerings from Israel. This is
the inner implication of the verse, “And he (Elisha) looked behind him and saw
them” (2 Kings II, 24). That is to say, “behind him”, meaning the “other side”,
which stands behind the Shekinah. He turned “and saw them” (the children), as
being meet for punishment; “and cursed them in the name of the Lord” (Ibid.),
inducing the Divine Name, as it were, to discharge the debt owing to the “other
side”, for the latter's offerings which had been diverted to Him. Thus all is made
right before the Holy One, blessed be He, and not a single act is lost, whether for
good or for evil.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 224b - Straightway “he [Elisha]

cursed them in the name of the Lord”. “And there came forth two bears”(2 Kings
II, 24)-she bears, as indicated by the feminine numeral sh'tayim, big with
offspring, “and tare forty and two children of them” (Ibid.), in correspondence, as
has been explained, to the number of offerings brought by Balak.

The Scripture verse in question is from 2 Kings:

2 Kings 2:24 - And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in
the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and
tare forty and two children of them.
THE NAME IN SONG OF SONGS

Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) is perhaps the most "mysterious" book of the
Bible with its dialogue between a man and a woman, filled with sexual imagery.
It is a book that clearly holds a deep meaning not found at its literal level. The
writings of the Zohar refer to "Song of Songs" as "Holy of Holies," expressing that
its words are a depiction of (spiritual) history, involving the unification of God,
with the bride (the Shekinah) longing to be united with the bridegroom
(Tipheret/Messiah).

In Midrash Rabbah Song of Songs, we see the Shekinah speak of how it met with
the children of Israel a total of forty-two times in their wildernesss journey:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:41 - MY MOTHER'S SONS, the sons of
my nation, namely the spies, WERE INCENSED AGAINST ME: they attacked me,
they filled the Judge with wrath against me. THEYMADE ME KEEPER OF THE
VINEYARDS: because I stayed in the wilderness journeying forty-two
stages, I was not able to enter the land of Israel. Hence, MY OWN VINEYARD I
DID NOT KEEP.

The Zohar alludes to the Song of Songs, chapter 2, verse 1, which says: I am the
rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. This section speaks of the lily
(shoshana = lily or rose) as being the beloved of the man in the story. The lily is
related to the "Community of Israel" (and the Shekinah which resides among
them). (See also Song of Solomon 3:3, where he feeds among the lilies
[shoshanim]). The colors red and white are associated in the Zohar with the
sephirot of judgment and mercy respectively. (Also, as we will discuss later, the
color green is associated with the sephirah of Tipheret.)

This opening verse of the Zohar speaks of these 42 legs of the journey in the
Wilderness as "42 couplings," and links these to the 42-letter Name, thus giving
a sexual connotation associated with the creation of something:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 1a - Rabbi Hizkiah opened his

discourse with the text: As a lily among thorns, etc. (S.S. II, 2). ‘What’, he said,
‘does the lily symbolise? It symbolises the Community of Israel. As the lily among
thorns is tinged with red and white, so the Community of Israel is visited now
with justice and now with mercy; as the lily possesses thirteen leaves, so the
Community of Israel is vouchsafed thirteen categories of mercy which surround
it on every side. For this reason, the term Elohim (God) mentioned here (in the
first verse of Genesis) is separated by thirteen words from the next mention of
Elohim, symbolising the thirteen categories of mercy which surround the
Community of Israel to protect it. The second mention of Elohim is separated
from the third by five words, representing the five strong leaves that surround
the lily, symbolic of the five ways of salvation which are the “five gates”. This is
alluded to in the verse “I will lift up the cup of salvation” (Ps. CXVI, 13). This is
the “cup of benediction”,which has to be raised by five fingers and no more,
after the model of the lily, which rests on five strong leaves in the shape of five
fingers. Thus the lily is a symbol of the cup of benediction. Immediately after the
third mention of Elohim appears the light which, so soon as created, was
treasured up and enclosed in that b'rith (covenant) which entered the lily and
fructified it, and this is what is called “ tree bearing fruit wherein is the seed
thereof”: and this seed is preserved in the very sign of the covenant. And as
the ideal covenant was formed through forty-two copulations, so the
engraven ineffable name is formed of the forty-two letters of the work
of creation.’

Returning to our opening question regarding the "connection" between the

verses in Matthew, Numbers and Exodus. In the first verse, we have Matthew
listing forty-two generations that led to Messiah. In Numbers, we learn that the
children of Israel met with the Shekinah a total of forty-two times in the
wilderness. Lastly, in Exodus, we find that the "God of Israel" seen my Moses and
the others was that emanation of God represented by the forty-two letter Name.

1. The Kabbalah: The Religious Philosophy of the Hebrews, Adolphe Franck,

University Books, 1967, p.19

2. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,

London 1998, p.148.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

PART 1 - THE SHEMA
(Last updated 6/21/02)

One of the most intriguing subjects of Bible study is that of the Kingdom of God.
An understanding of this subject is fundamental to comprehending the events of
the "last days" as read about in Revelation.

There are several reasons why a study of the Kingdom is very complex:

A) There are many aspects to the Kingdom, including;

• unification of the Name of God

• unification of the "upper" and "lower" heavens

• relationship of the Temple to the Kingdom

• wedding of the Shekinah (Malkut) to the Messiah (Tipheret)

• reunion of Judah and Ephraim (to God)

• inclusion of gentiles into the faith of Israel and her Messiah

• establishment of Messiah's rule on the earth

• preparation for the Olam Haba, where God creates a new heaven and new
earth

B) There are different levels from which the Kingdom may be studied.
For instance, the Kingdom can be viewed in the plain sense as a time when God
brings justice to the earth, and believers receive the full reward of their faith.
Taking it a step further, the Kingdom can be viewed in terms of understanding
how the various aspects of the Kingdom are connected and seeking to enhance
its arrival. Lastly, at a more mystical level, the Kingdom can be studied with
regard to how we can experience elements of it in the here and now.1

The latter would be mirrored in Yeshua's twelve disciples, who were given
enormouse insight into the Scriptures and power to perform miracles, all
reflective of them actually "walking in the Kingdom," as they brought the
message of Messiah to Israel and the world. (The reader may wish to refer back
to Methods of Study, found in the first part of this section.)

C) There are several approaches to take in doing research on the Kingdom.

You could search on all instances of the word "kingdom" in the texts of the Bible.
You could do the same with sources such as; Talmud, Midrash and Zohar. You
could also pick a starting point such as Yeshua's parables about the Kingdom, as
found in the gospels, particularly in chapters such as Matthew 13.

OUR APPROACH

Seeing that Yeshua's parables were based in the faith of Israel, we will begin this
study by looking at what is considered to be the foundational verse of this faith,
in order to see what the coming Kingdom is about. We begin with Deuteronomy
6:4, the single most important scripture verse in Judaism, even today.

This verse is called the Shema (pronounced sheh-MAH):

Shema Israel, Adonai (YHVH) Elohenu, Adonai (YHVH) Echad.

Hear O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

The Shema is the prayer/statement that differentiates Judaism from the pagan
world, making it clear that there is only one God. When the Shema is recited
however, there is a long-standing tradition, to add a second sentence to this
verse from Deuteronomy, one not found in the Bible:

Hear O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

Blessed be His Name whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.

THE WORDS OF THE SHEMA

A comprehensive look at the Shema is beyond the scope of this study. A highly
recommended book on this topic is; The Shema: Spirituality and Law in Judaism,
by Norman Lamm (an Orthodox rabbi and president of Yeshiva University). We
will touch lightly on various themes found in the various sections of the Shema.
Hear O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

Hear (Shema)

The term for "hear" (shema) carries with it the implication of understanding, and
subsequent obedience. This trusting relationship is the foundation of the Hebrew
concept of "faith in God." The word "shema"is in the singular, hence it can be
said that this is an admonition for Israel as a single body to always have faith in
God and take heed to His direction.

O Israel

There is also a teaching in Judaism regarding the term "Israel," with regard to the
subsequent verse (Blessed be His Name whose glorious kingdom is forever and
ever) added when the Shema is sung or prayed. As Scripture shows, Jacob's
name was changed to Israel by God. It is taught in Midrash Rabbah, that the
second line in the Shema (Blessed be His Name whose glorious kingdom is
forever and ever), was added due to the righteousness of Jacob.

At the time just before his death, when his sons were brought together before
him, Jacob had planned to reveal to them the time of Messiah's return. However,
God chose to withdraw the Shekina from him momentarily, and Jacob thought he
may have done something wrong to curse his family. His sons came to him and
said, "Hear O Israel (his name being "Israel"), the Lord is our God the Lord is
One. Upon hearing his sons say this, Jacob replied, Blessed be His Name whose
glorious kingdom is forever and ever.

The Midrash Rabbah also makes an interesting reference to the Kingdom of God.
The words "The Lord our God, the Lord is one," are directly tied to the
establishment of the Kingdom of God. This concept of "accepting the Kingdom"
while reciting the Shema helps us understand why so many Jews have died with
these words on their lips:

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy II:31 - ... if one was reciting the shema’
whilst walking [he should] stop, in order to accept the Kingdom of Heaven
standing. And what part [of the shema’] is termed ‘the Kingdom of Heaven’?
[The words], The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Whence did Israel merit to recite
the shema’? R. Phinehas b. Hama said: Israel merited to recite the shema’ at the
Revelation on Sinai. How [is this to be inferred]? You find that it was with this
word [shema’] that God first began [to speak] at Sinai. He said to them: ' Hear, O
Israel, I am the Lord thy God,’and they all answered and exclaimed: ' The Lord
our God, the Lord is one.’ And Moses said, ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious
kingdom for ever and ever.’

The Zohar teaches that Jacob, through his righeousness, brought about a
unification of the Name of God - one that will be permanently accomplished by
the Messiah. (See section below on Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 175b.)
Hence, when we say "Hear O Israel ...", it is if we are speaking to Jacob through
time, calling out to reassure him that we continue his desire to reunify the Name
of God and usher in the Messianic kingdom.
The Lord is Our God (Adonai Elohenu)

The term "Adonai" is substituted for the four-letter name of God, YHWH.
Scripture also refers to God as Elohim - a plural term (as is Elohenu). YHWH is
usually associated with the merciful (right) side of God, and Elohim with the (left)
side of judgment. These two characteristics of God (mercy and judgment) as
represented by the termsYHWH and Elohim, do not reveal everything there is to
know about God, but give us a degree of understanding of complex nature of the
Eyn Sof.

Of course there is only one God, and as stated earlier in our study, these
differences are based on our perceptions of Him. Pagan religions could see the
reality of a deity in the world, but as they did not understand his various
emanations, they created multiple gods to account for their observations.

The prophet Isaiah made it clear that there was one God behind everything:

Isaiah 45:6-7 - That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the
west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form
the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all
these things.

The name YHWH also has an association with the upper sephirot (Keter, Binah,
Chockmah) and the Eyn Sof, whereas Elohim is related to the seven lower
sephirot. The former reflects the "more personal" view of God (i.e., the God who
loves you and who wants our love), the latter are "less personal" (i.e., the God
who created the universe).

The Lord is One (Adonai Echad)

This phrase (ending Deuteronomy 6:4), is an excellent example of how Scripture

can be approached at the three levels mentioned in our section on Methods of
Study.

• At the elementary (literal/p'shat) level, "the Lord is One" teaches that God
is the only true God, and there exists no other gods other than Him.
Rashi, who taught very much at this level, viewed the Shema in terms of
the entire world one day coming to know the one true God.

• At the next ("philosophical") level, the phrase can be interpreted to refer

to God's uniqueness, focusing on his qualities as well as His being the only
God. Maimonides was a great teacher at this level, and wrote about how
we could not truly know anything about God due to His unique
characteristics

• Lastly, the verse can be understood on the mystical (sod) level,

understanding "YHWH echad" as relating to the unity of God, as seen in
the sephirot and their interrelationships. This view was that of
Nachmanides, and is the one we will be focusing on in this section of our
study.
The unity of the Sephirot is expressed in the last word of the Shema: Echad. The
word Echad is made up of three letters: aleph, chet, dalet. The rabbis explains
that the aleph refers to the sefirah Keter, because the letter aleph represents the
number "one," and God is One. The chet, corresponds to the number eight, and
hence, the eight sefirot that follow Keter. The dalet always symbolizes Malchut,
because it corresponds to the number four, which emphasizes God's kingship
over all four directions of physical existence. 2

One of the fundamental questions that the Shema brings forth, concerns the
unity of God's Name. The Shema says that "the Lord is One," as if to say that this
is an established fact. The prophet Zechariah however, states that the unification
of the Name will come in the future:

Zechariah 14:9 - And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day
shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

This presents us with one of those "seeming contradictions" of Scripture. Is there

presently a perfect unity of God's Name, or is His Name "fractured," and to be
restored in the Messianic era? Or is there "more than one view?"

Knowing that God does not "operate within time" as we do, we can understand
that both statements are true. The Eyn Sof, who is the "beginning and the end" is
one, though there will be a fulfillment of the unity of His Name in this physical
world when His Kingdom is established.

SHEMA - UNIFYING THE NAME OF GOD

The Zohar presents an idea of a "tri-unity" of God. (For a refresher on the three
pillars of the Tree of Life, refer to the section on the Names and Arrangement of
the Sephirot.). It is imperative to understand that this is not the same, and not
arrived at in the same fashion, as the "Christian trinity."

The "trinity" of the Zohar has to do with the three pillars of the Tree of Life - the
left side of judgment (Elohim), the right side of mercy (YHVH) and the "balanced"
center pillar, the unified YHVH.

The concept of the Christian trinity came about following the deterioration of the
Messianic Nazarene community in the early second century, and is a merger of
the remnants of these deep Jewish teachings (which had become distorted), and
pagan ideas of three-part gods.3

In the following commentary on the Shema, the Zohar states the following about
the unification of the three pillars of the Tree of Life, as well as speaking of a
unification of time.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 43b - ... the Shema,
contains the mystery of the right side, called "The Supernal Grace", for it effects
the union of all things extending unto the four quarters of the universe; and the
Holy One, blessed be He, through the medium of this attribute, brings forth order
and harmony in the whole universe, a harmony which extends even to the
lowest depths. By this attribute of Grace the Holy One created the world, when
He wrapped Himself in the garment of light. This Supernal Grace is the Unifier.
For this reason the section of the Shema is joined to that of "And it shall be"; for
the act which makes each day a unity and likewise forms the whole sum of
separate days into the perfect whole, is the fact of following the Divine Will in
knowledge and action; and through this act alone (of concentration on the union
during prayer and the recitation of the Shema) can that union of which we have
frequently spoken be attained: that is, the union of each day, the union which is
expressed in the sentence: "Hear, O Israel, YHWH Elohenu YHWH is one". These
three are one. How can the three Names be one? Only through the perception of
Faith: in the vision of the Holy Spirit, in the beholding of the hidden eyes alone.
The mystery of the audible voice is similar to this, for though it is one yet it
consists of three elements-fire, air, and water, which have, however, become
one in the mystery of the voice. Even so it is with the mystery of the threefold
Divine manifestations designated by YHWH Elohenu YHWH - three modes which
yet form one unity. This is the significance of the voice which man produces in
the act of unification, when his intent is to unify all from the En-sof to the end of
creation. This is the daily unification, the secret of which has been revealed in
the holy spirit. There are many kinds of unification, and all are appropriate, one
involving the other, but the one which is effected on earth by the symbolism of
the voice is the most appropriate. 4

As mentioned earlier in this study, Jacob was a forerunner of the Messiah and
through his righteousness, there was a (temporary) unification of the Tree of Life.
The following Zohar verse (commentary on Exodus/Shemoth) presents these
points:

A unification of above and below was created through Jacob, as he brought God's
two "sides" of mercy and judgment together.

Jacob's name was changed to Israel as a direct result of this.

The Sefirot are crowns, which are the image of God (that we are to be conformed
to.)

The "second" crown/sefirot of Wisdom, created the remaining eight crowns below
it.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 175b - R. Simeon, we are told,

explained thus the words, "And the middle bar in the midst of the boards shall
pass from one end to the other." ‘ "The middle bar"', he said, ‘signifies Jacob, the
perfect saint, as we have pointed out on another occasion in connection with the
characterization of Jacob as "a complete man, dwelling in tents" (Gen. xxv, 27).
It does not say, "dwelling in a tent", but "dwelling in tents,’, which denotes that
he unified the two "tents" (of Severity and Mercy). The same implication may be
found here: "The middle bar in the midst of the boards shall pass from one end
to the other", uniting them. Jacob was perfect in regard to both sides, the Holy
Ancient and the Microprosopus, and also to the supernal Grace and the supernal
Power, harmonizing the two.’ R. Simeon said further: ‘I perceive that Wisdom
(‘Hokmah) is the totality of all the holy Sefiroth, and that supernal Grace (Hesed)
emanates from Wisdom, and Power (Geburah), which is the prompter of severe
judgement, from Understanding (Binah). Jacob harmonized both sides: the
Fathers (Abraham and Isaac) signified the totality of all, and Jacob signified the
union of the Fathers. Then came the merit of Jacob and synthetized both and
made them one, for he signifies supernal harmony.’ R. Simeon added, so we are
told, that on that account Jacob was called Israel, because "Jacob" symbolizes
that which is below, "Israel" that which is above; "Jacob" betokens
incompleteness, "Israel" is the completion of all. Said R. Judah: ‘When Wisdom
began to cause the shaping of Crowns, [Tr. note: * i.e. Sefiroth.] with which
Crown did it commence? With that which is called "Understanding" (Binah), for in
Understanding all is contained; and therefore fifty gates are opened in its name,
and thus it is found that all the letters and all the crowns are engraved in
Wisdom. Therefore it is written: "Thou hast made them all in Wisdom" (Ps. CIV,
24). 5

1. It should be noted that this is the area of mystical studies that has led people
into dangerous areas, that being the attempt to gain insight and experience into
the spiritual realm outside of God's will as found in Torah (i.e., consorting with
spirits). As this is forbidden by Torah, someone studying Hebrew Kabbalah and
following Torah, has no need to fear this.

2. See Perceptions On The Parsha, Parshas Emor, Eighth Parshah, And Counting,
by Rabbi Pinchas Winston at
http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/emor.html

3. One source of information on this is; The Two Babylons, Alexander Hislop,
Chick Publications edition, Chapter II, Section I - Trinity in Unity. Interestingly,
this book is popular among evangelical Protestants who often refer to it to
condemn the practices of Catholicism.

4. Throughout our quotations from the Soncino translations, we have replaced

the term "Tetragrammaton" with "YHWH," for the sake of clarity.

5. A comprehensive look at the concepts behind the "Fifty Gates of

Understanding" ("Nun Sha'arei Binah,"), is beyond the scope of this study. This
has to do with the ultimate goal of man being that he can view creation through
the eyes of God, and become a full partner with the Creator in bringing creation
to fruition.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
PART 2 - THE CHARIOT AND THE SHEKINAH
(Last updated 8/30/00)

The subjects of Ezekiel's Chariot and the Shekinah were discussed in previous
sections. The reader may wish to revisit those portions when reviewing the
material in this part of our study.

BACK TO THE CHARIOT

As discussed in our previous sections on Ezekiel's Chariot, the vision the prophet
saw was of the angelic realm that "supported" the throne of God. These angels
(Seraphim and Ophanim) worked as messengers for God, carrying out His will on
the earth. (This was discussed in our study on angels.) As the angels are so close
to God and directly involved in serving Him, they are considered to be "part of"
of the sephirot of Netzah (on the merciful "right side," made up of the "Hosts of
YHWH," generally used by God to bring blessings), and Hod, (on the left side,
made up of the "Hosts of ELOHIM," generally used by God to bring judgment.)

The following commentary on the Shema, from the Zohar, mentions Ezekiel's
chariot and brings forth a relationship between seventy names and two other
names. The seventy are associated with the angelic beings who watch over the
nations, and also defend the Shekinah from the nations and the (evil) powers
associated with them. These seventy angelic beings were mentioned earlier in
our study on the Shekinah and the Menorah. The two other names in this section
are related to the Shekinah and to Tipheret. This combination of the heavenly
hosts, the Shekinah, and Tipheret (amounting to 70+1+1), brings us to the 72-
letter name of God. It would seem that this name is associated with God in His
fully unified state, which occurs with the establishment of His Kingdom.

The Zohar section also addresses the interesting fact that in the Torah, the last
letter of the first word (the "a" in Shema, which is the Ayin) and the last letter of
the last word (the "d" in Echad, which is the Dalet), are both written very large.
These two letter combined spell 'ed, which means "witness." Hence, the Shema
acts as a witness through time:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 160b-161b - R. Hiya and R. Jose

were walking together. Said R. Jose: ‘Let us now think on spiritual matters and
talk on the words of the Torah.’ He thereupon began by pointing out that three
passages are introduced by the words, Hear, O Israel. "Hear O Israel, the Lord
our God, the Lord is One" (Deut. VI, 4); "Hear, O Israel, this day thou hast
become a people to the Lord thy God" (Ibid. XXVII, 9); and "Hear, O Israel, thou
art to pass the Jordan this day" (Ibid. LX, I). ‘Why’, he said, ‘did Moses commence
in each of these cases with the word "hear"? In the first, indeed, the word seems
appropriate, but what is its point in the other two cases? The truth is that in all
three passages it is meant to teach a special lesson. This is obvious in the case
of the first, where the word "hear" indicates the unity in the supernal Wisdom of
what is above and what is below. The word Shema’ consists of shem (name) and
‘ain (seventy), indicating the combination of this Name and the other seventy
from whence it derives blessing. At the recitation of the Shema’, therefore, one
must concentrate attention on this union of all the Divine names. For these
seventy Names constitute the mystery of the supernal Chariot from whence that
Name receives blessing and in which it is contained. Then comes the word Israel,
referring, as we have learnt, to "Ancient Israel" (Tifereth), so that this emanation
may also be included. So "Hear, O Israel," signifies the union of the Spouse with
her Husband (i.e. Malkuth with Tifereth), so that all is in all, and all is one.

... At the time of the recitation of the Shema, a man has to be prepared to
proclaim the unity of the Divine Name and to accept the yoke of the Kingdom of
Heaven. On the head of him who thus recites the Shema, to accept the yoke of
the Kingdom of Heaven, the Shekinah rests-a witness to testify of him before the
Holy King that twice daily does he declare the Unity of the Name, and thus,
consciously, unite the Above and the Below. Therefore is the letter ‘ain of the
Shema written large, and also the daleth, of the ehad (one), which, when put
together, make the word ‘ed (witness): a witness before the Holy King. The
mystery contained in the words, "The Lord our God, the Lord", the mystery of the
Unity in three aspects (lit. "in three sides") has often been referred to by the
Holy Lamp (R. Simeon), and we are not permitted to enlarge upon what he has
said. However, certain it is, that upon the head of the man who unifies the Name
of the Holy One above and below, the Shekinah descends to rest, and to bless
him with seven blessings, and to proclaim concerning him: "Thou art my servant,
Israel, in whom I am glorified" (Isa. XLIX, 3).’

The Zohar makes another connection to Ezekiel's Chariot, linking it to the "Holy
One" of Proverbs chapter 30 (Who has a "Son" [Proverbs 30:4] directly
associated with Tipheret). The following reference is an allusion to the
Millennium, when the Name of God as well as His creation will all be unified:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 197b - According to another

exposition: "Who hath ascended up into heaven?" refers to the Holy One,
blessed be He, the allusion being contained in the word Mi (Who?), as explained
elsewhere. Here in this passage is contained the mystery of the Divine Chariot,
consisting of the four directions of the world which are the four primordial
elements, all of which depend on that supernal region called Mi (Who?), as
already said. ‘Observe this. When the hour arrives at which it pleases the Holy
One, blessed be He, to unify the Supernal Chariot, [Tr. note: Al. "to combine the
Supernal Chariot with the Lower Chariot".] a voice issues from that divine
supernal region called Heaven to assemble all the saints beneath and all the
holy chiefs and supernal legions, so that they should all be in readiness together.

The voice that calls the saints and angels together in the Zohar passage above,
is quite similar to that found in Revelation:

Revelation 19:1-9 - And after these things I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power,
unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath
judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and
hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia
And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and
the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying,
Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye
his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were
the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb
is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are
the true sayings of God.

BACK TO THE SHEKINAH

The Zohar's comments on Ezekiel's vision provide us with a link between the
Chariot and the Shekinah (also called the Matrona). Ezekiel's vision was actually
one representing the unity of God (i.e., the "Godhead" or "Tree of Life"), from the
aspect of the Shekinah "being raised up." It is further taught here that this was
the mystical meaning to the heave offering:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 198a - "the Lord's heave-

offering" indicates the Divine Throne, so called because they raise it and cause it
to ascend on high. [Tr. note: i.e. from the world of beriah to the world of aziluth].
And it is for this reason that Ezekiel, in his vision of the ascending Hayoth, failed
to see what it was that they were taking up with them, since it was the Matrona
rising to join the Most High King in hidden and supreme glory. "And let every
wise-hearted among you come and make all that the Lord hath commanded."
This is an allusion to the sixty well-springs that feed the world and so are
enjoined to come and bring with them from the treasury of life, by executing the
commands of the Holy One, so as to benefit the world.’

As mentioned earlier in our study, though God's Name is unified in one sense (as
Ezekiel was privy to), from our perspective (living in physical time) it is not.
Recall that in the mystical Hebrew writings, the letters of the ineffable Name of
God, Y-H-V-H (Yod, Hay, Vav, Hay), are said to be related to the various aspects
of God. The first letter, the Yod, is directly associated with the unknowable God,
called the En Sof. The last (or lower) Hay (or as the Zohar refers to it, the "He")
is associated with the Shekina. The Zohar says that the Shekina (signified by the
"He"), is in exile with Israel, and its degree of light is dependent on their faith:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 8a-10a - At the period when

there is perfection, peace, and harmony, the two names are not separated one
from another, and it is forbidden to separate them even in thought and
imagination; but now in exile we do separate them, the Matrona from Her
Spouse, as She (Shekinah) lies in dust (in exile with Israel). "Apart from thee"
being far away from Thee, and being ruled by other powers, "we make mention
of thy name" in separation, thy Name being separated from the Name expressed
by Beka. All this in the days of exile; for the first exile began during the first
Temple, and lasted seventy years, during which time the Mother (the Shekinah)
did not brood over Israel, and there was a separation between the Yod and the
He, the Yod ascending higher and higher to infinity (En Sof), and the holy Temple
above- corresponding to the Temple below-did not send forth living waters, its
source being cut off. The seventy years of the first exile corresponded to the
seven years which it took to build the first Temple (I K. VI, 38). However, far be it
from us to think that during that time the kingdom of Babylon had power in the
heavens over Israel.

The fact is that as long as the Temple stood there was a bright light descending
from the Supernal Mother, but as soon as it was destroyed, through Israel's sin,
and the kingdom of Babylon got the upper hand, that light was covered up and
darkness prevailed here below and the angels below ceased from giving out
light, and then the power symbolized by the letter Yod of the Holy Name
ascended into the upper regions, into the Infinite, and thus during the whole
seventy years of exile Israel had no divine light to guide her, and, truly, that was
the essence of the exile. When, however, Babylon's power was taken away from
her and Israel returned to the Holy Land, a light did shine for her, but it was not
as bright as before, being only the emanation of the lower He (Hay) since the
whole of Israel did not return to purity to be a "peculiar people" as before.
Therefore, the emanation of the supernal Yod did not descend to illumine in the
same measure as before, but only a little. Hence Israel were involved in many
wars until "the darkness covered the earth" and the lower He was darkened and
fell to the ground, and the upper source was removed as before, and the second
Temple was destroyed and all its twelve tribes went into exile in the kingdom of
Edom. The He also went into exile there, and therefore the exile was prolonged.

This Zohar passage continues with a description of the arrival of the Messiah and
advent of the Millennium, with language very reminiscent of that in the book of
Revelation:

... ‘A mystery of mysteries has been revealed to them that are wise of heart. The
He of the second Temple [the Shekniah] is in exile with her twelve tribes and
their hosts. Twelve tribes form a great number, and because the mystery of the
He is in them, the exile lasts during this whole number.

... From then the Holy One, blessed be He, [Tipheret] shall begin to do signs and
wonders, as we have described. But over Israel those tribulations will come. After
that King Messiah shall fight against the whole world, aided by the Right Hand of
the Holy One.

... Then the lower He (Shekinah) shall be filled from the upper spring [see section
on Rivers of Eden] (the highest Sephiroth), and be crowned and radiate in
perfection until the Sabbath of the Lord arrives to gather souls in the joy of
holiness throughout this whole seventh millennium. Then the holy spirits of the
people of Israel at the fulness of time will be invested with new, holy bodies, and
be called "Saints": "And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and that
remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy" (Isa. III, 4). These are the veiled
mysteries.’
The depiction of the days of Messiah's return include great signs that leave no
doubt as to what is occuring. A lack of interest in God's Torah, (equivalent to
Yeshua's words in Luke 18:8) is also mentioned:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 9a - On that day the whole earth
will be shaken from one end to the other, and thus the whole world will know
that the Messiah has revealed himself in the land of Galilee. And all who are
diligent in the study of the Torah-and there shall be few such in the world-will
gather round him.

... On that day the Messiah will begin to gather the captives from one end of the
world to the other: "If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of
heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee" (Deut. xxx, 4). From that
day on the Holy One will perform for Israel all the signs and wonders which He
performed for them in Egypt: "As in the days of thy coming out of the land of
Egypt, will I show unto him wonders" (Micah Vll, I5).’

The marriage of the Shekina to the Messiah, and unification of the three pillars of
the Godhead, is also linked to the unification of the worlds above and below.

Commenting on the Shema, the Zohar says:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 215b-217b - The term SH e M a’

(hear) is esoterically analysed into SH e M (name) and the letter ‘Ain (= 70), that
is, one Name comprising seventy names whilst remaining a unity. "Israel" here
signifies "Ancient Israel", [Tipheret] in contrast to "Little Israel", of whom it is
written: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him" (Hos. XI, 1). "Ancient Israel"
symbolizes the union of the Shekinah with her Spouse, and in pronouncing that
name we have to concentrate our mind on the principle of unity, on the union of
the two habitations; we have to put all our being, all the members of our body,
our complete devotion, into that thought so as to rise and attach ourselves to
the En-sof (Infinite), and thus achieve the oneness of the upper and the lower
worlds. The words, "the Lord our God" are to reunite all the Members to the
place from which they issued, which is the innermost Sanctuary. The same
thought is continued in the words, "the Lord is one", in the recital of which we
have to make our thoughts range throughout all the grades up to the Infinite
(En-sof) in love and fear ...

This same section of the Zohar links all of creation together (regarding the word
"One" in the Shema), and mentioned Ezekiel's Chariot as being a representation
of this unification:

... As we have learnt, "one" alludes to above, below, and the four quarters of the
universe, these being the supernal Chariot, so that all are embraced in a single
unity reaching out to the En-sof (Infinite).

Continuing on the subject of the last days, the Zohar contains a very mystical
passage about the arrival of Messiah, the lack of faith in the world (Luke 18:8),
the downfall of "Rome" (i.e., Edom/Babylon), and the rescue of Israel and the
Shekinah to establish the Kingdom of God:
Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 212b - SEE HIM BUT NOT NOW:
since some of these things were fulfilled at that time and some later, while some
are left for the Messiah. We have learnt that God will one day build Jerusalem
and display a certain fixed star flashing with seventy streamers and seventy
flames in the midst of the firmament, and it will shine and flash for seventy days.
It will appear on the sixth day of the week on the twenty-fifth of the sixth month,
and will disappear on the seventh day after seventy days. On the first day it will
be seen in the city of Rome, and on that day three lofty walls of that city shall
fall and a mighty palace shall be overthrown, and the ruler of that city shall die.
Then that star will become visible throughout the whole world. In that time
mighty wars will arise in all quarters of the world, and no faith shall be found
among men. When that star shines in the midst of the firmament, a certain
powerful king shall arise who will seek domination over all kings and make war
on two sides and prevail against them. On the day when the star disappears the
Holy Land will be shaken over an area of forty-five miles all round the place
where the Temple used to be, and a cave will be laid open beneath the ground
from which shall issue a mighty fire to consume the world. From that cave shall
spread a great and noble branch which will rule over all the world and to which
shall be given the kingship, and the heavenly saints shall gather to it. Then will
the King Messiah appear and the kingship shall be given to him. Mankind will
then suffer one calamity after another, and the enemies of Israel will prevail, but
the spirit of the Messiah shall rise against them and destroy the sinful Edom and
burn in fire the land of Seir. Hence it is written, “And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir also shall be a possession of his which were his enemies, while Israel doth
valiantly”. And in that time the Holy One, blessed be He, shall raise the dead of
his people, and death shall be forgotten of them.’ R. Abba said: ‘Why is it
written, “For in joy ye shall go out” (Isa. LV, 12)? Because when Israel go out
from captivity the Shekinah will go forth with them and they with Her.

Another blessing is found in the Zohar, for those who work to unify the Name of
God. Here, the Shekinah is said to bless such a man with seven blessings. The
Jewish tradition of a bride circling the groom seven times at their wedding, stems
from this mystical teaching. This also adds the understanding of Yeshua's use of
the wedding metaphor, concerning His future return (John 14:2).

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 9a - "The Lord our God, the
Lord", the mystery of the Unity in three aspects (lit. "in three sides") has often
been referred to by the Holy Lamp (R. Simeon), and we are not permitted to
enlarge upon what he has said. However, certain it is, that upon the head of the
man who unifies the Name of the Holy One above and below, the Shekinah
descends to rest, and to bless him with seven blessings, and to proclaim
concerning him: "Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I am glorified" (Isa. XLIX,
3).’

UNIFICATION IN THE SONG OF SONGS

The Song of Songs (also known as the book Song of Solomon) is considered to be
a very deep esoteric writing (at the sod level) that is a story of a groom
(Messiah/Tipheret) and His bride (the Shekinah/Malkut). Song of Songs is a view
of what was, what is, and what is to come, and as such is related to the Yovel
year (Jubilee) also is called "Holy of Holies."

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 145b - "The Holy of Holies"

above is the mystery of the Supernal Wisdom and Jubilee. Corresponding to this,
the Bridegroom and the Bride inherit the inheritance of Father and Mother, but in
a reversed manner. The inheritance of the Father passes to the Daughter in the
ascension of the Holy Name, wherefore She is also called "Holy" and "Wisdom".
The possession of the Mother is inherited by the Son, and is called "the Holies",
because He takes all those supernal holy attributes and gathers them up unto
Himself, and then takes them to the Bride. Therefore it says: "Song of Songs":
"Song" corresponding to the "Holy" and "Songs" to the "Holies", in order that
both these aspects may be fused into one whole in manner due. "Which is
Solomon's": as has been already pointed out, this refers to the King "whose is
the peace". Yet think not that this praise is His, for it ascends to a still more
supernal realm. The mystery is as follows. When the Masculine and the Feminine
are united as one under the Highest King, then that Supernal King ascends and
is filled with all the sanctifications and benedictions, and pours them down
below, this being His great pleasure, to be filled with such sanctifications and
benedictions and to pour them down below. Therefore the significance of all our
prayers and praises is that by means of them the upper Fountain may be filled;
for when it is so filled and attains completeness, then the universe below, and all
that appertains thereto, is filled also and receives completeness from the
completion which has been consummated in the upper sphere.

The world below cannot, indeed, be in a state of harmony except it receive that
peace and perfection from above, even as the moon has no light in herself, but
shines with the reflected radiance of the sun. All our prayers and intercessions
have this purpose, namely, that the region from whence light issues may be
invigorated; for then from its reflection all below is supplied. This is the whole
significance of Solomon's Canticle, that "the King to whom peace belongs" may
be invigorated, for when that is so, all is invigorated from His reflected glory, but
otherwise there is no remedy for the moon.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 143a - ‘On the day when this
song [Song of Songs] was revealed the Shekinah descended to earth, as it is
written, "And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud." Why?
Because "the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord" (I Kings VIII, 11),
On that day this hymn was revealed, and Solomon sang in the power of the Holy
Spirit this song wherein is to be found the summary of the whole Torah, of the
whole work of Creation, of the mystery of the Patriarchs, of the story of the
Egyptian exile, and the Exodus therefrom, and of the Song of the Sea. It is the
quintessence of the Decalogue, of the Sinaitic covenant, of the significance of
Israel's wanderings through the desert, until their arrival in the Promised Land
and the building of the Temple. It contains the crowning of the Holy Name with
love and joy, the prophecy of Israel's exile among the nations, of their
redemption, of the resurrection of the dead, and of all else until that Day which
is "Sabbath to the Lord". All that was, is, and shall be, is contained in it; and,
indeed, even that which will take place on the "Seventh Day", which will be the
"Lord's Sabbath", is indicated in this song. Therefore we are taught that he who
recites a verse from the Song of Songs as a mere drinking song causes the Torah
to dress in sackcloth and to complain before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Thy
children have turned me into an amusement for a drinking bout." Yea, assuredly
the Torah says this. Therefore it behoves the faithful to be wary, and to guard
every word of the Song of Songs like a crown upon their heads. It may be asked,
why, then, is the Song of Songs placed among the Hagiographa (which are not
so sacred as the other two parts of Scripture)? The answer is, because it is the
Hymn of Praise sung by the Community of Israel at the time when she is
crowned above. Therefore no other hymn is so pleasing to the Holy One as this.

There is an interesting portion in Song of Songs that speaks of their unification

coming ever so close to happening, only to fail. The Shekinah is even "beaten"
by those who were to be her watchmen.

The Shekinah is speaking in this portion:

Song of Songs 5:4-7 -- My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and
my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands
dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the
handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn
himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could
not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went
about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the
walls took away my veil from me.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

PART 3 - THE UNIFICATION OF THE NAME
(Last updated 8/30/00)

This section on the Kingdom touches on several aspects of the Kingdom in

relation to the Unification of the Name of God - including the principle of
sanctifying the Name of God, and the relationship of the Kingdom to the Temple.

SANCTIFICATION AND UNIFICATION

There was an opportunity to bring about the Kingdom and unification of the
name at the time of Mount Sinai. However, the covenant was tainted by the sin
of the people and the Messianic era was not ushered in. If the people had
maintained their faith in God along with obedience of His commandments
(Hebrews 4:2), they would have achieved a sanctification of the Name of God
(kiddush Hashem). This happened again at the time of Yeshua's life on earth,
when the Torah in the flesh tabernacled among His people, who for the most part
rejected Him.

The Zohar speaks of a time when this sanctification will be achieved and
declared throughout the heavenly realms. It is a time of perfect peace (i.e., Rev.
21):
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 51b - At last comes the moment
when a voice proclaims throughout all the spheres: "Sanctified! Sanctified!" Then
there is peace everywhere, perfect peace, even to the wicked in Gehenna, and
all the souls crown themselves, some above, and some below.

In chapter four of the book of Revelation, John has a similar vision to that of
Ezekiel. Here the angels are also proclaiming God's sanctity (sanctified = holy):

Revelation 4:8 - And the four living creatures, each by itself severally, had six
wings, around and within [are] full of eyes, and rest they have not day and night,
saying, `Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is
coming;'

The Torah connects our works (done in faith) to hastening the Day of the Lord.
The Torah portion (parshat) of Kedoshim (Lev 19:1-20:27), starts with the
command from God to "be Holy, for I, YHVH your G-d, am Holy." (Holy =
Sanctified) What then follows is a list of things by which that command is
fulfilled. This is similar to the extended Shema as found in Deuteronomy 6:4-25.
In verse 5, God first tells Israel that He wants their love. His instuctions on how to
learn how to love Him are seen in the next twenty verses, which point to
following Torah.

What is interesting is that the commandments in Parshat Kedoshim are not to

much "religious" instruction, but moral injunctions. The reason for this has to do
with what it means to be sanctified. The commands of Torah are the means for
us to be conformed to the image of God. (Hence the importance placed on Torah
study. See comments below on Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 160b-161b.)
The Godly attributes we are to learn are already part of our makeup, since we
are created in His image. The Torah was given to help us see this "image of
God."

The bottom line is that God's Name is sanctified as are we, through learning and
doing Torah.

In most Jewish prayer books, in one of the special paragraphs said in advance of
a performing a mitzvah (one of God's specific commandments or any righteous
deed), we find the following prayer, which is to focus us on the purpose of the
mitzvah:

[I hereby do this mitzvah] for the sake of the unification of The Holy One, Blessed
is He, and His Divine Presence, in fear and in love, to unify the Name of yud-h'eh
with vav h'eh in completion, in the name of the entire Jewish people.

A hymn popular in Messianic Jewish circles is called Kadosh, meaning "Holy"

(holy = sanctified). It has the following chorus, descriptive of the eternal, infinite
God:

Who was and Who is and Who is to come.

Christianity has an older hymn called "Holy, Holy, Holy," that reflects the same
concept. The second stanza says:

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea
Cherubim and Saraphim falling down before thee
Which wert and art and evermore shalt be

One of the mysteries revealed to us concerning Yeshua is found in Hebrews 13:8,

which says that He is the same yesterday and today, and forever. Yeshua, in
Revelation 1:8, tells John that He is the One who is, who was and who is to come.
In Revelation 1:19, He instructs John to: write the things he has seen, and the
things which are and the things which will take place after this.

John chapter 17 is one of the most mystical portions of the entire Bible. Here we
have Yeshua, praying to the Father for his disciples and the future generations of
those who come to faith:

John 17:17 - Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Torat ha-sod (Torah-based Kabbalah) places great emphasis on the word "truth."
In the Hebrew, the word for truth is emet, spelled Aleph-Mem-Tav. The letters
Aleph and Tav, are the first and last letters in the Hebrew alphabet. When found
together in scripture, Aleph-Tav represents God as the beginning and the end
(i.e., Isaiah 44:6). The letter Mem is the middle letter of the alphabet.

The first two letters of Emet, Aleph-Mem, spell em, which means mother. This is
the beginning of man. The last two letters, Mem-Tav, spell met, the Hebrew word
for death - the end of man. The letter Mem gets its name from the mayim, the
word for water. Throughout scripture, water represents change, especially
spiritual change (i.e., purification in the mikvah). Thus, Aleph is the past, Tav is
the future, and Mem is the transition from past to future - what we call the
present.1

THE TEMPLE AND UNIFICATION

One of the more mysterious commands given by God is found in the book of
Ezekiel, where the people are told to study the Millennial Temple that the
prophet describes:

Ezekiel 43:10-11 - Thou, son of man, Shew the house of Israel the house, And
they are ashamed of their iniquities, And they have measured the measurement.
And since they have been ashamed of all that they have done, The form of the
house, and its measurement, And its outlets, and its inlets, and all its forms, And
all its statutes, even all its forms, And all its laws cause them to know, And write
[it] before their eyes, And they observe all its forms, And all its statutes, and
have done them.

As we know, Revelation 1:3 contain a special blessing for those who hear and
take heed to its teachings. Is there a connection to Ezekiel's instruction?
Revelation 1:3 - Happy is he who is reading, and those hearing, the words of
the prophecy, and keeping the things written in it -- for the time is nigh!

The Talmud teaches that the Temple is a physical representation of the Kingdom.
(The footnote marked by the asterisk (*) is from the Soncino Talmud and shown
below the text):

Soncino Talmud - Mas. Pesachim 54a - Surely it was taught: Seven things
were created before the world was created, and these are they: The Torah,
repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and
the name of the Messiah. The Torah, for it is written, The Lord made me [sc. the
Torah] as the beginning of his way. Repentance, for it is written, Before the
mountains were brought forth, and it is written, Thou turnest man to contrition,
and sayest, Repent, ye children of men. The Garden of Eden, as it is written, And
the Lord planted a garden in Eden from aforetime. The Gehenna, for it is written,
For Tophet [i.e., Gehenna] is ordered of old. The Throne of Glory and the Temple,
for it is written, Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of
our sanctuary. The name of the Messiah, as it is written, His [sc. the Messiah's]
name shall endure for ever, and has exited before the sun!* — I will tell you: only
its cavity was created before the world was created, but its fire [was created] on
the eve of the Sabbath.

* the goal of Creation is that the Kingdom of God (represented by the Temple)
shall be established on earth, as it is in heaven; and finally, the name of the
Messiah, i.e., the assurance that God's purpose will ultimately be achieved.

The Zohar supports the idea of the original Tabernacle being a symbol of the
unity of the upper and lower worlds:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 231b - It has already been

explained that the verse, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth", means that the lower world was created after the pattern of the upper.
Now, the Tabernacle below was likewise made after the pattern of the supernal
Tabernacle in all its details. For the Tabernacle in all its works embraced all the
works and achievements of the upper world and the lower, whereby the
Shekinah was made to abide in the world, both in the higher spheres and the
lower. Similarly, the Lower Paradise is made after the pattern of the Upper
Paradise, and the latter contains all the varieties of forms and images to be
found in the former. Hence the work of the Tabernacle, and that of heaven and
earth, come under one and the same mystery. It is written: "Lift up your eyes on
high, and see: who hath created these? He that bringeth out their hosts by
number.... Not one faileth" (Isa. XL, 26).

As mentioned earlier, the Zohar (as do other texts including the Torah itself) says
that Moses was shown how to design the Temple and its ornaments based on a
vision (from Tipheret) of what existed in the heavenly realms. The Zohar goes on
to say that the pattern of these things not only represented reality in spiritual
space, but also in spiritual time: (See the previous section on Time and Space:
Shabbat and the Temple.)
Recall that the reference to "the Holy One, blessed be He," is to Tipheret, and
the "glory of the Almighty," is to the Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 233b-234b - And observe that

all these measurements prescribed for this world had for their object the
establishment of this world after the pattern of the upper world, so that the two
should be knit together into one mystery. At the destined time, when the Holy
One, blessed be He, will bestir Himself to renew the world, all the world will be
found to express one mystery, and the glory of the Almighty will then be
over all, in fulfilment of the verse, "In that day shall the Lord be one, and his
name one" (Zech. XIV, 9).’ R. Judah followed with a discourse on the verse: "The
counsel (sod) of the Lord is with them that fear him; and his covenant to make
them know it" (Ps. xxv, 14). ‘ "The counsel", he said, ‘alludes to the sublime
mystical knowledge which remains hidden and undisclosed save for those that
fear the Lord continuously and thus prove themselves worthy of these secrets
and able to keep them.

There are several important aspects to the above text:

• There is a mystery of the upper and lower worlds being brought together.
This is associated with the unification of the Name of God, as the upper
world, represented by Tipheret, as represented by the
Messiah/Bridegroom, will be unified to the lower world, as represented by
Malkut, the Shekinah/Bride.

• "The Holy One Blessed be He" is a specific name associated with Tipheret
throughout the mystical Jewish writings. He is the one that will come to
renew the world.

• This is a time when "the glory of the Almighty will then be over all." This is
the time that Yeshua prayed for in John 17, where he said (using very
similar language):

John 17:21-22 - That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast
sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may
be one, even as we are one. (Click here for the complete text of John 17.)

• The blessing offered at the end of the Zohar passage (mentioned earlier in
this section), is directly tied to understanding this mystery of the coming
Kingdom and unification of the Name (in the same fashion as Revelation
1:3).

THE TORAH AND UNIFICATION

The Zohar reaches a conclusion about the combined name YHWH Elohim as
found in the Shema, calling it the "whole mystery of faith," and "secret of
secrets." It connects an understanding of this deepest mystery to the diligent
study of Torah. The Zohar speaks of Torah as an amon - another name for a tutor
- (i.e., Galatians 3:24), and that Torah was the architect of creation (functioning
on behalf of the Eyn Sof). This would link Torah very closely to Yeshua (the goal
of Torah - Romans 10:4), by whom all things were made, (according to John,
chapter 1).

In this passage, reference is also made to the Angel of the Lord, which has a
direct connection to Tipheret. Finally, the unified name YHWH Elohim is said to
be a synthesis of both written and oral Torah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 160b-161b - The whole mystery

of the Faith depends upon this; from this comes the knowledge of the mystery of
mysteries, the secret of secrets. YHWH ELOHIM is a full Name, and the whole is
one. Herein is a mystery of mysteries to the masters of the esoteric knowledge.
And, indeed, blessed are they who endeavour to comprehend the Torah. When
the Holy One resolved to create the world, He guided Himself by the Torah as by
a plan, as has been pointed out [Tr. note: v. Zohar, Gen., 134a, in connection
with the words "Then I was by him as amon" (Prov. VIII, 30), where the word
amon (nursling) may also be read uman (architect). Was the Torah, then, an
architect? Yes; for if a King resolves to build him a palace, without an architect
and a plan how can he proceed?

... Therefore is it presented before the Holy King, that afterwards it may know
Him in this world, and be devoted to the Holy One in the mystery of the Faith.
Concerning this it is written: "Thou hast been shown to know", that is, shown by
the angel to the Holy One, in order to know, to understand, to penetrate in this
world to the mystery of the Faith, the mystery of the Torah. And he who, having
come into this world, does not study the Torah to know Him-better were it for
him that he had never been born; since the only aim and object of the Holy One
in sending man into this world is that he may know and understand that YHWH is
Elohim.

... And he who, having come into this world, does not study the Torah to know
Him-better were it for him that he had never been born; since the only aim and
object of the Holy One in sending man into this world is that he may know and
understand that YHWH is Elohim. This is the sum of the whole mystery of the
Faith, of the whole Torah, of all that is above and below, of the Written and Oral
Torah, all together forming one unity. The essence of the mystery of Faith is to
know that this is a complete Name. This knowledge that YHWH is One with
Elohim is indeed the synthesis of the whole Torah, both of the Written and of the
Oral, for “Torah” stands for both, the former being symbolic of YHWH and the
latter of Elohim. The Torah being the mystery of the Holy Name, it is therefore
called by two names, one of which is general, and the other particular. The
general is complemented by the particular, also the particular by the general,
both combining to form one synthesis. In the Torah we find, therefore, the
synthesis of the Above and the Below, for the one Name, YHWH, is above, while
the other, Elohim, is below, one indicating the higher world and the other the
lower. And therefore is it written: “Thou hast been shown to know that YHWH is
Elohim.” This is the essence of all things, and it is necessary that man should
perceive it in this world.’
Recall what the we earlier saw in the Zohar about the one who has the 42-letter
divine name and His role with creation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 234b - The letters of the Divine
Name embrace the mystery of the Torah, and all the worlds are a projection of
the mystery of those letters.

UNIFICATION AT SINAI

As mentioned, the offer of the Kingdom was put before Israel at Mount Sinai as
well as with the appearance of Yeshua. There was a brief unification of the Name
at Sinai, but this did not achieve a permament status, due to the sin of the
Golden Calf.

The following Zohar section explains the difference between what was seen by
Moses at Sinai as compared to the (less clear) vision of Ezekiel. Here it is
(metaphorically) said that Moses saw the "Head" and the "Body" of God, whereas
Ezekiel saw but the "hand," which is further explained to be the Shekinah (as
was discussed earlier in this section.) The presence of the word "eth" (Aleph-Tav,
meaning beginning and end) is significant:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 82b - We have been taught that
when the Holy One revealed Himself on Mount Sinai all the Israelites saw the
Divine manifestation as one sees a light streaming through the glass of a lamp,
and by means of that light each one of them saw more than did the prophet
Ezekiel, since those celestial voices were all revealed together, whilst to Ezekiel
only the Shekinah was revealed in Her Chariot, and he but caught glimpses of it
as though through many barriers. Said R. Judah: ‘Blessed was Moses, concerning
whom it says: “And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai and the Lord called
Moses up to the top of the mount”, and blessed was that generation concerning
whom it says: “And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai before the eyes of the
whole people.” As the Torah, however, was given from the Right Hand (“from his
right hand went a fiery law for them”, Deut. XXXIII, 2), what essential difference
was there between the manifestation to the people and the manifestation to
Ezekiel?’ R. Jose replied: ‘On Sinai the “Head” and the “Body” of the King were
revealed, as it is written: “He bowed the heavens and came down” (2 Sam. XXII,
10); but to Ezekiel it was, as it were, only the “Hand” which was shown: “And the
hand of the Lord was there upon him” (Ezek. I, 3). And even the “Hand” has two
aspects, a higher and a lower. Observe that he says: “The heavens were opened
and I saw visions (maroth) of God” (Ezek. I, 1). “Maroth” is written in a defective
form, to indicate that he merely had a vision of the Shekinah.’ Said R. Jesse: ‘But
is the Shekinah not a representation of the whole of the Deity?’ R. Jose replied:
‘The “Head” of the King is not to be compared to His “Feet”, although both are in
the “Body” of the King.’ Observe that Isaiah said “I saw (eth) the Lord” (Isa. VI,
1), but Ezekiel said “I saw visions of God”.’ They meant, however, the same
thing, and both belonged to the same grade (of spiritual perception). Why, then,
did Isaiah not give a detailed account of his visions, like Ezekiel? According to R.
Jose, it was necessary that Ezekiel should speak in a detailed manner in order to
impress the people in exile with the fact that the Holy One loved them, and that
the Shekinah and Her Chariots had gone down into exile also, to be present with
them.

The following passage offers more insight into the Sinai experience. It says that
Moses and a number of others, "saw the God of Israel." As Scripture states that
no man has actually "seen" God, what (who) is it that they saw?

Again, the Zohar indicates that the presence of the word "eth" (Aleph-Tav) in the
text, shows that what they "saw" was more than the Shekinah. This "extra
quality of enlightenment" that they experienced is directly associated with none
other than Metatron, whom as we have seen, is a figure of Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 126a - AND THEY SAW THE GOD
OF ISRAEL, AND THERE WAS UNDER HIS FEET AS IT WERE A PAVED WORK OF
A.SAPPHIRE STONE. Said R. Judah: ‘It is written: “This thy stature is like to a palm
tree” (S.S. VII, 8).What love, indeed, has the Holy One bestowed upon the
Community of Israel in that He never separates.Himself from her, but is
perpetually and perfectly united with her, even as a palm tree in which male
and.female are one in complete and continual union! See now. When Nadab and
Abihu and the seventy elders.”saw”, what did they actually see? “They saw the
God of Israel”, that is to say, the Shekinah manifested.Herself unto them.’ But R.
Jose interpreted the demonstrative pronoun eth in this verse (“and they saw.eth
the God of Israel”) as denoting something more, over and above R. Judah's
exposition, a kind of extra quality of enlightenment, as it were-although what
they saw they saw from a distance. R. Isaac asked: [It.says here, “Under his feet
was as it were a work of sapphire stone, but Ezekiel said] “This is the living
creature (Hayah) which I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar”
(Ezek. x, 20). Now, which Hayah is here indicated?’ R. Jose replied in the name of
R. Hiya that the reference is to the little Hayah. [Tr. Note: Metatron.]

A recent commentary on Nachmanides (Ramban) also speaks of the connection

between the Tabernacle/Temple and the unity of God as seen at Mount Sinai.

Specifically, the Tabernacle alludes to the mystery of God's Unity, which

represents a main theme of Revelation on Mount Sinai, according to Ramban. He
writes: "And the verse mentions twice regarding the Tabernacle: 'And the Glory
of God filled the Tabernacle' (Exodus 40:34), parallel to (Deuteronomy 5:21) 'His
Glory and His Greatness'" (Exodus 25:1).

... This mystical unity between the two Divine Names, or sephiroth, via which
flows the divine blessing to all spheres of Creation, above and below, is
particularly accentuated by the mystical symbolism of the appearance of the
Shekinah between the two Cherubim. These two Cherubim represent the perfect
harmony between Justice and Mercy. They are the two attributes that are
primarily involved in the Divine Revelation and conduct in the Divine Atziluth,
the Chariot of Ezekiel, and the patterns of the Tabernacle. 2
As we will see in our text analysis, the feast days of Rosh ha-Shanah and Yom
Kippur played a role with the unification of the Name at Sinai, and will again at
the end of the age.

UNIFICATION AT THE END OF DAYS

The book of Revelation speaks of the return of the River of Eden (mentioned in
only one other place in Scripture - Genesis, in the story of the Garden of Eden).
Here, the River is associated with the unification of the Yod to the He, and the to
the Jubilee, which as we have seen in a previous section is a representation of
the Millennial Kingdom.

In this section of the Zohar, the freedom of the Jubilee year is credited to "the
Holy One Blessed be He," a title given to the sephirot of Tipheret, which as we
have seen is associated with the Messiah. Because of this, He is called "the son
of freedom." We also find reference to the idea that the Name of God is both
united as well as disunited at the same time.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 95b - Another then discoursed

on the text: Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of freedom and thy
princes eat in due season (Eccl. X, 17). ‘Just before this it is written: “Woe to
thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning.” There
is an apparent but not a real contradiction between these verses. The reference
in the verse “happy art thou, O land,” is to the supernal realm which has control
over all the life above, and is therefore called “land of the living”. Of this it is
written, “a land which the Lord thy God careth for continually” (Deut. XI, 12), and
again “a land where thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack
anything in it” (Ibid. VIII, 9). Why so? Because “thy king is a son of freedom”. By
this is meant the Holy One, blessed be He, [Tipheret] who is called a “son of
freedom” because of the Jubilee, which is the source of freedom. It is true that,
according to this explanation, we should expect to have in our text the word
heruth (freedom) and not, as we actually find written, horin (free ones). The
reason is, as we have learnt in our secret Mishnah, that when the Yod is united
with the He, they produce “the river which issues from Eden to water the
Garden” (Gen. II, 10). It is, in fact, misleading to say “when they unite”, for they
are indeed united, and therefore it is written ben horin.

Revelation 22:1- And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as

crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the
street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare
twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but
the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve
him.

The complete unity of the Name of God, as accomplished by Messiah, is

represented in the deeper teachings of the Feast of Succot (Tabernacles). Recall
that when Yeshua entered Jerusalem, the people laid palm branches (lulav) out
for Him. Also, when Yeshua appeared on the mountain with Moses and Elijah,
Peter immediately wanted to build succas (booths). Both the lulav and booths
are part of Succot. It is interesting to note, that neither of these events took
place at the time of the actual Feast of Succot. Also consider, that Yeshua is the
Yom Kippur sacrifice, yet He died at Passover. As we will discuss later in this
study, the unification of all things, includes the unification of the Feasts, which at
this time, in our physical world, appear separate and unrelated.

Recall in the following text that the "Sun" is associated with the sephirah of
Tipheret and the Messiah/bridegroom, and the moon with the sefirah of Malkhut
and the Shekinah/bride:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 215a - R. Simeon further

discoursed, citing the verse: “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of
wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him” (Deut. XXXIV, 9). ‘In many
places we have laid down’, he said, ‘that the face of Moses was as the face of
the sun, whilst that of Joshua was like that of the moon. For the moon has no
light of its own, but receives its light by reflection from the sun until it becomes
full, when it may be said to reach its state of completeness. The completeness of
the moon is when it is called “reflection” (d'muth), in relation to the supernal Sun
called YHWH, for it receives this name only when it is complete, for it has many
names according to its various manifestations. So when it is complete on all
sides it is called YHWH, its completeness corresponding to the higher
completeness. The Daughter, as it were, is the heiress of the Mother. This is the
case on the fifteenth day of the month, and thus, “On the fifteenth day of this
seventh month is the feast of Tabernacles” (Lev. XXIV, 34). It is also written,
“Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of Atonement” (Ibid.
27), which has the same allusion. When the World-to-be is symbolized hy all the
Ten Utterances, and centred in this month, it is first named “ten”, and
afterwards when the moon is joined with them in completeness it is named
“fifteen”, the He (=5) joining the Yod (= 10), both forming the Divine Name YH.
In the completed name YHWH there is a second He added, the first He’ being
associated with the supernal mystery, and the second symbolizing the
Providence that provides the lower world with its sustenance. The moon is thus
in its completeness, a completeness embracing the upper and the lower worlds,
through the inner meaning of the Divine Name, all forming a unity of perfection.
Joshua is the symbol of the fulness of the moon, he truly being the son of Nun, as
the letter Nun is expressive of the recondite significance of the moon. And so
“Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom”, full in the completeness of the Divine
Name. For the Supreme Point, identical with the letter Yod, expanded and
produced a Spirit, which Spirit produced a Temple. That Spirit then expanded
further, and so became six directions. Having expanded through all these, it
filled out and caused to come into being the Lower Temple. Thus the Divine
Name became manifest in a unity of completeness. “Joshua”, then, “was full of
the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him”, that is, he poured
out blessings upon him, and the well, so to speak became filled through him.
And you,’ concluded R. Simeon, ‘you exalted saints, each one of you is filled with
the spirit of wisdom and has attained the full phase of the mystic wisdom,
inasmuch as the Holy One, blessed be He, [Tipheret] found delight in you and
had laid His hands upon you. Happy is my portion in that my eyes have seen
this, to wit, the fulness of the spirit of wisdom that is in you.’

1. See Waters of Eden, Aryeh Kaplan, 1976, NCSY, Brooklyn, NY.

2. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc.,

Jerusalem, 1998, p. 93.

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
(Last updated 1/27/01)

As we have seen earlier in this study, both the Scriptures and extra-Biblical
Hebrew texts show that the earthly Tabernacle and its elements were designed
by Moses, from the pattern of their heavenly counterparts.

In our study on the spiritual elements, we showed a relationship between

spiritual time and space, particularly with regard to the physical
Tabernacle/Temple.

In this section we will continue to examine the idea that the physical elements
on earth have heavenly counterparts in that the heavenly realms and angels
correspond to nations and kings. We will also look at the principle that events
taking place on earth in physical time, are preceded by corresponding events in
the heavenly realms.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 197a - Observe that God has
made the earthly kingdom after the pattern of the heavenly kingdom, and
whatever is done on earth has been preceded by its prototype in heaven.

THE REALM OF "DARKNESS"

As we have seen throughout previous studies, God is revealed through His

emanations as observed through creation, including man, who is made in his
image. God's will is carried out through the Sephirot, as well as the work of the
angels, the Shekinah and Messiah. All of this heavenly realm, (which is
represented by the Temple, as well as Ezekiel's chariot) is working toward the
establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Scripture shows us that there is also an evil spiritual realm that is opposed to this
plan, in fact attempting to subvert God's Kingdom with an unholy kingdom. Much
of Scripture is concerned with this ongoing "battle," and the book of Revelation is
the climactic "final scenes" of this saga.

It is often hard for people to understand things such as, "why is there a demonic
realm?" or "where evil comes from?" or "why does God allow Satan to do the
things he does?" Although the full answers may only come to us when we are
one day with the Lord, both Scriptures and other writings shed light on this
subject.
Isaiah makes a very blunt statement regarding this:

Isaiah 45:6-7 - That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the
west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form
the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all
these things.

The Zohar supports this idea and goes into even greater detail, saying that there
is a symmetry between the holy sephirot (also called "crowns") and an unholy
sephirot (created by God), also made up of ten "crowns." The latter is known as
Sitra Ahra, "the other side.":

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3 Page 41b - R. Simeon said: ‘As there are
ten Crowns of Faith above, so there are ten crowns of unclean sorcery below. All
things on earth are attached either to one side or to the other.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 95a - The reason is, as we have
learnt, that God has made lower crowns which are not holy, and which, in fact,
pollute, and with these are marked all who are not circumcised.

The Zohar (in a commentary on the Egyptian demonic connection) states that
realm of angels (both "good" and "bad" ones), is also known as "the sea." The
region of demons (the "unholy order" below), is closely associated with the "left
side" of the Tree of Life (the ten sephirot), which is known as the side of
"judgment."

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 56b - PHARAOH'S CHARIOTS AND

MIGHT HE CAST INTO THE SEA. R. Isaac referred to the verse: “When he uttereth
his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens” (Jer. X, 13), and said:
‘According to tradition, the Holy One created seven heavens, and in each heaven
stars and planets are fixed. Arabot (also called Asiyyah, the realm of the
Shekinah) is above them all. The length of each heaven is such that it would take
two hundred years to traverse, and the distance between each heaven and the
next would take five hundred years to traverse. As for Arabot, one would need
one thousand five hundred years to cover its whole length, and the selfsame
number for traversing its breadth. All the heavens are lighted from the radiance
of Arabot. Above Arabot is the heaven of the Hayoth, and above this latter
sphere another heaven, brighter than all, as it is written: “And the likeness of the
firmament upon the heads of the Hayoth” (Ezek. I, 22). And below there are
many chariots at the right hand and at the left, of many grades, each with its
own name. And beneath them are others, smaller and yet more varied, which
are the smallest ranks of this celestial but unholy order; as it is written: “The sea
is great... small beasts and great are there” (Ps. CIV, 25), as we have affirmed,
that on the left side below there is a ruler, the “other side”, attached to those
above, but they are crushed by the great holy power, according to our
interpretation of the words, “Pharaoh's chariots and his might he cast into the
sea”.’
It may seem odd to include the angels who are in opposition to God (demons)
within the Tree of Life, however, they are created spiritual beings and are in fact
serving the will of God.

For example:

Judges 9:22-23 - When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, God
sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of
Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.

Revelation 17:17 - For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to
agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be
fulfilled.

In addition to the existence of ten holy and ten unholy sephirot, there is further
parallelism between the angels who serving to establish God's Kingdom, and
those who are working (according to God's will) in opposition to it. We have seen
already that there exists a special group of seventy angels who serve to protect
Israel from the "seventy nations" of the earth. (Recall also, that at Succot there
were sacrifices offered for these seventy nations.)

Here, the Zohar says that the gentile nations also have angels assigned to them:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 95b - All the lands of the
Gentiles have been committed to great chieftains who are appointed over them.

At the time of the unification of the Name of God, this left side (of judgment) will
be brought into harmony by the right side (of mercy), and these angels (demons)
and the pain and suffering associated with the left side, will be no more.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - The Lord is one above;
and His Name is One below. We say this response silently, although it is a
triumphant expression of the Oneness, because of the "evil eye", which still has
power under the present dispensation; but in the future (Messianic Age) when
the "evil eye" will have ceased to exist and will have no dominion whatsoever
over this world, then we shall proclaim the Divine Unity and its full
accomplishment openly and in a loud voice. At present, as the "other side" still
cleaves to the Shekinah ...

... ‘In the prayer before the entrance of the Sabbath the Throne of Glory is
prepared for the Holy Heavenly King. And when the Sabbath arrives the
Shekinah is in perfect union with Him and is separated from the "other side", and
all the potencies of severe judgement are severed from Her, She being in closest
union with the Holy Light and crowned with many crowns by the Holy King, and
all the principalities of severity and all the lords of judgement flee from Her, and
no other domination reigns in any of the worlds, and her countenance is
illumined by the supernal light, and she is crowned here below by the Holy
People, all of whom are invested with new souls.
... "And He being merciful, forgiveth iniquity and destroyeth not", because the
Shekinah is then entirely severed from the mystery of the "other side" and all
the lords of judgement have separated themselves and passed away from Her,

As mentioned, the book of Revelation is the climax of the "battle" between the
forces of the Kingdom of God and those who attempt to usurp this with an
ungodly kingdom. The being who may be said to be in direct opposition to God,
is an angel commonly known as haSatan (literally: the adversary, commonly
called "Satan"). The One who inevitably ushers in this Kingdom of God is
Messiah, whom we have seen in our section on Tipheret, is the direct opponent
to haSatan.

Much has been written about the "fall of Satan" (also called Lucifer), and his
rebellious group of angels. It is beyond the scope of this study to provide a
comprehensive study of this event, however the following is helpful in
understanding the material we are analyzing. Before attending to this, we will
briefly discuss the idea of how "evil" came into being.

Jewish mysticism offers a very "logical" explanation as to how evil originated.

Before creation, there was only the infinite Eyn Sof. The first act of creation was
for the Eyn Sof to "contract back," in order to create a realm that was not part of
the Eyn Sof. (This explanation is necessary otherwise you have pantheism, which
states that "everything is God.")

God then emanated a "finite" part of "Himself" into this realm, which was the
Torah, also called the "word" or the "Light." As soon as the aspect of "Light"
entered the universe, there also entered "darkness," as you cannot have
something defined as "Light," without its inverse. That which was not the Light
(within the universe God created) took on the existence of darkness. Thus,
whatever God (Eyn Sof) commanded was Torah/Light, and what he did not
command (darkness/evil) was also created by implication.

The embodiment of these opposites (light and darkness) is found in Messiah and
haSatan. Messiah is light (John 1:9; 9:5), haSatan is darkness (Ephesians 6:12;
Revelation 16:10). Messiah is the word (John 1:1), haSatan opposes the word and
says to man, "did God really say ..." (Genesis 3:1). Messiah is the truth (John
14:6), haSatan is the father of all lies (John 8:44). Messiah came as the Torah in
the flesh (John 1:14), haSatan will come as a man opposed to Torah (2
Thessalonians 2:3).1

LABAN AND BALAAM

The Zohar has an interesting section regarding both Laban (Jacob's father-in-law)
and Balaam, the evil prophet who attempted to curse the children of Israel. It
states that both had expertise in tapping into the "spiritual sea," for the purpose
of gaining supernatural power. The passage below makes specific reference to
Laban's use of the ten unholy sephirot (crowns).

Balaam realized that he could not make use of the same to curse Israel, as their
power is also given to them by God. When God issues His protection (as in this
case and also with Pharaoh in the time of the Egyptian captivity - see subsequent
section below), then those who call upon the unholy powers will experience a
divine "power shortage":

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 167a - It is written in regard to

Balaam: “And God came unto Balaam at night” (Num. XXII, 20). Similarly in
regard to Laban it is written: “And God, came to Laban the Aramean in a dream
of the night, and said unto him: Take heed to thyself that thou speak not to
Jacob either good or bad” (Gen. XXXI, 24). Instead of the words “that thou speak
not”, we should have expected here “that thou do no evil to Jacob” But the truth
is that Laban in his pursuit after Jacob did not intend to contend against him with
armed force, as he was well aware that Jacob and his sons were more than a
match for him, but he designed to kill him with the power of his mouth. Hence:
“that thou speak not”, and not “that thou do not”. It is also written: “It is in the
power of my hand to do you hurt” (Gen. XXXI, 29). Laban knew this from the
warning given him, as he himself continued: “But the God of your father spoke to
me, etc.” (Ibid.). And this is the very testimony which God commanded the
Israelites to pronounce, as it is written: “And thou shalt testify and say before
the Lord thy God: An Aramean intended to destroy my father, etc.” (Deut. XXVI,
5). Of Balaam it is further written: “and he went not as at other times, to meet
enchantments” (Num. XXIV, 1), this being his wont, since he was an adept in
divinations. Laban also said: “I have observed the signs” (Gen. XXX, 27), that is
to say, he tested Jacob's fortune by means of his divinations, and when he set
out to destroy him he also intended to accomplish his end by the same power of
magic and sorcery, but God did not permit him. And it was in allusion to this that
Balaam his grandson said: “For there is no enchantment with Jacob, neither is
there any divination with Israel” (Num. XXIII, 23), as much as to say: “Who can
prevail against them, seeing that when my grandfather sought to destroy their
ancestor by means of enchantments and sorceries, he did not succeed, as he
was not permitted to curse him?” Laban, indeed, employed against Jacob
all the ten kinds of magic and divination of the flashing of the
underworld crowns, but could do him no hurt, as it is written: “and he
changed my wages ten times, but God suffered him not to hurt me” (Gen. XXXI,
7), where the term monim (times) is akin to the term minim, signifying “kinds”.
These ten kinds of witchcraft are alluded to in the verse saying: “There shall not
be found among you... one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter,
or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or
a necromancer” (Deut. XVIII, 10-11). R. Jose said: ‘Divination and enchantment
are two different arts of the same potency. Balaam made use of divination
against Israel, as it says: “with divinations in their hand” (Num. XXII, 7). Laban,
on the other hand, used enchantments against Jacob, but neither of them
succeeded. Hence Balaam said: “For there is no enchantment with Jacob, neither
is there any divination with Israel” (Ibid. XXIII, 23), the first half of the verse
alluding to the days of Laban, the other half to the time of Balaam himself.
Balaam said in effect to Balak: “How can anyone prevail against them, seeing
that all the divinations and sorceries residing in our crowns derive their potency
from the flashing of the supernal sovereignty, which is attached to them, as it is
written: ‘The Lord his God is with them, and the shouting for the King is among
them” (Ibid. 21).’

EGYPT

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 38a - Now, as there are ten
crowns above, so likewise there are ten such below; and all are concealed in the
three grades symbolized by “the firstborn of Pharaoh”

God's judgment against Egypt, for their enslavement and cruelty of the children
of Israel is well documented in the Torah's book of Exodus. If you examine the
Zohar references in this section of our study, you may find it is interesting to
note that most of its commentaries concerning the role of the demonic realm
and the final unification of the name of God, come from the book of Exodus. As
we will see, the judgments against Egypt and the redemption of Israel serve as a
preview of what one day will played out on an even grander scale at the end of
the age.

The following section of the Zohar deals with the relationship between the
heavenly and earthly realms and their corresponding "leaders."

As you read this, note the following insights that are given:

• Again, the realm which the spiritual entities exist is called "the sea." This
sheds light on the Revelation passage that depicts the "dragon" coming
from the sea.

• Both the "good" and "bad" angels come from the sea, which is created
from the waters of the "Supernal Sea" (the realm of the Eyn Sof, rivers of
Eden), thus showing that all angelic beings (including haSatan), even in
their opposition to God, are serving the will of God. He is in control of all
that happens.

• Foolish men associate themselves with those elements of the spiritual sea
that are working in opposition to God.

• The sorcerers of Egypt made use of "ten species of sorcery," which are
related to the ten unholy "sephirot." (Hence the ten plagues sent by God.)

• God first established a victory over the Egyptian's heavenly chieftains,

which rendered their earthly sorcerers ineffective.

• Scripture thus declares a "double victory," with both "heavenly Egypt" and
"earthly Egypt" being defeated (see Isaiah 19:2).

• Both the heavenly and earthly realms are divided into seven "zones,"
which in turn is divided into ten divisions, giving a total of seventy. (These
are the seventy nations that Israel offered sacrifices for each Succot.)
Each of these seventy divisions has a "chieftain" ruling over it.
 • The same punishment given to the Egyptians, is one day destined for
Rome. Keep in mind these texts were written long after the collapse of the
Roman empire. As we will see, the Zohar is referring to a future "Rome"
that will be defeated at the time of Messiah.

This fascinating text reads as follows:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 30b - Observe that ever so many
streams and rivers rise out of the Supernal Sea, which in their courses divide and
subdivide again into many other rivers and streams: and the portion that fell to
the side of Egypt were waters swarming with such creatures. For all waters
issuing from that sea breed various kinds of fishes, to wit, messengers sent into
the world to carry out the will of their Master through the spirit of Wisdom. In
regard to this a traditional text tells us that there are waters that breed wise
men and other waters that breed foolish men, according to the various rivers
that branch off into all sides. Now the Egyptian rivers breed masters of sorcery of
various kinds, and of ten degrees, as enumerated in the verse, "one that useth
divination, a soothsayer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a
familiar spirit, or a necromancer" (Deut. XVIII, 10-11). Here we have ten species
of sorcery. And at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, stretched forth His
finger and disturbed the brooks and rivers of Egypt so that their fishes of wisdom
were confounded: some waters turned into blood, others threw up small fishes of
no account upon whom the spirit of sorcery never rested. Then there came upon
them the plague called ’arob (lit. mixture, i.e. mixture of various beasts) which
allegorically indicates that the Almighty confounded their magical arts so that
their practitioners were not able to piece them together. Moreover, that
confusion produced a mingling of a perverse and hybrid kind similar to those
referred to in the words of Scripture, "thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds
of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff
mingled together" (Lev. XIX, 19).

Many were then the legions that bestirred themselves above, but the Holy One,
blessed be He, confounded them altogether; these mighty deeds which the
Almighty performed in Egypt were accomplished by the raising of one of his
hands against them, both on high and below. It was then that the wisdom of
Egypt perished, as Scripture says: "and the wisdom of their wise men shall
perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid" (Isa. XXIX, 14).
Note further the pronouncement: "And I will confuse Egypt with Egypt"
(Ibid. XIX, 2), that is to say, celestial Egypt with terrestrial Egypt. For
the celestial legions are in charge of the terrestrial ones, and they both were
altogether thrown in disorder. They were confused on high so that the Egyptians
could not derive inspiration from the celestial sources as formerly.

It was with this object that the Almighty brought on them the ’arob, or mixture
and confusion, manifested in a mixed horde of beasts that assailed them; as well
as the plague of vermin, engendered from the dust of the earth. Observe that
whatever is engendered on earth grows through the stimulus of a celestial
Chieftain who has charge over it, and that all on earth is shaped after a celestial
pattern. There are on high seven firmaments, and seven zones of earth.
Correspondingly, in the lower world there are seven graded firmaments and
seven zones of earth. These, as the Companions have expounded, are arranged
like the rungs of a ladder, rising one above the other, and each zone has ten
divisions, so that there are seventy in all. Each one of these is presided over by a
Chieftain, and these seventy Chieftains have under their charge the seventy
nations of the earth.

These seventy earth-divisions, again, border on and surround the Holy Land, as
Scripture says: "Behold, it is the couch of Solomon; threescore mighty men are
about, of the mighty men of Israel" (S.S. III, 7), there being, in addition to the
threescore mentioned, ten concealed among their number. All these surround
the Holy Land. This alludes to the upper world, and the same is reproduced in
the lower world. Now at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, stretched forth
His finger over the zone that was allotted to the Egyptians, and a fiery flame
passed through the whole tract and dried up all the alluvial soil, with the result
that the dust of the earth generated vermin. It was Aaron that smote the dust, in
order to show that the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, breaks His
enemies, as we read: "Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy" (Ex.
xv, 6). The same punishment is destined to be meted out by the Holy One,
blessed be He, to Rome the great Metropolis, as it is written: "And the streams
thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone" (Isa.
XXXIV, 9). Thus "all the dust of the earth became vermin throughout all the land
of Egypt".

A similar text closely links the holy and unholy Sephirot and events in ancient
Egypt:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 70b- The Holy One, blessed be He,
has produced ten holy crowns above wherewith He crowns and invests Himself,
and He is they and they are He, being linked together like the flame and the
coal. Corresponding to these are ten crowns beneath, which are not holy, and
which cling to the uncleanness of the nails of a certain holy Crown called
Wisdom, wherefore they are called “wisdoms”. We have learnt that these ten
species of wisdom came down to this world, and all were concentrated in Egypt,
save one which spread through the rest of the world. [Tr. note: v. T.B. Kiddushin,
49b.] They are all species of sorcery, and through them the Egyptians were more
skilled in sorcery than all other men. When the Egyptians desired to consort with
the demons, they used to go out to certain high mountains and offer sacrifices
and make trenches in the ground and pour some of the blood around the
trenches and the rest into them and put flesh over it, and bring offerings to the
demons. Then the demons used to collect and consort with them on the
mountain. Israel, being subject to the Egyptians, learnt their ways and went
astray after them; hence God said to them: “After the doings of the land of Egypt
in which ye have dwelt shall ye not do”, and also, “And they shall no more
sacrifice their sacrifices unto the satyrs after whom they go a-whoring”, since, as
we have learnt, the demons used to appear to them in the form of he-goats. R.
Hiya said: ‘This is the last of the unholy crowns, as we have learnt.’ R. Isaac said,
in the name of R. Judah, that the souls of the wicked are the demons of this
world. Said R. Jose: ‘If so, the wicked are well off; where is their punishment in
Gehinnom? Where is the evil in store for them in the other world?’ R. Hiya
replied: ‘We have learnt and laid down that when the souls of the wicked leave
this world many executioners of judgement await them and take them to
Gehinnom, and subject them there to three tortures every day. Afterwards they
go about the world in company with them and mislead the wicked, from whom
repentance is withheld, and then return to Gehinnom and punish them there,
and so every day’.

These next two texts supports the idea of seventy heavenly chieftains who
oversee the nations.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 16b - ‘As soon as Joseph died,
the celestial representative of Egypt was given domination over all the other
nations, as it says: “And Joseph died... and a new king arose”, like one who rose
to power from a lowly position. R. Tanhum said: ‘Every nation has its own
representative above, and when God elevates one He degrades another, and
when He gives power to this one it is only on account of Israel, as it says: “Her
adversaries have become chiefs” (Lam. 1, 5).’ R. Isaac said: ‘Israel singly is
equivalent to all the other nations together; as seventy is the number of the
nations, so seventy was the number of the children of Israel when they came
into Egypt, and whoever rules over Israel rules over the whole world.’ R. Huna
said: ‘Why is Israel subjected to all nations? In order that the world may be
preserved through them, since they are on a par with the whole world. As God is
One, so is Israel one, as it says: “And who is like thy people, one people on
earth?” (2 Sam. Vll, 23). And as His name is one and yet has seventy
ramifications, so is Israel one, and yet divided into seventy.’

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 17a - AND HE SAID UNTO HIS
PEOPLE. Said R. Simeon: ‘This refers to Egypt's principality in heaven. Note that
this passage mostly speaks of “the king of Egypt”, which refers to the celestial
chieftain of Egypt; but where it says, “Pharaoh king of Egypt” the actual king is
meant. “He said” means he put the idea into their minds that the representative
in heaven of the children of Israel was mightier than theirs.’ R. Isaac said: ‘All the
nations of the world derive their power from their celestial prototypes, but Israel
only from God, therefore she is called “the people of the Lord”.’

The Tenakh supports this concept as well. The book of Daniel shows one of God's
angels fighting against such "demonic" beings:

Daniel 10:12-13 - Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day
that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy
God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the
kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of
Persia.
Daniel 10:20 - Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and
now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo,
the prince of Grecia shall come.

The following text combines several of the ideas mentioned above, and attests
that this divine judgment will one day be carried out against (a renewed)
"Rome":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 56b - linked to one another, all
are chariots one to another, manifold grades, diverse and yet united! From the
left side the chariots of the unholy principalities rise up. They also are linked one
with the other, grade to grade, the greatest of them being, as we have already
pointed out, “the firstborn of Pharaoh”, whom the Holy One killed. All of these
unholy powers are delivered unto the judgement of the Kingdom, the which is
called “the great sea”, in order that they may be uprooted each in his own
grade, and be utterly cast down, and when they are broken above, all their
counterparts below are also broken and lost in the “lower sea”. As to the
“captains” (shalishim) who were drowned in the Red Sea, it has already been
made clear that all these grades consist of three (shalosh) attributes each (two
and one, the triad, corresponding to the holy triad above). They were all
delivered unto Her (the Shekinah's) hand, that their power might be broken. All
the ten punishments which the Holy One brought on Egypt were achieved by the
power of one “hand”, for the “left hand” is included in the right, the ten fingers
forming one entity in correspondence to the Ten expressions by which the Holy
One is designated. Then came a punishment which was equal to all the rest, that
of the sea: “The last one was the hardest” (Isa. VIII, 23). And in the future the
Holy One will deal similarly with all the hosts, princes and chieftains of Edom
(Rome), as it is written: “Who is he who cometh from Edom, with dyed garments
from Bozrah? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save” (Isa. LXIII, 1).’

BABYLON/BABYLON

As mentioned above (in comments on Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 30b), the
Zohar interprets Isaiah 19:2 as meaning that God set Egypt's heavenly chieftains
against the Egyptians themselves. (Most texts read, "And I will set the Egyptians
against the Egyptians," however the word for "Egyptians" here is Miztrayim,
which has the primary meaning "Egypt" [Strongs #4714], and in fact is
translated as "Egypt" throughout the rest of that chapter and elsewhere.)

In a similar fashion, Scripture and Jewish commentaries contain the idea of both
an "earthly" man and a "heavenly" man. Although our bodies are firmly set in the
physical world, our soul does have a "heavenly connection."

Paul alludes to this in one of his letters:

Colossians 3:1-3 - If ye then be risen with Messiah, seek those things which are
above, where Messiah sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Messiah in God.
We can see this idea in the Torah as well, as the names of several great men are
mention in sequence:

Genesis 22:11 - And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and
said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

Genesis 46:2 - And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said,
Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

Exodus 3:4 - And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called
unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said,
Here am I.

Each person is said to have a "root" (Hebrew: mazal) that remains connected to
its origins. In the verses above, the first mention of each name is related to the
heavenly root of the man, and the second mention is to the physical man.2

This duality of both men and nations having heavenly and earthly aspects, and
their being addressed in sequence (either in the form of instruction or
punishment), sheds great light on what we will be studying in the textual
analysis of Revelation, i.e.,

Revelation 14:8 - And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen,
is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication.

Revelation 18:2 - And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the
great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of
every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

The repetition of, "is fallen, is fallen," in the verses above is consistent with what
was told to the King of Babylon of old:

Daniel 5:25-26 - And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy
kingdom, and finished it.

Thus, both heavenly Babylon and earthly Babylon will be judged.

ROME/BABYLON

The events that occurred with Pharaoh and Egypt several thousand years ago,
serve as a forerunner for that which will occur against Rome (which is in the
spirit of Babylon) at the end of the age. Following the principle of "as above, so
below," this verse from the Zohar (a Genesis commentary), shows that Messiah's
final victory is both (first) against His heavenly enemies, and also against the
earthly ones:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 239b, 240a - “He hath washed
his garments in wine”, even from the time of the Creation the reference being to
the coming of the Messiah on earth. “Wine” indicates the left side, and “the
blood of grapes” the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule above
over all the forces of the idolatrous nations and to break their power
above and below. We may also explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet
typifies judgement, so the Messiah will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to
the Gentiles. The “spirit of God which hovered over the face of the waters” (Gen.
I, 2) is the spirit of the Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he “washed
his garments in celestial wine.”

Midrash states that the final enemy will again be "Rome," which is the earthly
kingdom of haSatan, and is compared to Esau's descendants (also called Edom).
The reference to 10 horns is from the book of Daniel and is an allusion to the
unholy sephirot:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXXVI:6 - And, behold, in this horn were eyes like
the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things (ib.): this alludes to the
wicked State [Rome] which imposes levies on all the nations of the world. R.
Johanan said: It is written, And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten
kings arise (ib. 24): in these Scripture refers to Esau's descendants. ‘I considered
the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one’-
this alludes to the wicked State [Rome]; ’

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations II:6 - And concerning the ten horns that
were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell
(Dan. VII, 20), after which it is written, And so for the ten horns, out of this
kingdom shall ten kings arise; and another shall arise after them; and he shall be
diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings (ib. 24). When Israel
repents, the Holy One, blessed be He, will restore the horns to their place, as it is
stated, All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the
righteous shall be lifted up (PS. LXXV, 11), i.e. the horns which the Righteous
One of the Universe had cut off. When will He restore them to their place? When
the Holy One, blessed be He, raises aloft the horn of His Messiah, as it is written,
’And He will give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.’

1. Credit to James Trimm of the Society for the Advancement of Nazarene

Judaism, www.nazarene.net

2. Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Maine,
1978, p.48

YESOD - PART 1
FOUNDATION, TZADDIK, COVENANT
(Last updated 4/4/01)

INTRODUCTION

In as much as the sixth Sephirah of Tipheret is closely identified with Yeshua, as

the embodiment of the entire Godhead (all of the Sephirot), specific aspects
associated with Him in the books of the "New Testament," can be seen in each of
the Sephirot.

For instance, we see Yeshua in:

• Chokmah, as Creator and Father (John 1:3; 10:31; 17:21)

• Binah, as the source of souls and compassionate "motherly" figure (1

Peter 2:25; Matthew 23:37; John 11:33-35)

• Hesed, as the merciful High Priest at the "right hand" of God (Hebrews
2:17, 4:14, Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1)

• Gevurah, as the one to whom judgment has been committed (John 5:22)

• Netzach and Hod, as the "spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10)

• Malkut, as the "Kingdom of God" physically present before men (Luke

17:21)

Beginning with this section we will take a closer look at the ninth Sephirah -
Yesod, most commonly referred to as "foundation." This emanation of God is
highly complex, appearing in multiple roles, some of which have dual aspects to
them. We will begin in this first section by examining three related concepts that
are associated with Yesod; Foundation/Pillar, Righteous One ("Tzaddik"), and
Covenant (including circumcision).

In later sections we will focus on Yesod's relationship to Tipheret and Malkut,

both similarities and complementary differences, as well as aspects of Yesod
associated with Messiah, such as; Living Water, Rock, Manna, Jacob's ladder, the
High Priest, Atonement, "the Way, Truth and Life," and "Son of God."

To add credibility to our interpretation of kabbalistic texts and principles, we will

be citing numerous references throughout these sections from renouned Hebrew
kabbalists such as; Gershom Scholem, Aryeh Kaplan, Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi,
Elliot Wolfson and Yitzchak Ginsburgh.

YESOD - FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD

Foundation as Torah-Water

The primary meaning given to the Sephirah of Yesod is that of Foundation. Part
of this has to do with its location in the Sephirotic Tree, just above the last
Sephirah of Malkut-Kingdom. As Malkut is directly associated with the world (i.e.,
representing the Shekinah's presence among us), all that comes from God is
channeled from the upper Sephirot "through" the Sephirah of Yesod before
making its way to Malkut. The only path from heaven above, to Malkut (and thus
to us), is through Yesod. (Refer back to the "Tree of Life" diagram of the
Sephirot.)

As the receptacle of God's blessings, Malkut is considered the "pool" into which
this "life" from God flows to the righteous on earth, amongst whom the Shekinah
resides. This life is equated throughout Scripture as Torah (i.e., Deuteronomy
6:2; 17:19; 30:15-20; John 5:24, 6:63, 68; Philippians 2:16; 1 John 1:1). In this
way Yesod is the Sephirah that functions to bring God's sustanining blessings to
the world. This is why it is called the foundation upon which the world exists.1

On a related note, the month of Shevat corresponds to Tzaddik - "the righteous

one." The Tzaddik is said to be a true manifestation God's "water carrier," where
water refers to Torah. The month of Shevat is referred to as the "New year for
the study of Torah." 2 Interestingly, the corresponding astrological sign for this
time of year on the secular calendar is Aquarius - the "water bearer." (This may
point to where Jewish and Babylonian paths crossed at one time.)

Foundation as Stone-Pillar

Yesod, as the foundation of the world, is also depicted as a "stone" coming from
the heavenly Throne of Glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, [Tipheret]:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 222a - ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that

when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to create the world, He detached
one precious stone from underneath His Throne of Glory and plunged it into the
Abyss, one end of it remaining fastened therein whilst the other end stood out
above; and this other and superior head constituted the nucleus of the world, the
point out of which the world started, spreading itself to right and left and into all
directions, and by which it is sustained. That nucleus, that stone, is called
sh'thyiah (foundation), as it was the starting-point of the world. The name
sh'thyiah, furthermore, is a compound of shath (founded) and Kah (God),
signifying that the Holy One, blessed be He, made it the foundation and starting-
point of the world and all that is therein.

This foundation stone is also called a "pillar," that connects the earthly and
heavenly realms. The Bahir offers the following insight, connecting the pillar
(foundation) to Tzaddik, and stating that the measure of God's blessing is tied to
the measure of righteousness in the world:

Bahir 102 - We learned: There is a single pillar extending from heaven to earth,
and its name is Righteous (Tzadik). [This pillar] is named after the righteous.
When there are righteous people in the world, then it becomes strong, and when
there are not, it becomes weak. It supports the entire world, as it is written, "And
Righteousness is the foundation of the world." If it becomes weak, then the world
cannot endure. Therefore, even if there is only one righteous person in the
world, it is he who supports the world. It is therefore written, "And a righteous
one is the foundation of the world."

This concept is also found in the Zohar. Here, the concepts of both the pillar and
the waters of blessing are found together:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 184a-185a - The kingdom of

heaven, which is the side of holiness, is fixed at two points, one its own and one
belonging to the world to come. The upper point is hidden, and therefore it has
two points. Under its own point is Jerusalem, the centre of the inhabited world.
The point which takes from the hidden supernal Mother is the terrestrial
Paradise, which is in the centre of the whole world. In the centre of this Paradise
there is a hidden supernal point which is not manifested, and a pillar rises within
that point from below, and from thence issue waters which spread to all four
sides of the world.

This pillar, reaching from the earth to the heavens, is associated with the pillar
seen by Jacob in his dream (Genesis chapter 28). This is addressed further below.

YESOD - PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE (TZADDIK)

As mentioned, the Sephirah of Yesod is associated with the idea of Tzaddik -

meaning "righteous one." The compound term, "Yesod ‘Olam," is the "Righteous
One, the Foundation of the World," who upholds God's covenant with the earth
and procures sustenance for the living beings upon it.

This is found at the sod-level understanding of the following Proverb:

Proverbs 10:25 - The righteous is the foundation of the world.

Besides being the path "downward," bringing God's blessings (Torah) to the
world, via Malkut-Kingdom, Yesod is also depicted as representing the only "path
upward," from Malkut to the rest of the Godhead above. (Again, refer back to to
the "Tree of Life" diagram.)

Thus, once a person has "sought first the Kingdom" (the Sephirah of Malkut,
which is associated with the quality of humility), then "righteousness" (Yesod,
the next Sephrah), becomes the next step to a further relationship with God.

The path leading from Malkut to Yesod, is called (the path of) Tzaddik. As stated
by Aryeh Kaplan in his commentary to the Bahir:

Here again, "heaven" refers to Zer Anpin, while "earth" is Malkhut-Kingship. But
in a more general sense, "earth" is the physical world, while "heaven" is the
transcendental. In either case, one who wishes to ascend on high must always
travel along the path from Malkhut-Kingship to Yesod-Foundation. Looking at the
diagram of paths [the kabbalistic Tree of Life] it is evident that, while there are
many paths interconneting the other Sephirot, there is only one path leading
from Malkhut-Kingship, the lowest Sefirah, upward, and this is the path leading
to Yesod-Foundation. This path is called Tzadik, the Pillar of Righteousness,
represented by the letter Tav. 3

This is the same path (way) Yeshua referred to as being hard to find and difficult
to maintain:

Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God [i.e., Malkut], and his
righteousness [the path of the Tzaddik], and all these things shall be added unto
you.
Matthew 7:14 - Because strait is the gate [Malkut or Tzaddik], and narrow is
the way [i.e., the path of the Tzaddik], which leads unto life, and few there be
that find it.

The path of the Tzaddik was the way that John the Baptist took, and also
preached:

Matthew 21:32 - For John came unto you in the way of righteousness,

Yeshua made clear that He was the path (way) of the Tzadik:

John 14:6 - Yeshua said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man comes unto the Father, but by me.

(We will examine the aspects of the "way, truth and life," in another section of
this study.)

The flow of "life" from above is associated with the River of Eden. Its path is
outlined in the Zohar as follows:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 58a - It is written: “A river went

forth from Eden” (Gen. II, 10). It has been laid down that the name of that river is
Jubilee, but in the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder it is called Life, because life
issues thence to the world. We have also laid down that the great and mighty
Tree in which is food for all is called the Tree of Life, because its roots are in that
Life. We have learnt that that river sends forth deep streams with the oil of
plenitude to water the Garden and feed the trees and the shoots. These streams
flow on and unite in two pillars which are called Jachin and Boaz. Thence the
streams flow on and come to rest in a grade called Zaddik, and from hence they
flow further till they all are gathered into the place called Sea [Malkut-Kingdom],
which is the sea of Wisdom.

King David, having first sought (and attained) the level of Malkut-Kingdom,
sought out this deeper relationship. As mentioned, Yesod is linked to the stream
of blessings that flows from the upper to the lower worlds. As this steam (the
River of Eden) sustains life to the world, Yesod is also called El Hai, ("the Living
God") 4

Thus we see David praying:

Psalm 84:2 - My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my
heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God [Yesod].

The Zohar speaks of King David seeking Malkut-Kingdom first (in complete
humility), in his petition to God:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 20a - But, indeed, these words,
like all David's words, were uttered in the holy spirit. He was addressing the
Kingdom of Heaven [Malkuth], for she is the intermediary between earth and
heaven, and whoso has a petition of the King must make it known to her first.
Hence David said: “I will acknowledge my sin to thee, the Kingdom of Heaven,
and mine iniquity have I not hid from the Righteous One of the universe, and I
said, I will confess my sin to the Lord, to wit, the Holy King to whom all peace
belongs.” Then it goes on: “And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin”; this was
in the highest realm, the place where the Ancient Holy One abides. Thus this
verse includes all; and in the same way, whoever prays to the King should unify
the Holy Name in his thought, ranging from lower to upper, and from upper to
lower, and linking all together, and then his prayer will be granted.’ Said R. Jose:
‘Who has the skill to pray like King David, who used to keep watch at the gate of
the King?’ Said R. Hiya to him: ‘Assuredly it is so, and therefore the Torah has
taught us the ways of the Holy King that we may know how to seek him, as it
says, “After the Lord your God ye shall walk” (Deut. XIII, 4).’

The faith of David is further expressed in terms of "Covenant," the subject of the
next section:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 230b - "I have made a covenant
with my chosen.,’ This covenant is the secret of faith. Or we may interpret the
"chosen one" of the Zaddik from whom issue blessings to all the lower creation,
all the holy Hayyoth being blessed from the stream which flows forth to the
lower world. "I have sworn unto David my servant", to wit, that he will always be
established in this Zaddik, the foundation of the world, save in the time of galuth
[diaspora], when the flow of blessing is cut off, and faith is defective, and all joy
is banished.

YESOD/TZADDIK - COVENANT

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 247a - Happy are they who are
called righteous, for only he is so called who observes this grade [the Sephirah of
Yesod], this sign of the holy covenant. Happy are they in this world and in the
world to come.

Based on what we have discussed so far in our Revelation background studies,

the "middle pillar of the Godhead," (actually, the entire kabbalistic Tree of Life) is
both;

1. how God reveals Himself to us

5
2. our path for becoming "conformed to His image."

The connection mentioned above, between the Tree of Life being both the goal
(God), and the process (being a "hearer" and "doer" of Torah), is found in a third
aspect of Tzaddik -- that of "Covenant," the "bond" between God in heaven and
man on earth.

Covenant: Jacob

Perhaps the most clear connection we have of this "pillar" functioning in these
two roles, is found in Jacob's dream from Genesis chapter 28. The Zohar
associates this "twofold aspect" of Covenant with Jacob's ladder. Jacob reveals
that the ladder represents both the Divine (the goal) as well as the "method" we
are to make use of to bring ourselves closer to God:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 150b - AND HE WAS AFRAID,

AND SAID: HOW FULL OF AWE IS THIS PLACE . The word “place” here has a
twofold significance. It refers in the first instance to the place mentioned by
Jacob in the preceding verse; but it also refers to the mark of the holy covenant,
which should not be left inoperative. (These two significations, however, are only
two aspects of one and the same idea.) Jacob then said: THIS IS NONE OTHER
THAN THE HOUSE OF GOD , implying: This is not to remain idle; its covenant is
not meant to exist in isolation. It is in sooth a godly abode, to be used for the
promotion of fecundity and for receiving blessing from all the bodily organs. For
indeed this is THE GATE OF HEAVEN , or, in other words, the gate of the Body,
the gate assuredly through which pass the blessings downwards, so that it is
attached both on high and below: on high, as being the gate of heaven, and
below, as being none other than the house of God.” Hence “he was afraid, and
said: How full of awe is this place!” But mankind (it may be added) pay no regard
to its preciousness, so as thereby to become perfect on high and here below.’

Scripture shows us that God referred to Himself as El Shaddai (another name for
Yesod, meaning "God the Provider," through whom blessings come), with the
Tzaddikim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This name they knew Him by is tied to
the theme of Covenant:

Exodus: 6:2-8 - And God speaketh unto Moses, and saith unto him, `I am
YHWH, and I appear unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as El Shaddai; as
to My name YHWH, I have not been known to them; and also I have established
My covenant with them.

Covenant: Noah

Note: The following section of the Zohar contains several mystical concepts,
which will be address in detail in this analysis of chapters four and five of this
Revelation study. We will present them here with minimal commentary.

The Zohar begins by citing Scripture's association of the rainbow to the topic of
Covenant. It makes the point that this rainbow "preexisted." (As we will later
discuss, the themes related to Yesod all stem from "the foundation of the
world.") The section goes on to associate the rainbow with the firmament found
in Ezekiel's vision of the heavenly realm. Note how the actions of the "mighty
beasts" are reminiscent of John's view of heaven in the book of Revelation:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - AND GOD SAID TO NOAH...
THIS IS THE TOKEN OF THE COVENANT WHICH I MAKE BETWEEN ME AND YOU... I
HAVE SET MY RAINBOW IN THE CLOUD. The past tense "I have set" shows that
the bow had already been there. In connection with this passage R. Simeon
discoursed on the verse: And above the firmament that was over their heads
was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone (Ezek. I, 26).
‘Before this verse,’ he said, ‘we find the words, "And when they went I heard the
noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty"
(Ibid. 24). These are the four sacred and mighty beings called Hayyoth (animals),
by whom the firmament is upheld, and whose wings are usually joined together
to cover their bodies. When, however, they spread out their wings, a volume of
sound swells forth, and they break out into songs of praise, "as the voice of the
Almighty", which never becomes silent, as it is written, "so that my glory may
sing praise to thee, and not be silent" (Ps. XXX, 13). The tenour of their praises
is, "The Lord hath made known his salvation, his righteousness hath he revealed
in the sight of the nations" (Ps. XCVIII, 2). It says further: "A noise of tumult like
the noise of a host" (Ezek. I, 24), i.e. like the sound of the holy camps when all
the supernal armies assemble on high. What is it they declaim? "Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is. VI, 3). They turn to
the south and say "holy", they turn to the north and say "holy", they turn to the
east and say "holy", they turn to the west and say "blessed". And that firmament
rests upon their heads, and in whatever direction it turns, their faces turn also.
They turn their faces to the four cardinal points, and all revolve in a circle. The
firmament is imprinted, at the four corners of a square, with four figures, of a
lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man; and the face of a man is traced in all of them,
so that the face of Lion is of Man, the face of Eagle is of Man, and the face of Ox
is of Man, all being comprehended in him. Hence it is written: "As for the likeness
of their faces, they had the face of a man" (Ezek. I, 10).

The rainbow has a direct association with Metatron in kabbalistic literature:

"The light of this rainbow (qeshet) is great for it derived (from) the light of the
intellect and that is the level of Metatron, for the intellect is fixed in him like the
holy spirit in the body. Therefroe it says, 'That was teh appearance of the
semblance of the Lord' (Ezekiel 1:28). i.e., the derived intellect (sekhel ha-
nigzar), for his name is like the name of his Master (cf. B. Sanhedrin 38b), as it
says, 'since My name is in him' (exodus 23:21)." (Cf Zohar 3:215a [Ra'aya'
Mehemna']: "Certainly the rainbow (qeshet) that is revealed in the exile is none
other than Metatron who is called Shaddai.") 6

It is interesting to note that Metatron is also connected to Shaddai (Yesod) in that

the two have the same numerical value (314) in Hebrew gematria. (This is the
system of number values assigned to the letters of the Hebrew letters.)

Covenant: Joseph

This Zohar goes on to make an interesting comparison between Noah and

Joseph, as the latter is the Patriarch directly associated with the Sephirah of
Malkut. (See the next section of this Yesod study for a list of which Sephirot each
Patriarch is linked to.)

The mention of colors, especially the four colors of green, red, white and
sapphire, is significant and is addressed in our text analysis. (Recall that Joseph
was given a coat of many colors, which was indicative of his relationship to the
rainbow and Yesod.) A connection is made between the sapphire stone of
Ezekiel's vision and foundation stone This is Yesod, the pillar of righteousness
mentioned earlier in this study:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - Further, the firmament

with its enclosed square contains the gamut of all the colours. Outstanding are
four colours, each engraved with four translucent signs, both higher and lower.
These when decomposed become twelve. They are green, red, white, and
sapphire, which is made up of all these colours. Hence it is written, "As the
appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the
appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the Lord" (Ibid. I, 28): containing, that is to say, all shades
of all colours. The same is referred to in the text I HAVE SET MY BOW IN THE
CLOUD. The bow here has a parallel in the text, "But his bow abode firm" (Gen.
XLIX, 24), i.e. the covenant of Joseph, because he was a righteous man, had for
its symbol the bow, since the bow is linked with the covenant, and the covenant
and the righteous are integral in one another. And because Noah was righteous,
the sign of his covenant was the bow. (The word vayophozu, mentioned in
connection with Joseph, is akin to the term paz (fine gold) in the passage, "More
to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold" (Ps. XIX, 11), and it
means that his arms shone with the lustre of the most desirable substance, they
shone with the light supernal, since he had observed the covenant; hence he is
named "Joseph the righteous".) And the rainbow is therefore called " covenant"
because they embrace one another. Like the firmament it is a supernal
resplendent glory, a sight of all sights, resembling the hidden one (the
Shekinah), containing colours undisclosed and unrevealable. Hence it is not
permitted to gaze at the rainbow when it appears in the heavens, as that would
be disrespectful to the Shekinah, the hues of the rainbow here below being a
replica of the vision of the supernal splendour, which is not for man's gaze.
Hence when the earth saw the rainbow as a holy covenant, it was once more
firmly established, and therefore God said, AND IT SHALL BE FOR A TOKEN OF A
COVENANT BETWEEN GOD, ETC. The three primary colours and the one
compounded of them, which we mentioned before, are all one symbol, and they
all show themselves in the cloud. "And above the firmament that was over their
heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone"
(Ezek. I, 26). This alludes to the "foundation stone" (eben shethiah), which is the
central point of the universe and on which stands the Holy of Holies. "The
likeness of a throne", i.e. the supernal holy throne, possessing four supports, and
which is symbolic of the Oral Law. "And upon the likeness of the throne was the
likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above" (Ibid.); this symbolises the
Written Law. From here we learn that copies of the Written Law should rest on
copies of the Oral Law (and not vice versa), because the latter is the throne to
the former. "As the appearance of a man" refers to the image of Jacob, who sits
on it.’

YESOD - CIRCUMCISION

As we will discuss in detail in the next section, Yesod plays the role of
"connecting" the Sephirot of Tipheret (the male above) to Malkut (the female
below). As such, it is metaphorically associated in kabbalistic writings with the
male sexual organ (which connects the "body" of man to the woman). It is thus
also identified with circumcision -- the "sign of the covenant."

We conclude this section by presenting a concept regarding the act of physical

circumcision, and God's commandment for this to be performed on the eighth
day. One reason traditionally given for this, is that by performing the
circumcision on the eight day, the child is assured of passing through one
Shabbat, from where he gains strength.7

We agree with this reasoning, and present an additional kabbalistic view. As we

have already discussed, Shabbat is associated with the Sephirah of Malkut-
Kingdom, which is the last Sephirah emanated from God, but the first one we are
"pass through." (i.e., "Seek ye first the Kingdom (Malkut) ...") Therefore, a child is
guaranteed to "pass through" the first Sephirah of Malkut (by going through
Shabbat), before going on to the second (Yesod), as represented by the
covenant.

Having reached Yesod, a procees then begins where the child is slowly
transitioned from the mother's care to learning from their father. (This is
reflective of the male/female aspect of Yesod, which will be discussed later in
this study.)

The child continues their training in Torah. This involves hearing and learning the
importance of keeping the commandments as well as applying this
understanding to their lives and doing things to draw closer to God. The first
aspect of this based in learning and obedience, which is associated with the
"restrictive" Sephirah of Hod. Performing the commandments and other acts of
Torah is linked to the "active" Sephirah of Netzach. Both aspects are required for
"balanced growth."

Eventually the child becomes a "son of the Commandments" at his Bar Mitzvah
(as likened to Tipheret, the "Son" of Torah).

1. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.175.

2. Kabbalah and Modern Life - Living with the Times: The Month of Shevat, Rabbi
Yitzchak Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat.htm

3. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.161.

4. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,

Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 103.

5. Expressed another way; "When it (the Tree of Life) has begun to be part of the
aspirant's own being, he can say he knows something of Kabbalah." - The Way of
Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York Beach, Maine, 1976,
p.142.

6. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 137,
citation from MS Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana 62, fol 105b.

7. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.177, (citing Zohar 3:44a).

YESOD - PART 2
RELATIONSHIP WITH TIPHERET AND MALKUT
(Last updated 5/13/01)

In this section we will focus on Yesod's relationship to the Sephirot of Tipheret,

which lies above Yesod in the Tree of Life, and Malkut, which lies below it. We
will examine similarities and complementary differences, as well as the role
Yesod plays in linking the other two.

YESOD AND TIPHERET

In kabbalistic literature, both Tipheret and Yesod are seen as the male
accompaniment to the female Sephirah of Malkut (the Shekinah). In the
arrangement of the Sephirot, Yesod lies directly between Tipheret and Malkut.
(Recall that the central column of the "Tree of Life," decends from Keter, through
the "non-Sephirah" of Da'at, then to Tipheret, Yesod and finally Malkut.)

As a leading modern kabbalist, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, writes:

In Kabbalah, the third day, tiferet ("beauty"), is the origin of the sixth day, yesod
("foundation"). Tiferet and Yesod totally integrate in the secret of the "middle
line" - "the body and the brit are considered one." 1

The above quotation refers to Tipheret as "the body" and Yesod (below it) as the
"covenant" ("brit"), stating that the two are considered as one -- although they
function differently.

Yesod is most commonly seen as the ninth Sephirah (counting from Keter at the
top). It is a complex attribute as it contains all that came "before it," (of the
previous eight Sephirot). Looking from "below," Yesod is generative, in that it is
the source of God's blessings (as has been mentioned). Regarding it from
"above," it is reflective of what came before it.

This is especially true in its relationship with Tipheret, which lies directly above
Yesod in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Yesod is considered an "image of the
image" or "mirror within the mirror," with regard to Tipheret. As it maintains the
complementary functions of giving and receiving, the foundation of Yesod must
be sound, hence it has an association with purity.2

YESOD - FOUNDATION OF SOULS

Included in the generative aspect of Yesod is its being the foundation of souls:

Bahir 157 - The Blessed Holy One has a single Righteous One (Tzadik) in His
world, and it is dear to Him because it supports all the world. It is the Foundation
(Yesod). This is what sustains it, and makes it grow, increasing and watching it. It
is beloved and dear on high, and beloved and dear below; fearsome and mighty
on high, and fearsome and mighty below; rectified and accepted on high,
rectified and accepted below. It is the Foundation of all souls.

Yesod is also called the "Foundation of all souls," because souls are said to be
born through the union of Yesod-Foundation to Malkut-Kingship.3

Yesod is associated in the soul with the power to contact, connect and
communicate with outer reality (represented by the sefirah of malchut). The
foundation (yesod) of a building is its "grounding," its union with the earth
(malchut). 4

The Zohar speaks to the same theme of the soul (in this case, specifically the
Neshemah - see previous study on levels of the soul), coming from the union of
Yesod to Malkut.

Zohar Appendix III - The Designations and The Categories - Further, the
lowest grade, Malkuth, is regarded as female in respect of the six grades of
‘heaven and earth’, and is often referred to simply as ‘The Female’. More
specifically, it forms a pair with the grade Yesod (Foundation) immediately above
it. The two, when thus conjoined, are usually designated Zaddik (Righteous One),
and Zedek (Righteousness), and out of their interaction issues the neshamah as
the soul of man.

As we discuss in detail further in this section, a function of Yesod regarding

Malkut is for the purpose of unifying the latter to Tipheret. As mentioned in an
earlier study, Tipheret is considered to be the "originator" of the Neshemah (the
higher soul):

Soncino Zohar Appendix III - The Divine Name - It remains to say a few
words on the place occupied by the Holy Name, the Tetragrammaton [YHVH], in
the scheme of the Zohar. In the Cabbalistic doctrine the name formed by the
four Hebrew letters yod, he, vau, he, has a special and intimate connection with
the grade of Tifereth, of which it is in the strict sense the proper name. We must
understand this to mean that if one could grasp with sufficient clearness the
nature of the grade Tifereth, especially as the originator of the
neshamah, he would automatically perceive that this is the fitting appellation
which should be given to it. To this grade of comprehension Moses and the other
prophets actually rose, and this was the basis of their inspiration. There is,
however, a difference between the inspiration of Moses and that of the other
prophets. Moses was able to grasp the connection between the grade and the
Name fully and clearly, but the others only through a haze, as it were, since their
comprehension only reached fully to the two inferior grades of Nezah and Hod,
the two ‘pillars’ or ‘willows of the brook’, as they are fancifully called.
Within the hands of Yesod/Tzaddik are the souls of all living things. Because of
this it is also called Hei ha-olamim (the "eternally living one," or, "Living God").5
This is reflected in Paul's usage of the term, assembly of the Living God, found in
1 Timothy 3:15 (see below).

YESOD - TREE OF LIFE

In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he refers to this pillar (foundation), and "ground
of truth," represented by the souls who make up the "assembly of the Living
God." He also implores the wise not to trust in earthy riches, but in this "Living
God" who provides (i.e., El Shaddai, a name of God associated with Yesod):

1 Timothy 3:15 - But if I tarry long, that you may know how you ought to
behave yourself in the house of God, which is the assembly of the living God
[Yesod], the pillar and ground of the truth.

1 Timothy 6:17 - Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not
highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God [Yesod], who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

The concepts Paul is teaching Timothy, are also found in the following Talmud
tractate:

Talmud - Mas. Baba Bathra 11a - Our Rabbis taught: It is related of King
Monobaz that he dissipated all his own hoards and the hoards of his fathers in
years of scarcity. His brothers and his father's household came in a deputation to
him and said to him, ‘Your father saved money and added to the treasures of his
fathers, and you are squandering them.’ He replied: ‘My fathers stored up below
and I am storing above, as it says, Truth springeth out of the earth and
righteousness looketh down from heaven. My fathers stored in a place
which can be tampered with, but I have stored in a place which cannot be
tampered with, as it says, Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his
throne. My fathers stored something which produces no fruits, but I have stored
something which does produce fruits, as it is written, Say ye of the righteous
[zaddik] that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat of the fruit of their
doings. My fathers gathered treasures of money, but I have gathered
treasures of souls, as it is written, The fruit of the righteous [zaddik] is a
tree of life, and he that is wise winneth souls. My fathers gathered for others
and I have gathered for myself, as it says, And for thee it shall be righteousness
[zedakah]. My fathers gathered for this world, but I have gathered for
the future world, as it says, Thy righteousness [zedakah] shall go before thee,
and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.’

The "Tree of Life," is often mentioned in discussions surrounding Yesod, and is

associated with Tzaddik (the Righteous One) and Torah, as well as the month of
Shevat, when Moses (the Tzaddik) recounted the Torah to the Children of Israel.

As stated by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh:

The tree of life, as expressive of the potential for restoring perfection to all
reality, appears in Jewish sources as symbolic of both the tzadik--foundation of
the world" and the Torah, in particular its inner dimension--the esoteric tradition.
Thus the month of Shevat, when we concentrate on grafting ourselves to the
tree of life, is an especially important time for attaching oneself to the tzadik by
way of the "sweet" Torah issuing from his mouth. For this reason we find that it
was during the month of Shevat that the children of Israel heard Moses
recapitulate the Torah, as recorded in the book of Deuteronomy (Mishnah
Torah). 7

The "Tree of Life," carries with it very deep esoteric meaning, particularly that of
the essence of the Tzaddik (his soul), being "hidden" like the roots of a tree.

As also related by Ginsburgh:

The tree - as composed of roots, a trunk, branches, and fruit - is seen in

Kabbalah as a metaphor for the process whereby Divine light and energy is
channeled into Creation. Let us elaborate upon the various components of this
metaphor: The roots of the tree represent the power of the Tzadik's soul, which
absorbs and draws forth the invisible Divine lifeforce underlying Creation,
making it available to all mankind in order that each individual can ultimately
produce his own unique fruit. The paradox of the tzadik is that while he exists in
a "revealed state" (known to his generation), ministering to Creation and serving
as a model of Divine service, his essence (or soul root) remains utterly hidden,
like the roots of a tree. The Tzadik himself is conscious of both these modes of
existence. He is thus able to consciously exist "in the world and outside it" at one
and the same time. 8

Paul spoke in the same terms regarding the life of the Tzaddik (in this case, the
righteous followers of Yeshua), being "hidden with Messiah." (i.e., existing, "in
the world and outside it at one and the same time," as mentioned by Ginsburgh
above.) His prescription for continuing in this state, was obedience to the
commandments of Torah:

Colossians 3:1-6 - If ye then be risen with Messiah, seek those things which are
above, where Messiah sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Messiah in God. When Messiah, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon
the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh
on the children of disobedience:

TIPHERET AND YESOD - JACOB AND JOSEPH

The similarity between Tipheret and Yesod is reflected in the relationship

between Jacob and his son, Joseph. Before approaching this subject, we will
review how the seven lower Sephirah correspond to the patriarchs: 9

• Hesed/Mercy = Abraham, worshipping from love of God

 • Gevurah/Judgment = Isaac, worshipping from fear of God

• Tipheret/Beauty = Jacob, as the one unifying the two sides of mercy and
judgment as well as the link between uppermost and lower "worlds"

• Netzach/Victory = Moses, as prophet and "active" seeker of Revelation

• Hod/Glory = Aaron, as Priest and "passive" restriction based on the

commandments

• Yesod/Foundation = Joseph, as the righteous and pure steward

• Malkut/Kingdom = David, as the worldly man

Thus, when speaking of Jacob, the correlation is to Tipheret, with Joseph, it is to

Yesod.

Jewish literature draws great comparisons between Jacob and Joseph, and
therefore between Tipheret and Yesod, considering one as the image of the
other. (As mentioned earlier, Yesod is the "image of the image" of Tipheret):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 176b - The Shekinah was thus
leagued with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob together with Joseph, inasmuch as the
two latter are one in essence, each one being the image of the other, as
indicated in the words: “These are the offspring of Jacob: Joseph” (Gen. XXXVII,
2).

A modern book on kabbalistic symbolism reveals the following between Jacob

and Joseph:

But Joseph resembled Jacob ... thus it is said by both of them, "Am I under God."
Jacob said, "Am I under God" (Genesis 30:2), Joseph said "Am I under God"
(Genesis 50:19). This alludes (to the fact that) Joseph is in the chariot like
Jacob. ... Moreover, we have a matter alluded to by the true sages regarding why
he is called Joseph the righteous. It is because his attribute is close to the
attribute of his father ... truth (the attribute of Jacob) and peace, the attribute of
Joseph, are one. 10

The idea that Joseph is in the chariot like Jacob, shows that the unity of God is
more prevalent at a "higher level" of prophetic vision. (We will address this in
chapter 5 of our study, were both "Father" and "Son" are seen to be in the
"throne.")

The following two texts from the Zohar points to the likeness of Jacob and
Joseph, mentioning how what happened to one, also occured to the other, and
that how (although they are the same), one (Joseph) is "near," and the other
(Jacob) is "far." This is interesting when we think of Jacob as representing
Tipheret in the heavenlies, and Joseph as the earthly Tzaddik, with divine
qualities.
This concept parallels how Yeshua's work here on earth as Tzaddik, is done
(outside of time) in the heavenly realm as Tipheret (i.e., He was crucified in the
flesh, but is also the "Lamb slain since the foundation of the world.") Having
performed His role in all worlds, He makes peace in all places:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - Esoterically speaking,

benediction does not abide save where male and female are together, and since
at that time the male was not with her, all the souls that issued then were not
the same as they had been when the sun was in union with the moon, as already
said. This union is symbolized by the relation of Joseph to Jacob, as expressed in
the verse, "These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph." This form of expression
implies that Jacob's image was completely reproduced in Joseph, and that
whatever happened to the one happened to the other also, the two
being parallel and having the same esoteric symbolism.’

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 6a - For the other, the highest
Sabbath does not come under the injunction of Shamor (keep), but is under that
of Zakhor (remember), which is used in the first version of the Ten
Commandments (Exod. XX, 8), since the Supreme King is hinted at in the word
Zakhor (remember). For this reason He is called “the King with whom Peace
dwells”, and His peace is within the injunction of zakhor (remember). And this
is why there is no contention in the supernal realm, because of the
twofold peace here below, one for Jacob and one for Joseph, as it is
written, “Peace, Peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near” (Is.
LVII, 19): “to him that is far off” refers to Jacob, “and to him that is near” refers
to Joseph.

DISTINCTIONS WITH TIPHERET

Although there is similarity between Tipheret/Jacob and Yesod/Joseph, we can

also see distinction between the two. The former is associated with God as
creator, seen in "maleness" as an active principle (YHWH), and the latter as God
as sustainer (El Shaddai), and seen as "maleness" transposed into procreative
power.11

This procreative function of a Tzaddik is to bring people to God, (i.e., "he who
wins souls is wise." - Proverbs 11:30).

As eloquently stated by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh:

The Tzaddik procreates by arousing the souls of his generation to return to God
and the Torah. 12

Yesod, as the "righteous one," does not represent God as judge (John 12:47).
This role is ultimately associated with Tipheret (i.e., John 5:22). As Gershom
Scholem states, Tipheret and Yesod represent, "two different sides of the
Godhead." 13
Yesod is also seen as the "crossover" point from the first heaven (Asiyah/Making)
to the second heaven (Yezirah/Formation), Tipheret represents that from the
second to the third heaven (Beriah/Creation).14

(This relationship between the heavens will be discussed at length later in this
Revelation study. For now, refer to background material on the "Four Worlds"
from Part 2 of our Ezekiel study, and notes to the Names and Arrangement of the
Sephirot.)

We can now see more clearly how Yeshua is reflected in both Tipheret, (in the
roles and functions he performs above, such as the heavenly Kohen Gadol, in the
order of Melchizadek), and in Yesod, as the righteous suffering servant who
lowers Himself from a heavenly status to redeem His kinsmen. (We will address
this theme of the Tzaddik "lowering himself" in a later section of our study.)

As mentioned earlier in this study, such a distinction between Tipheret and Yesod
is found in a passage of scripture where God tells Moses that He will be speaking
to him at the (higher) level of YHWH (associated with Tipheret) and not at the
level of El Shaddai (associated with Yesod), as He had spoken to the forefathers:

Exodus: 6:2-8 - And God speaketh unto Moses, and saith unto him, `I am
YHWH, and I appear unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as El
Shaddai; as to My name YHWH, I have not been known to them; and also
I have established My covenant with them, to give to them the land of Canaan,
the land of their sojournings, wherein they have sojourned; and also I have heard
the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians are causing to serve, and
I remember My covenant. `Therefore say to the sons of Israel, I am YHWH, and I
have brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and have
delivered you from their service, and have redeemed you by a stretched-out
arm, and by great judgments, and have taken you to Me for a people, and I have
been to you for God, and ye have known that I am YHWH your God, who is
bringing you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians; and I have brought
you in unto the land which I have lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob, and have given it to you -- a possession; I am YHWH.'

YESOD - UNIFYING TIPHERET AND MALKUT

With Tipheret (the groom) being united to Malkut (the bride) and Yesod lying
"between" them, it would seem sensible that the latter must play an important
role with the other two. This is indeed the case. The role of the "heavenly
Tzaddik" is emulated in the physical realm by the righteous on earth.

The Zohar commentary on Exodus further explains the situation with Moses (the
earthly Tzaddik), and how Tipheret and Malkut were united through him:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 25b - AND MOSES SPAKE BEFORE
THE LORD, SAYING: BEHOLD, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAVE NOT HEARKENED
UNTO ME, HOW THEN SHALL PHARAOH HEAR ME, WHO AM OF UNCIRCUMCISED
LIPS ? How did Moses dare say this? Had not the Holy One already promised him,
when he said that he was not eloquent, that He “will be with his mouth” (Ex. IV,
10-12)? Or did the Holy One not keep His promise? However, there is here an
inner meaning. Moses was then in the grade of “Voice” [Tipheret], and the grade
of “Utterance” [Shekinah-Malkut], was then in exile. Hence he said: “How shall
Pharaoh hear me”, seeing that my “utterance” is in bondage to him, I being only
“voice”, and lacking “utterance”. Therefore God joined with him Aaron, who was
“utterance” without “voice”. When Moses came, the Voice appeared, but it was
“a voice without speech”. This lasted until Israel approached Mount Sinai to
receive the Torah. Then the Voice was united with the Utterance, and the word
was spoken, as it says, “and the Lord spake all these words” (Ex. xx, I). Then
Moses was in full possession of the Word, Voice and Word being united. That was
the cause of Moses’ complaint (v. 23), that he lacked the word save at the time
when it broke forth in complaint and “God spake to Moses”(VI, 2). On this
occasion the word began to function, but it ceased again, as the time was not
yet ripe; hence the verse continues, “and said to him, I am the Lord” (Ibid.). Only
at the giving of the Law Moses was, as it were, healed of his impediment, when
the Voice and the Utterance were united in him as their organ. Before that event
the power which is Utterance guided Israel in the desert, but without expressing
itself until they came to Sinai.

The Zohar's commentary on Song of Songs (Song of Solomon), also refers to this
union of Tipheret and Malkut via Moses:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 26a - R. Judah interpreted in the

same sense the verse from the Song of Songs (v, 5-6): “I rose up to open to my
beloved, but my beloved hath withdrawn himself and was gone”. As long as the
Community of Israel is in exile the Voice [Tipheret], is withdrawn from her and
the Word does not function, as it says, “I am dumb with silence” (Ps. XXXIX, 3);
and even when the Word does awaken, “my Beloved hath withdrawn Himself”,
i.e. it suddenly ceases, as it did at first with Moses.

The role of joining Malkut to Tipheret belongs to the one in the place of Yesod-
Tzaddik:

"Jacob, who is called Tif'eret, is the masculine world that is standing, and he
wanted to join the feminine world (Shekinah), which is sitting, by means of
Yesod, which is called peace and tranquility." 15

"... just as the divine saddiq serves as a conduit connecting the Holy One blessed
be He [Tipheret], and the Shekinah [Malkut], so by means of walking the earthly
saddiq [Yesod] unites with the feminine Presence [Malkut] ... "the sephirah of
Yesod above serves to unite the waw (vav) [Tipheret] and the he' (lesser he)
[Malkut] of the Tetragrammaton (YHVH)" 16

The term "walking" (halakha) in the above citation, is used kabbalistically to refer
to the arousal of the union of the masculine [Tipheret] and feminine [Malkut]
aspects of God. This is associated with the concept of tikkun (repair of creation
and unification of the Godhead), accomplished through works of Torah.
This "look ahead" to the eternal tikkun (when Tipheret and Malkut finally come
together), was foreshadowed in the sacrificial system instituted by God. The
Zohar explains how the "heave offering" played a mystical role, along with the
righteous person, in this unification of Tipheret (representing the heavenly
realm) and Malkut (representing the earthly realm):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - "They shall take Me a

heave offering." Here we have displayed an inclusive union of the above with the
below, for it does not say "They shall take a heave offering", but "They shall take
Me a heave offering", which denotes a fusion of the upper with the lower
spheres. [Tr. note: i.e. Tifereth with Malkuth.] "On the part of everyone
whose heart is willing ye should take my heave offering." The words "on the part
of" seem at first sight to be superfluous, but in reality they contain a deep lesson
for the masters of the esoteric lore. Blessed are the righteous who have learnt
how to centre all their thoughts and desires on the Heavenly King, and whose
aspirations are directed, not towards the vain and foolish toys of this world and
its lusts, but to attaching themselves wholeheartedly to the world above in order
to draw down the favour of the Lord Himself from heaven to earth.

King David was another Tzaddik who was able to unify Malkut and Tipheret. Note
that David's praise was directed to Tipheret, (in essence Yeshua in the
heavenlies):

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 21a - The words “I will give praise
to thee” were addressed by King David to the Holy One, blessed be He
[Tipheret], for that last world which He has made [Malkuth]; for David attached
himself to that world and through it attained to kingship. “I will wait on thy
name, for it is good”: this is the Holy One, blessed be He [Tipheret], when unified
with that world which is called “good”. And when is it called good? When it is in
the presence of thy saints, or rather, “lovingkindnesses”

... for when these are filled from the goodness of the stream issuing from the
Ancient Holy One, then Yesod is called “good”, and then He [Yesod] establishes
this latter world and all is blessed. Hence David waited for this grade to illumine
the world to which he was attached.’

Because Yesod plays this active role in uniting the heavenly groom (Tipheret)
and bride (Malkut), is is referred to also as ha-teshukah, "the light of desire" -- a
term used for the desire of the male for the female.17

When the soul (Neshamah) of the Tzaddik is involved in religious activity, it

affects the Sephirot, specifically uniting Malkut to Tipheret:

When the neshamah ascends, the desire of the feminine for the masculine is
aroused and the waters pour forth from above to below. 18

As mentioned in our earlier studies, the Sephirah of Malkut (the bride), when
kept apart from its groom (Tipheret) becomes the source of harsh judgment on
the world. The Bahir uses a great deal of bodily and sexual allegory to explain
such concepts.
As stated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan:

Even though we know that God is absolutely incorporeal, having neither body,
shape nor form, it is taught that, "He borrows terms from His creatures to
express His relationship to His creation (Mekhilta on Exodus 19:18). These terms
are used allegorically, but at the same time, each has a definite meaning in
terms of the Sephirot. 19

As mentioned earlier, Tipheret (or Zer Anpin, the six Sephirot represented by
Tipheret - see previous study on Names and Arrangement of the Sephirot),
represents the main trunk of the (male) body. Yesod, being beneath the body, is
the "phallus" (as this is the Sephirah that generates souls and sustains life).
Malkut represents the female counterpart to this.

Keeping these allegorical concepts in mind, note the following commentary to

the Bahir, explaining the relationship between these three Sephirot. The function
of Yesod is in bringing them together, thus playing a key role in bringing "peace"
to the world:

But in order for Malkhut-Kingship to act in a mode of Mercy, it must be bound to

Zer Anpin, this being the concept of the Supernal Union. This Union, however,
takes place through Yesod-Foundation, the sex organ, which is also called
Righteousness (Tzaddik). Yesod-Foundation, however has two modes, one of
celibacy and one of intercourse. The Righteous is one who is "separated from
sex," and therefore, when it is in this mode, it is called, "the Righteous, the
Foundation of the world." The word "world" here is Olam, also having the
connotation of Elam - Hidden. Therefore, Yesod-Foundation is called Righteous
when the sex organ is hidden and not expressed. Similarly, Joseph is called
Righteous (Tzadik) precisely because he refused to have intercourse with
Potiphar's wife. When Yesod-Foundation is in this mode, there is no union
between Zer Anpin and the Female. The Female is therefore in the mode of
Judgement. In the second mode, Yesod-Foundation is called Chai - "alive." It is
said to be "alive" when it is functioning during intercourse. If a person pursues
righteousness, then he aroses its counterpart on high and brings about the
supernal union. He then "may live and occupy the land." When the verse says
that he will "live," it means that he will bring Yesod-Foundation into its mode of
Chai, which is that of union. He will then occupy the "Land," which always alludes
to the Sefirah of Malkhut-Kingship, which is the Female.. 20

FEMALE CHARACTERISTICS OF YESOD

In Kabbalah, that which is intermediate between two extremes possesses

aspects of both those extremes. Therefore, Yesod has characteristics of both the
"masculine" Tipheret and the "feminine" Malkut.

The Zohar associates the Tzaddik (Yesod) with the "Angel of the Lord," from the
book of Exodus. This angel is said to manifest itself in both male and female
forms. (Note also the relationship between the colors of the rainbow and aspects
of God. This will be addressed in our text analysis):
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 232a - While they were sitting
midnight arrived, and R. Judah said to R. Jose: ‘Now the north wind awakes and
the night is divided, and now is the time when the Holy One, blessed be He,
longs for the voice of the righteous in this world, the voice of those who study
the Torah. Now God is listening to us in this place; therefore let us not cease
from discoursing on the Torah.’ He then commenced: THE ANGEL WHO
DELIVERED ME FROM ALL EVIL . This is the same as the one mentioned in the
verse: "Behold I send an angel before thee, etc." (Ex. XXIII, 20), who, as we have
laid down, is the deliverer of the world, the protector of mankind, and the one
who procures blessings for all the world, he himself receiving them first. This
angel is sometimes male, sometimes female. When he procures blessings
for the world, he is male, resembling the male who provides blessings for the
female. But when he comes to bring chastisement on the world he is called
female, being, as it were, pregnant with the judgement. Similarly, in the words,
"the flame of the sword which turned every way" (Gen III, 24), there is a
reference to the angels who are God's messengers, and who turn themselves
into different shapes, being sometimes female and sometimes male, sometimes
messengers of judgement and sometimes of mercy. In the same way, this angel
can take all colours like the rainbow, and treats the world correspondingly.

An example of a Tzaddik taking on "female" characteristics is found in Luke's

Gospel. Here we find Yeshua (the Divine Tzaddik), referring to Himself in terms of
the Kingdom (Malkut), which is feminine. Interestingly, the various versions of
the "New Testament" translate this verse in one of two ways:

Luke 17:21 - Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the
kingdom of God is within you. (King James Version)

Luke 17:21 - nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the
kingdom of God is in the midst of you. (Revised Standard Version)

Both translations are legitimate, as the Hebrew preposition "be" means "with" as
well as "in." Thus, the Kingdom can be found by looking for God within oneself
(i.e., where the Sephirot may be "found," as we are made in His image), in the
manner of humility and repentance - defined as turning away from the flesh to
following Torah. 21

Tzaddik-Yesod (as represented by Yeshua) therefore contains elements of the

Kingdom (as He was [potentially] the Kingdom in their midst), giving Tzaddik-
Yesod (and thus Yeshua), "female" characteristics as well. (Malkut-Kingdom is
identified as having primarily female characteristics.)

This is true, as Yeshua is the image of God, which is both male and female.

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them.

It also helps explain why Yeshua speaks of Himself using a female analogy:
Matthew 23:37 - O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and
stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not!

The Sephirah of Yesod is said to "include the female," through its being bound to
it:

In Kabbalistic teachings, "Judgment" is Zer Anpin itself. Thus six of the seven
[lower] Sephirot are "Judgment," which are the six of Zer Anpin. The Sephirah of
Yesod-Foundation, which is the male sex organ, also includes the Female ... 22

This is also reflected in the Bahir, (which bases this theme on Genesis 2:24,
where a man and wife become "one flesh"):
23
The covenant of circumcision [Yesod] and man's mate are considered as one.

This linking of the male and female is mirrored in the Olam Haba, (World to
Come), where the righteous (Tzaddik) in heaven are seen as being bound to the
Shekinah. This is represented in the form of being given "crowns on their heads."
(It is also associated with "white garments," as mentioned several places in
Revelation):

Man then binds himself to the Female, just as the male cleaves to the female in
a physical sense. The Female is the Divine Presence (Shekhinah). This binding is
the ultimate delight of the World to Come, and it is thus taught, "In the World to
Come ... the righteous will sit, with their crowns on their heads, delighting in the
radiance of the Shekinah" (Berakhot 17a). 24

The gift of these crowns, and thus eternal life, is directly related to Torah
observance. (This will be discussed in detail in our text analysis.) John made it
quite clear that those who will one day "be like him," (in the "radiance of the
Shekinah" - see above), are those who have purified themselves, which is done
by turning from sin (as defined by Torah), and following the "path" of the Tzaddik
- one who is a "hearer" and a "doer" of Torah.

Note that John makes it a point to define sin as "lawlessness" (going against the
Torah):

1 John 3:1-7 - See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called
children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is
that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet
appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in him
purifies himself as he is pure. Every one who commits sin is guilty of
lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins,
and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has
either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who
does right is righteous, as he is righteous. (RSV)
An example of John's admonition (above) for the servant of the Lord to be "pure"
is seen in Daniel. His righteousness resulted in an amazing proclamation
regarding the "kingdom" of Darius, who declared that the God of Daniel (note:
"the Living God" - Yesod), would be the God of his (Darius) kingdom.

Thus, Daniel brought God's shalom to the kingdom of Darius, just as the Divine
Tzaddik brings peace to God's Kingdom:

Daniel 6:20-28 - And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable
voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of
the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee
from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath
sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me:
forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee,
O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and
commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken
up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he
believed in his God. And the king commanded, and they brought those men
which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their
children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all
their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. Then king
Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth;
Peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree, That in every dominion of my
kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the
living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not
be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth
and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who
hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So this Daniel prospered in the
reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

THE FEMALE TZADDIK

The earthly tzaddik, may of course, be male or female. One of the more
significant righteous women of the Bible, from a kabbalistic viewpoint, is Miryam,
the sister of Moses and Aaron. As we have earlier discussed, Moses is associated
with the Sephirah of Netzah, and Aaron with Hod. These Sephirah are concerned
with the "management" or "filtering" of what comes from above to the world
below. The children of Israel, with the Shekinah among them, are represented by
the Sephirah of Malkut.

So what about Yesod-Tzaddik in this relationship? This role was played by the
righteous Miryam. As the tzaddik, it was she that acted as "mediator" between
the people and her two brothers, who (especially Moses) were very close to God
and involved with His instruction, that they distanced themselves from the
people.

Two related episodes confirm her role. One involved the time that she spoke
against Moses and received the punishement of Tzaraat (incorrectly called
"leprosy" in most Bibles) - in fact having her skin turn completely white
(Numbers, chapter 12). When a person was striken with Tzaraat (a punishment of
mercy from God) they had to stay away from the camp for at least seven days.
Normally, this person would follow the main group of people as they continued
their journey. In Miryam's case however, the people did not move at all until she
was brought back to the camp.

Why did they wait? The common explanation is out of respect, but if we examine
the text closely, we will see that it may have been out of necessity -- due to her
role as the Tzaddik, who brings forth the flow of God's blessings from the
heavens above to the people below.

We know that the blessings that followed the children of Israel were directly
linked to a mysterious rock/well that followed them in their journey. We see in
Numbers, chapter 20, that when Miryam died, the rock/well that supplied their
water (which also represents God's blessings), was not to be found. As we will
discuss in the next section, the rock/well is directly associated with Yesod-
Tzaddik.

Thus we have Moses, Miryam and Aaron representing the "lower triad" of Netzah,
Yesod, Hod, placed between the higher heavenly realm and the people.

Two interesting articles on Miryam's role may be found at:

http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Eparasha/beshalah/co1.html

http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Eparasha/beshalah/coh.html

1. The Mystical Signficance of the Hebrew Letters: Tzadik, The Faith of the
Righteous One, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/tzadik.htm, (Gal Einai Institute, Kfar Chabad,
Israel.)

2. Kabbalah, Tradition of Hidden Knowledge, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Thames

and Hudson, 1979, p.7.

3. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.175.

4. The Divine Emanations--The Ten Sefirot: Yesod "Foundation," Rabbi Yitzchak

Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/sefirot/sefyesod.htm

5. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 86.

6. It should be noted that souls are also said to emanate from Binah, in its union
with Chokmah. In each case there is a "male" Sephirah (Chokmah, Yesod) uniting
with a "female" Sephirah (Binah, Malkut), that is the cause for this. It would also
seem that Binah is concerned with the origin of the soul at the Supernal level,
whereas Yesod is at the "human" level.
7. Kabbalah and Modern Life - Living with the Times: A Torah Message for the
Month of Shevat, Tu B'Shevat, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat57.htm

8. ibid.

9. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach, Maine, 1976, p.134.

10. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995,, pp. 121-122.

11. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p.106.

12. The Divine Emanations--The Ten Sefirot: Yesod "Foundation," Rabbi Yitzchak
Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/sefirot/sefyesod.htm

13. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p.92.

14. See: The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach, Maine, 1976, for a complete explanation of the "overlapping" of the four
worlds.

15. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 240,
citation from Toledot, 28a-b.

16. ibid, pp. 105-107.

17. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 108.

18. The Mystic Quest, An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason
Aronson Publishers, London, 1988, p. 123, Citation from the Zohar.

19. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel
Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.145.

20. ibid, p.137.

21. Also see; On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, (Gershom Scholem, Schocken
Books, New York, 1965, p. 15), where Scholem cites the Zohar's mystical
interpretation of God's words to Abraham in Genesis 12:1, "Lech Lecha" ("Get
thee out"), as also meaning, "Go to Thee," that being Abraham's own self.

22.The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.126.

23. ibid, p.30.

24. ibid, p.132.

YESOD - Part 3
LIVING WATER, ROCK, MANNA,
THE "WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE"
(Last updated 4/8/01)

In this third section, we examine aspects of Yesod that are related to concepts
associated with Messiah, such as; Living Water, Rock, Manna, and the "Way, the
Truth and the Life."

TZADDIK - SOURCE OF LIVING WATER

Yesod is considered to be one of the two primal sources of "living water," the
other coming directly from Eyn Sof via the highest Sephirah of Keter/Crown. (See
notes on the "River of Eden") The difference between the two is that which is
from Keter flows freely, but that from Yesod-Tzaddik is subjected to certain
predermined laws and limits, based on the merited righteousness of those
receiving it.1

This function of Yesod is often compared to Joseph, who represents Yesod on the
Tree of Life. When Joseph did not control his ego (i.e., in his younger years
antagonizing his brothers), things did not go so well for him (being sold into
slavery, etc.) Only after going through this ordeal, and learning humility and
keeping himself from temptation (i.e., rejecting the advances of his master's
wife), did he control his ego, become the Tzadik that God wanted Him to be, and
receive enormous blessings from the Source of blessings.2

Yesod-Tzadik, is thus considered to be the "fountain of blessing" or, "fountain of

living waters."

Yeshua referred to Himself using this terminology:

John 4:10 - Yeshua answered and said unto her, If you knew the gift of God, and
who it is that says this to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him,
and he would have given you living water.

The "limitation" in receiving blessings, based on a person's merit, is also in

accordance with that taught by Yeshua. One who follows Him will become a
Tzadik, and source of living water:

John 7:38 - He that believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly will
flow rivers of living water.

Note that to, "believe in Him," (as we discuss elsewhere in this study and in our
other studies), means to follow the path of Torah. Rewards (either in this life or
the next), are related to Torah study and observance. Yeshua, being the Divine
Tzaddik, represents the goal of the Torah for us, as Paul stated in his most
famous epistle:

Romans 10:4 - For the goal at which the Torah aims is the Messiah, who offers
righteousness for eveyone who trusts." (Jewish New Testament).3
The Tzaddik is also considered "the living Torah," as the hidden light of God,
found in the letters of Torah - the foundation of life. 4

The Zohar supports this concept, placing Yesod as the source of this spiritual
nourishment:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135b - ‘The congregation

respond: “Blessed is the Lord who is blessed for ever and ever.” The expression
“who is blessed” indicates the streaming of blessings from the source of life to
the place whence issue nourishment and bounty for all creatures [Yesod]. And
why do we call this source “blessed”? Because it sustains and waters ’olam
va'ed (lit. for ever and ever), which is the Sabbath eve. In this way blessings are
transmitted to this ’olam va'ed from the highest world, so that it attains its full
perfection. Thus in this benediction, "blessed" represents the ultimate source
whence all blessings emanate ; [Tr. note: Hohmah.] "the Lord" is the centre[Tr.
note: Tifereth.] of all the supernal sides; "who is blessed" represents the
peace of the house, the fountain of the cistern, [Tr. note: Yesod].
providing completion and nourishment for all, while "for ever and ever"
refers to the world below, [Tr. note: Malkuth.] which needs these blessings: the
"good oil" of "blessed", "the Lord", and "the Blessed One" is all for this ’olam
va'ed. Therefore the whole congregation has to recite this every day; but on
Sabbath eve it must be recited with special devotion and gladness, in order that
the Sabbath may be fitly blessed by the holy people. When they begin to recite
this benediction a voice is heard in all the heavens that are sanctified by the
entrance of the Sabbath: "Blessed are ye, holy people, for that ye bless and
sanctify on earth below, that thereby many supernal holy hosts may be blessed
and sanctified above." Blessed are they in this world and blessed are they in the
world to come. The Israelites do not recite this benediction until they are
crowned with the crowns of holy souls, as we have said before.

In this next passage, we see Tipheret and Yesod both mentioned as the husband
to the Shekinah (Malkut). This passage also contains some mystical insight into
the meaning of Hebrew letters, as the abode from which the waters flow, is
related to the Hebrew letter "mem," (called "M"):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - What is the place whence
they receive this favour? It is a holy supernal region, whence emanate all holy
wills and desires. This is known as "every man", who is identical with the
"Righteous" [Tzaddik/Yesod], the Lord of the House, whose love is always
directed towards the Matrona, like a husband who loves his wife always. "Whose
heart is willing": that is, His heart goes out to Her, and Her heart to Him. And
although their mutual love is so great that they never separate, yet "ye shall
take from Him My heave offering", meaning, "ye should take the Shekinah
[Malkut], to dwell with you". The Holy One, blessed be He, [Tipheret] unlike a
human husband, who would protest violently should anyone take from him the
wife whom he so dearly loves, is greatly pleased when the Shekinah, whom He
so loves, is "taken" from the supernal sphere, the abode of Love, to dwell below
in the midst of Israel. Happy is the lot of Israel and happy that of all those who
are worthy of this. In that case, it might be asked, why does it say, "which ye
should take from them" instead of "from Me"? Because the "from them" refers to
these two Divine names or grades [Tipheret and Yesod]. Rabbi Yeba the Ancient
suggested that meitam (from them) signifies meet M, from the sphere
designated by the letter M; the mysterious sphere, the abode of the Righteous
One [Tzaddik/Yesod], from whence He draws life to distribute to all the worlds. It
is all one mystery, which has been entrusted to the wise.

The letter "M" is the Mem, which means "water" -- in this case, the water of the
fountain of life, the river which flows out of Eden (emerging in its central point, at
Yesod, which is under the "Tree of Life" (i.e., Tipheret), to water the Garden (the
realm of the Shekinah). The "sphere" (Sephirah) of the letter mem as mentioned
in the Zohar section above is Yesod (Tzaddik). This flow issues forth through the
Covenant of Israel. (See the earlier section on Yesod and Covenant, as well as
previous notes on the "River of Eden"):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 231a - “I have made a covenant

with my chosen.’ This covenant is the secret of faith. Or we may interpret the
“chosen one” of the Zaddik from whom issue blessings to all the lower creation,
all the holy Hayyoth being blessed from the stream which flows forth to the
lower world.

The Zohar shows that the Tzaddik both gives and received blessings from above
and below. Again, the relationship between Jacob and Joseph (mentioned in the
previous section), is important. This section also mentions the relationship
between Binah and Malkut, the "upper and lower Mothers":

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 247a,b - Observe that Joseph

received an extra blessing, as it is written: EVEN FROM THE GOD OF THY
FATHER, HE SHALL HELP THEE . Jacob gave Joseph an inheritance above and
below. The inheritance above was given in these words: “from the God of the
father” [Tipheret], the place called “heaven”. He added: “And he shall help
thee”, to show that this place would not be exchanged for any other place, and
his support would be from this place and from no other. AND WITH THE
ALMIGHTY: [Yesod] this signifies another and lower grade, indicated by the word
eth (with), from which issue blessings to the world ...

... Up to this point the blessings were given in general; they were now
particularized with the words: BLESSINGS OF HEAVEN ABOVE, ETC. THE
BLESSINGS OF THY FATHER HAVE PREVAILED ABOVE THE BLESSINGS OF MY
PROGENITORS . This was so because Jacob inherited the cream of all more than
the other patriarchs, he being perfect in all, and he gave all to Joseph. This was
fitting, because the Righteous One [Yesod] takes all and inherits all, and all
blessings are deposited with him. He first dispenses blessings above, and all the
limbs of the body are disposed so as to receive them, and thus is brought into
being the “river which goes forth from Eden”. Why Eden (lit. delight)? Because
whenever all the limbs are knit together in harmony and in mutual delight, from
top to bottom, then they pour blessings upon it, and it becomes a river which
flows forth, literally, from “delight”. Or again, the word “Eden” may refer to the
supreme Wisdom, from which the whole flows forth like a river until it reaches
this grade, where all is turned to blessing. The two interpretations are practically
the same. UNTO THE UTMOST BOUND OF THE EVERLASTING HILLS . Or better,
“unto the desire (ta'avath) of, etc.” These everlasting hills are two females
[Binah and Malkut], one above and one below, each of whom is called ’olam (a
world). The desire of all the limbs of the Body is for those two Mothers [Binah and
Malkut] - from below to suck from the higher Mother [Binah], and from above to
be linked with the lower Mother [Malkut], both desires being in essence the
same. Therefore, THEY SHALL ALL BE ON THE HEAD OF JOSEPH , so that the
grade of the Righteous One [Yesod], should be blessed and receive all as befits.
Happy are they who are called righteous, for only he is so called who observes
this grade, this sign of the holy covenant [Yesod]. Happy are they in this world
and in the world to come.

As Tzaddik represents the "route" through which the River of Eden flows into the
world, it is also considered the "mediator" among the six Sephirot (i.e., Zer
Anpin), that lie above Malkut. 5

Because Tzaddik restores the equilibrium between the upper and lower realms, it
(he) is called the true symbol of shalom (peace). Tzaddik is therefore associated
with the Messiah, as by bringing peace and harmony in the divine world, God is
"truly one" at that moment, and this oneness would be made manifest in our
world. 6

As the Tsaddik awakens the world to repent or to fix that which is not whole, this
attribute is called Peace, mediating for good between YHWH [Tipheret] and
Adonai [Malkut], making peace between them and bringing them near to dwell
together without separation or breaking up in the world; and at that hour we find
that God is one. 7

Scripture shows that this will ultimately be fulfilled by Messiah (the source of
living waters):

Zechariah 14:8-9 - And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out
from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the
hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over
all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

(We will discuss the subject of Messiah bringing tikkun [restoration] to the
heavenly realms, in greater detail, in a future section of this study.)

TZADDIK - ROCK

Another aspect of Tzaddik is that of "rock" - specifically the rock from which flow
the living waters:

Bahir 193 - And what is the meaning of the verse (Genesis 49:24), "From there
is the Shepherd. the Rock of Israel." From "There" is nourished the Rock of Israel.
What is the meaning of "from There?" We say that this is the Supernal Righteous
One (Tzadik). What is it? It is (the precious stone called) Socheret. And the stone
that is below is called Dar.

Paul associates this "rock" that provided nourishment (water) to Yeshua. (This
verse shows Paul as having a deep kabbalistic interpretation of the "rock" (or
"well") that followed the Children of Israel in their desert wanderings):

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 - Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be

ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all
eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Messiah.

In Psalm 42 we again see David seeking the "living God." In this case, associating
this emanation of God (Yesod) as a rock issuing forth water. The following section
also deals with aspects of the soul and how it relates to the Tree of Life. (This is a
topic we will address in detail at some later time). For now, the reader should
note that as we can elevate our soul from the level of Malkut to Tzadik, David felt
his soul was "cast down" (almost in a "literal" sense) from the level of Yesod (the
Living God for Whom he thirsted after). He can even "hear" the waterspouts of
Yesod (which provide the "health of his countenance"), calling to him:

Psalm 42 - As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come
and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they
continually say unto me, Where is thy God? When I remember these things, I
pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to
the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept
holyday. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in
me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from
the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth
unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows
are gone over me. Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day
time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of
my life. I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I
mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones,
mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my
countenance, and my God.

The kabbalistic understanding of Yesod/Foundation as a stone or rock affects a

number of Scripture interpretations. The following Zohar section includes all of
the following within its discussion on the Foundation stone:

• the world established on seven pillars (Proverbs 9:1), all of which is

mysteriously supported by the Foundation.
 • the holy of holies (also referred to a second time as the place of the
Cherubim)

• the stone the builders rejected (Psalm 118:22)

• Jacob's pillar (Genesis 28)

• the Stone with seven eyes (Zechariah 3) These are the "eyes" of the
Tzaddik, which are associated with the role of the seven lower Sephirot in
the soul of man, 8 as well as the "eyes of the congregation" 9

• a stone ascending to be crowned (the Tzaddik who receive their crowns)

• the stones of the breastplate of the Kohen Gadol (Tzaddik as High Priest is
discussed in the next section)

• the "heart of stone" in man (which must be circumcised - i.e., see earlier
study on Yesod and Covenant/Circumcision)

• the two tablets of the Ten Commandments (Torah, the path of the tzaddik)

• twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel (i.e., Revelation 21)

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 231b - R. Jose discoursed on the

verse: Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened ? (Job XXXVIII, 6). He
said: ‘When God created the world, He established it on seven pillars, but upon
what those pillars rest no one may know, since it is a recondite and inscrutable
mystery. The world did not come into being until God took a certain stone, which
is called the "foundation stone", and cast it into the abyss so that it held fast
there, and from it the world was planted. This is the central point of the universe,
and on this point stands the holy of holies. This is the stone referred to in the
verses, "Who laid the corner-stone thereof" (Ibid. 6), "the stone of testing, the
precious corner-stone" (Is. XXVIII, 16), and "the stone that the builders despise
became the head of the corner" (Ps. CXVIII, 22). This stone is compounded of
fire, water, and air, and rests on the abyss. Sometimes water flows from it and
fills the deep. This stone is set as a sign in the centre of the world. It is referred
to in the words, "And Jacob took a stone and set it as a pillar" (Gen. XXXI, 45).
Not that he took this stone, which was created from the beginning, but he
established it above and below, by making there a "house of God". This stone
has on it seven eyes, as it is written, "On one stone seven eyes" (Zech. III, 9),
and it is ca11ed "foundation stone", for one thing because the world was planted
from it, and for another because God set it as a source of blessing to the world.
Now at sunset, the Cherubim which stood in that place used to strike their wings
together and spread them out, and when the sound of the beating of their wings
was heard above, those angels who chanted hymns in the night began to sing, in
order that the glory of God might ascend from below on high. The striking of the
Cherubim's wings itself intoned the psalm, "Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye
servants of the Lord... Iift up your hands to the sanctuary, etc." (Ps. CXXXIII). This
was the signal for the heavenly angels to commence. At the second watch the
Cherubim again beat their wings, giving the signal to the angels of that watch.
The psalm of the Cherubim this time was "They that trust in the Lord are like
Mount Zion, etc." (Ps. cxxv). At the third watch the Cherubim beat their wings to
the words "Hallelukah, praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the
Lord" (Ps. CXIII), and then the angels of the third watch commenced to sing, and
also all the stars and constellations of the heaven, as it is written: "When the
morning stars sung together and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job
XXXVIII, 7), and also, "Praise him, all ye stars of light" (Ps. CXLVIII, 3), these
being the radiant stars which are appointed to sing at dawn. After them Israel
take up the chant below, and so the glory of God ascends both from below and
from above, from Israel below in the day, and from the celestial angels above in
the night, and so the name of God is fully praised on all sides. As for this stone
that we have mentioned, all the angels above and Israel below take hold on it,
and it ascends to be crowned in the midst of the patriarchs by day. At night the
Holy One, blessed be He [Tipheret], comes to disport Himself with the righteous
in the Garden of Eden. Blessed are those who stand at their posts and study the
Torah at night, because God and all the righteous in the Garden of Eden listen to
the voice of those sons of men who study the Torah.’

That stone we have mentioned is a goodly stone, and it is hinted at in the verse
"And thou shalt set in it a setting of stone, four rows of stone" (Ex. XXVIII, 17),
because there is another stone of which it is written "And I shall remove the
heart of stone, etc." (Ezek. XXXVI, 26). The two tablets of stone were also hewn
from this stone; and this was also called "the stone of Israel" (Gen. XLIX, 24), as
has been explained. R. Hizkiah quoted the verse: "And the stone shall be
according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve" (Ex. XXVIII, 21). He said:
‘These are the precious supernal stones which are called "the stones of the
place" (Gen. XXVIII, 11). They were "according to the names of the children of
Israel" because just as there are twelve tribes below, so there are twelve tribes
above, which are twelve precious stones; and therefore it is written: "Whither the
tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, for a testimony unto Israel" (Ps. CXXII,
4), the reference being to the supernal Israel. Further, just as there are twelve
hours in the day, so there are twelve hours in the night, in the day above and in
the night below, each corresponding to each. These twelve hours of the night are
divided into three sets, to each of which belong hierarchies of angels, which take
their portion first. Hence, at midnight two ranks stand on one side and two on
the other, and a celestial spirit goes forth between them and then all the trees in
the garden break forth into song and God enters the garden, as it says: "Then do
all the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the
earth" (I Chron. XVI, 33), because judgement enters among them and the
Garden of Eden is filled therewith. Then the north wind springs up, bringing joy in
its train, and it blows through the spice trees and wafts their perfume, and the
righteous put on their crowns and feast themselves on the brightness of the
"pellucid mirror"- happy are they to be vouchsafed that celestial light! The light
of this mirror shines on all sides, and each one of the righteous takes his
appropriate portion, each according to his works in this world; and some of them
are abashed because of the superior light obtained by their neighbours. When
night commences, numbers of officers of judgement arise and roam about the
world, and the doors are closed, as we have affirmed. Thus at midnight the side
of the north comes down and takes possession of the night until two-thirds of it
have passed. Then the side of the south awakes until morning, and then both
south and north take hold of it (the Shekinah). Then come Israel here below, and
with their prayers and supplications raise it up until it ascends and hides itself
among them, and receives blessings from the fountain-head.’

Another text containing various "stone" themes, is Peter's first epistle. He refers
to Yeshua as the living stone and chief cornerstone, and His followers, who are to
walk the path of the Tzadik, are called living stones, who build up a spiritual
house.

The followers of Yeshua are "a royal priesthood" (alluding to the stones on the
breastplate of the Kohen Gadol). Peter mentions that the Divine Tzaddik, Yeshua,
suffered and died for the atonement of many. (This will be discussed in the next
section of our study on Yesod.):

1 Peter chapter 2:1-25 - Having put aside, then, all evil, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes the word's
pure milk desire ye, that in it ye may grow, if so be ye did taste that the Lord [is]
gracious, to whom coming -- a living stone -- by men, indeed, having been
disapproved of, but with God choice, precious, and ye yourselves, as living
stones, are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua haMashiach. Wherefore, also, it is
contained in the Writing: `Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, choice, precious,
and he who is believing on him may not be put to shame;' to you, then, who are
believing [is] the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders
disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner, and a stone of
stumbling and a rock of offence -- who are stumbling at the word, being
unbelieving, -- to which also they were set; and ye [are] a choice race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew
forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light; who [were]
once not a people, and [are] now the people of God; who had not found
kindness, and now have found kindness.

Beloved, I call upon [you], as strangers and sojourners, to keep from the fleshly
desires, that war against the soul, having your behaviour among the nations
right, that in that which they speak against you as evil-doers, of the good works
having beheld, they may glorify God in a day of inspection. Be subject, then, to
every human creation, because of the Lord, whether to a king, as the highest,
whether to governors, as to those sent through him, for punishment, indeed, of
evil-doers, and a praise of those doing good; because, so is the will of God, doing
good, to put to silence the ignorance of the foolish men; as free, and not having
the freedom as the cloak of the evil, but as servants of God; to all give ye
honour; the brotherhood love ye; God fear ye; the king honour ye. The
domestics! be subjecting yourselves in all fear to the masters, not only to the
good and gentle, but also to the cross; for this [is] gracious, if because of
conscience toward God any one doth endure sorrows, suffering unrighteously;
for what renown [is it], if sinning and being buffeted, ye do endure [it]? but if,
doing good and suffering [for it], ye do endure, this [is] gracious with God, for to
this ye were called, because Messiah also did suffer for you, leaving to you an
example, that ye may follow his steps, who did not commit sin, nor was guile
found in his mouth, who being reviled -- was not reviling again, suffering -- was
not threatening, and was committing himself to Him who is judging righteously,
who our sins himself did bear in his body, upon the tree, that to the sins having
died, to the righteousness we may live; by whose stripes ye were healed, for ye
were as sheep going astray, but ye turned back now to the shepherd and
overseer of your souls.

Note that Peter also calls Yeshua the, "Shepherd and overseer of our souls," a
similar "caretaker" metaphor as given to the Sephirah of Yesod in the Bahir:

Bahir 180 - The "Righteous, Foundation of the world" is in the center. It

emanates from the south of the world, and is officer over the other two. In its
hand are also the souls of all living things. It is called the Life of Worlds. 10

Gershom Scholem points out the Messianic connection between the Tzaddik
being a custodian of souls:

The same idea with a Messianic thrust appears in another Bahir passage, which
speaks about the Sephirah of Tsaddik, which is the "foundation of the world": "In
His hand is the treasure-house of all souls ..." 11

The presence of these themes shows the same kabbalsitic ideals found in the
Zohar and Bahir, also underlie Peter's writings. (See previous section for more
about Yesod and the soul.)

TZADDIK - MANNA

The following section of the Zohar contains an interesting comment on the

double portion of Manna taken up for the Sabbath. It states that this double
portion was not so much twice the quantity as it was two types of bread - earthly
and heavenly varieties.

This bread of heaven is said to come by way of the Tzaddik. The Zohar refers to
this bread as, "the bread of vau." The letter "vau" is directly associated with
Tipheret, as discussed elsewhere in this study. Tipheret, as also mentioned
earlier, is the "body" of the male, representing the heavens, therefore this is the
"bread of heaven."

The earthly bread is the bread of the Sabbath (Malkut). Again, the theme of the
Tzaddik uniting Tipheret and Malkut is seen, this time in the idea of the heavenly
and earthly breads being united:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 245b-246b - Now the love of

the Community of Israel for God [Malkut] is excited only by the souls of the
righteous here on earth, because they come from the side of the king, the side of
the male [Yesod-Tipheret]. This excitement reaches the female [Malkut] and stirs
her love; and in this way the male awakens the love and affection of the female,
and the female is united in love with the male [Yesod-Tipheret]. In the same
way, the desire of the female to pour forth lower waters [from Malkut] to meet
the upper waters [from Binah] is only aroused through the souls of the righteous.
Happy, therefore, are the righteous in this world and in the world to come, since
on them are established upper and lower beings. Hence it is written: “The
righteous man is the foundation of the world” (Prov. x, 25). Esoterically speaking,
the Zaddik is the foundation of the upper world and the foundation of
the lower world, and the Community of Israel contains the Zaddik from above
and from below. The righteous one from this side and the righteous one from
that side inherit her, as it is written: “The righteous shall inherit the earth” (Ps.
XXXVII, 29). The Righteous One inherits this earth, and pours upon it blessings
every day, and furnishes it with luxuries and delicacies in his flow.

All this is hinted in the words: OUT OF ASHER HIS BREAD SHALL BE FAT, AND HE
SHALL YIELD ROYAL DAINTIES . It is from the future world that the stream
reaches this Righteous One which enables him to provide luxuries and delicacies
to this earth, thus transforming it from “the bread of poverty” into “the bread of
luxury”. The name “Asher” (lit. happy) signifies the place which all declare
happy, to wit, the future world. In the expression “his bread” the reference of the
word “his” is not specified; but we may divide the word lahmo (his bread) into
lehem vau, that is, “the bread of vau” (which signifies the heavens) [Tipheret];
hence it is written: “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you” (Ex. XVI, 4). It
is from thence that the tree of life is nourished and crowned, and when it
receives this nourishment, then it “yields the dainties of the king”. This king is
the Community of Israel, who is fed therefrom by the hand of the Righteous
One, the sacred grade of the sign of the covenant [Yesod].

In the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder it says that the bread mentioned here is
the Sabbath bread [Malkut], which is double in quantity, as it is written in
connection with the manna: “They gathered double bread” (Ex. XVI, 22); that is
to say, bread from heaven and bread from earth, the one being “bread of
luxury”, the other “bread of poverty”. For on Sabbath the lower bread was united
with the upper bread, and one was blessed for the sake of the other. He further
said that the Sabbath receives from the celestial Sabbath which flows forth and
illumines all, and in this way bread is joined with bread and becomes double.

(Note: The comparison made above between Yesod and "the hand of the
Righteous One." This anthropomorphism takes on additional meaning, as we will
see in our section on the Divinity of the Messiah.)

In John's gospel, Yeshua discusses the theme of the manna, speaking of the
earthly manna, eaten by the people, and a heavenly manna, which he describes
as Himself. (Our text study will discuss the themes surrounding manna in even
greater detail.)

Note the reference to coming to Yeshua and never hungering or thirsting. This is
an allusion to His other words about "eating His flesh" and "drinking His blood."
(John 6:53 - obviously highly metaphorical and kabbalistic ideas.) The theme of
Torah (His words) equalling life is also present in this section. Note also that
many of His followers did not understand this deep (kabbalistic) level of Torah
understanding and departed from Him at this point.

The section ends with Peter referring to Yeshua as "the Son of the Living God"
(i.e., Son of Yesod). We will address this in a subsequent section to this study of
Yesod:

John 6:28-71 - Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work
the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God,
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, What
sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou
work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them
bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the
true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from
heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto
them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he
that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have
seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and
him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven,
not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent
me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came
down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Yeshua, the son of Joseph, whose
father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from
heaven? Yeshua therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among
yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw
him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they
shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath
learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father,
save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers
did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh
down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living
bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live
for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of
the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this
man give us his flesh to eat?

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh
of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last
day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth
my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living
Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he
shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your
fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for
ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many
therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard
saying; who can hear it?

When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them,
Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where
he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the
words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some
of you that believe not. For Yeshua knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you,
that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter
answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Messiah, the Son of the living
God.

The following insight from kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, associates the
same theme of "eating" with Torah and experiencing a taste of the Kingdom
(Shabbat) while alive. Again, the letter "Tav" plays a mystical role regarding
these ideas. This meaning of the Tav will be discussed later in this study:

The rectified sense of eating is the special sense of the tzadik, as is said: "The
tzadik eats to satisfy his soul." This verse continues: "but the stomach of the
wicked is always lacking." The soul-oriented tzadik feels "full" and happy with a
little; the body-oriented rasha (wicked-one) never feels "full." Eating from the
Tree of Life, the tzadik derives great pleasure ("life" in Torah means "pleasure")
from the Divine sparks of light and lifeforce present within the food he eats. In
his rectified state of consciousness he is continuously aware that "not on the
[physical dimension of] bread alone does man live, but on each utterance of the
mouth of G-d does man live." The time of greatest pleasure in partaking of food
is on the day of Shabbat. The word for "to satisfy [his soul]" is cognate to the
word for "seven," alluding to the seventh day of Shabbat. A true tzadik
experiences the pleasure of Shabbat the entire week (in the Zohar, the tzadik is
called Shabbat). The word Shevat itself transforms to Shabbat (since the two
letters tet and tav, both letters of the tongue, are phonetically
interchangeable).12

TZADDIK - THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE

John 14:6 - Yeshua said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
comes to the Father, but by me.

The Way
The "way" of the Tzaddik has already been explained to be the "path" from
Malkut to Yesod. This is the path of righteousness, based on being a hearer and
doer of Torah (i.e., Romans 2:13; James 1:22-25). The Sephirot of the Tree of
Life, are not only a representation of God, they are also the way for us to learn of
God, in that the Torah reveals them.

As stated by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh:

Each of the sefirot possesses both an external as well as an internal dimension.

The external dimension of each sefirah is identified with the "functional" role
that it plays in the process of Creation; its internal dimension is identified with
the hidden motivational force which inspires its activity. Even more so than with
respect to the external dimension of the sefirot, their inner dimension can only
be appreciated in context of how it manifests itself in the Jewish soul. Given the
Divine derivation of our soul, we can understand how an analysis of its essential
properties and powers can serve as the best vehicle for achieving insight into G-
d’s own inscrutable being. 13

For the one persuing the path of the Tzaddik, the Sephirah of Netzach and Hod
work together to give "balance." Netzach, on the "active" right side of the tree of
life, is associated with the desire to "push the envelope," in our search of God -
this is the "doer." Hod, on the "passive" left side of the Tree, acts to give a strong
grounding in the Torah, keeping them "in check." This is the "hearer."

For instance, if Netzach is "weak" in a person, they can get too caught up in rigid
dicipline of following commands and not grow in their relationship with God. If
Hod is weak, they can in their poorly-grounded exuberance, go off on tangents
that lead them into Scriptural error.

The aspiring Tzaddik is not without guidance in how to understand and apply
Netzach and Hod. This function belongs to his teacher, called the Maggid. The
role of maggid in this teacher-student relationship, is represented by the
Sephirah of Tipheret -- which as we have seen earlier has multiple associations
with Yeshua, especially in his heavenly role(s).14

The Truth

The Sephirah of Yesod is directly tied to the concept of "truth." In turn, "truth" is
associated with the "seal" of God. The Hebrew word for truth is Emet, spelled
Alef-Mem-Tav, the first, middle and last letters of the alphabet. This is an
important detail, as we will see in out text analysis of Revelation.

The Midrash Rabbah offers the following commentary:

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy I:10 - THE LORD, THE GOD OF YOUR

FATHERS. Halachah: May a Jew who has been appointed Rabbi or Judge of the
community administer justice alone? Thus have our Rabbis learnt: Do not judge
alone, for there is only One who judges alone, as it is said, But He is at one with
Himself, and who can turn Him (Job XXIII, 13)? What is the meaning of, ’But He is
at one with Himself’? Resh Lakish said: God both judges and seals the verdict
alone. R. Reuben said: And what is God's seal? Truth (emeth). And why emeth?
Emeth consists of the following three letters, alef the first of the letters of the
Hebrew alphabet, mem the middle, and taw the last, indicating that, as Scripture
says, I am the first, and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God (Isa. XLIV,
6).

Yesod's relationship to truth is stated as follows by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh:

The spiritual state identified in Chassidut as corresponding to the sefirah of

yesod is that of emet (truth), in the sense of the power to "verify" one's
convictions and emotions in action and to achieve true self-fulfillment in life. 15

In another essay on the human soul, Ginsburgh goes on to say:

Emet is the spiritual state associated with the sefirah of yesod. In the words of
our sages, "the seal of G-d is truth." The final letters of the three words that
conclude the account of Creation--bara Elokim la'asot ("G-d created to do"
[Genesis 2:3])--spell emet. G-d created reality "to do," which as interpreted by
the sages means that it is incumbent upon us, G-d's creatures, to complete the
"doing" (i.e. "rectification") of His Creation. Here, emet, whose three letters are
referred to as the beginning, middle and end of the alef-beit, means the actual
"verification" ("end" or "seal") and "realization" of G-d's primordial will (the
"beginning") in Creation. (Emet in its intellectual sense, represents G-d's plan for
reality which follows His will and precedes His seal, and thus corresponds to the
"middle" stage of emet). As a spiritual emotion of the soul, emet is thus
understood to be the experience of the soul's almost impulsive "drive," at the
end of a creative pursuit, to "make it come true." Emet thus entails the
experience of self fulfillment in all of one's life endeavors. The tzadik
("foundation of the universe," referred to as the "tzadik emet") is the one
granted the power to "decree" that G-d realize and fulfill in actuality all of His
good promises to Israel. It is the inner potential of each and every Jew to become
such a tzadik emet. Thus emet is the power to realize one's own deepest
potential, which is in fact the power of the Jewish soul to bring about the ultimate
realization of G-d's potential. 16

The "seal of God" (emet/truth) is also associated with the Yesodic concepts of
Covenant and cicumcision:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XIX:5 - When the Israelites saw that the
uncircumcised were disqualified from eating the Passover, they arose with the
least possible delay and circumcised all their servants and sons and all those
who [subsequently] went out with them, as it says: Thus did all the children of
Israel (ib. V, 50).4 It can be compared to a king who arranged a banquet for his
friends and who said: ' Unless the invited guests show my seal [on the invitation
card], none can enter.’ Similarly, God ordained a feast for them, flesh roast with
fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, to commemorate their deliverance
from trouble; but He commanded: ' Unless the seal of Abraham is inscribed on
your flesh, you cannot taste thereof.’ Thereupon all those who had been born in
Egypt were immediately circumcised, and concerning these is it said: Gather My
saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice
(Ps. L, 5).

Several verses in the "New Testament" link the concepts of truth and foundation
to God's seal:

John 6:27 - Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him
hath God the Father sealed.

Ephesians 1:13 - In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 4:30 - And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption. (i.e., Spirit of truth as found in John 4:17; 15:26;
16:13; 1 John 4:6; 5;6)

2 Timothy 2:19 - Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the
name of Messiah depart from iniquity.

The book of Revelation associates the seal of God with a "mark" of God in the
foreheads of those who are righteous during the final time of great tribulation on
earth:

Revelation 7:3 - Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

Revelation 9:4 - And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the
grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men
which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

The Zohar associates a "mark upon the forehead" with the rainbow, covenant
and ability to enter into His presence.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - ‘It is written: "And I will
look upon it (the rainbow) that I may remember the everlasting covenant." This
means that God's desire is constantly for the bow, and that he who is not visible
therein will not enter into the presence of his Master. The inner meaning of the
words, "And I will look upon it", is to be found in the words, "and set a mark upon
the foreheads, etc." (Ezek. IX, 4), so as to be clearly visible.’

In a highly metaphorical passage of the Zohar, the last letter of emet (truth), the
Tav, is shown to be the seal upon the heads of the righteous in the last days. It is
applied to those who keep God's Torah. (This is supported in Revelation 12:17;
14:12; 22:14):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 2b - IN THE BEGINNING. Rab

Hamnuna the Venerable said: ‘We find here a reversal of the order of the letters
of the Alphabet, the first two words Bereshith bara-"in-the-beginning He-
created"-commencing with beth, whereas the two words following, Elohim
eth-"God the"-commence with aleph. The reason is as follows. When the Holy
One, blessed be He, was about to make the world, all the letters of the Alphabet
were still embryonic, and for two thousand years the Holy One, blessed be He,
had contemplated them and toyed with them. When He came to create the
world, all the letters presented themselves before Him in reversed order. The
letter Tau advanced in front and pleaded: May it please Thee, O Lord of the
world, to place me first in the creation of the world, seeing that I am the
concluding letter of EMeTh (Truth) which is engraved upon Thy seal, and seeing
that Thou art called by this very name of EMeTh, it is most appropriate for the
King to begin with the final letter of EMeTh and to create with me the world. The
Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Thou art worthy and deserving, but it is not
proper that I begin with thee the creation of the world, since thou art destined to
serve as a mark on the foreheads of the faithful ones (vide Ezek. IX, 4) who have
kept the Law from Aleph to Tau, and through the absence of this mark the rest
will be killed; and, further, thou formest the conclusion of MaWeTh (death).

The Life

Yesod-Tzaddik, in its position between "heaven and earth" (Tipheret and Makut),
is both, "the lifeforce of Creation "running" towards its source Above, and the
lifeforce returning - downwards." 17

Bahir 180 - The "Righteous, Foundation of the world, is in the center. It

emanates from the south of the world, and is officer over the other two. In its
hands are also the souls of all living things. It is the Life of Worlds.

Bahir 183 - Why do we say (in the blessing after food), "On all that He
created ... (Blessed) is the Life of Worlds." Why do we not say, "On all that you
created?" But we bless the Holy One, who grants His wisdom to this "Life of
Worlds." It then provides for all.

Commenting on the above, verses, Aryeh Kaplan writes:

"Life of Worlds," represents the Sefirah of Yesod-Foundation ... it is called

"Righteous" when passive, and "Life" when active. 18

Gershom Scholem comments on the Bahir's view of the Divine Tzaddik:

In Sefer ha-Bahir, the term [Tzaddik] shifts its meaning to "Life of the Universe."
We find here for the first time the symbolism of life -- a symbolism that from
then on remained associated with the figure of the Tsaddik, life is connected
with the master of souls. This, source, from which all souls come, is also the
primal ground from which the life of all worlds derives. This "life" is the mediator
by which God's strength operates in all things ... 19

1. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,

Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 103-106.
2. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach, Maine, 1976, p.136-137.

3. Romans 10:4 is the most consistently mistranslated verses in Scripture, with

Christian translations typically using the erroneous, "Christ is the end of the
Law." See our Romans study for details regarding this.

4.On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 137.

5. ibid, p. 134 and p. 285, note 25.

6. ibid, p. 105.

7. ibid, p. 104, quotation from Rabbi Joseph Gilkatilla.

8. The Hebrew Letters, Channels of Creative Consciousness, Rabbi Yitzchak

Ginsburgh, Gal Einai Publications, Jerusalem, 1990, p. 119.

9. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 101.

10. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel
Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, pp. 69-70. The concept of the Tzaddik
being the caretaker (i.e., shepherd, gardener) of souls is common to kabbalistic
literature.

11. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 205, citation from Bahir
184.

12. Kabbalah and Modern Life - Living with the Times: The Month of Shevat,
Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat.htm.

13. The Powers of the Soul: The Powers in the sould to experience God, Rabbi
Yitzchak Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/powers/powers.htm

14. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach, Maine, 1976, p.75-76, 83, 103, 107, 155.

15. The Divine Emanations--The Ten Sefirot: Yesod "Foundation," Rabbi Yitzchak
Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/sefirot/sefyesod.htm

16. The Powers of the Soul: Emet Truth, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/powers/powemet.htm

17. The Mystical Signficance of the Hebrew Letters: Tzadik, The Faith of the
Righteous One, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/tzadik.htm

18. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel
Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.183.
19. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p.98.

Section VI – Messiah

MESSIAH - PART 1
THE TZADDIK
(Last updated 10/5/01)

INTRODUCTION

These final section of our Revelation background study are focused on the
concept of "Messiah," including the "divinity of Messiah" as understood within
and supported by historical Jewish writings. There has never been one conclusive
definition of the characteristics of Messiah within the Messianic teachings of
Judaism. As we will discuss in this section, the figure of Messiah is seen as
everything from a suffering Tzaddik to atoning Priest to triumphant King.
Opinions of his origins range from a simple man born in time, to a mystical figure
said to have existed prior to the foundation of the world.

The wealth of names associated with Messiah indicate the extent of ideas that
surround him. These names include; Messiah ben Joseph, Messiah ben David,
Messiah ben Ephraim, the Leprous Messiah, Head of Days, Son of Man, Tzemah
(Shoot), Menachem (Comforter), Nehora (Light), Shalom (Peace), Tzaddik
(Righteous), Adonai (Lord), Yinnon (Continued), Tzidqenu (Our Justice), Pele
(Miracle), Yo'etz (Counselor), El (God), Gibbor (Hero), Avi 'Ad Shalom (Eternal
Father of Peace), Fragrance, David, Shiloh, Elijah. 1

This study also seeks to address some of the traditional arguments made against
the Messiahship of Yeshua, including the idea that of the "sure signs" that the
Messiah has come (all based on Scripture), none have occurred.

Some of these signs are:

1. Universal peace and freedom are established

2. The righteous are resurrected

3. The "lost tribes" of Israel are all brought back to the land

4. The Torah will go forth from Jerusalem.

5. The "millennial Temple" (Ezekiel chapters 40-48) becomes reality

6. Animal sacrifices are resumed in the Temple (Ezekiel)

7. All nations will come to the land of Israel to observe Sukkot

The standard response to these arguments, is that these things would be

accomplished at Yeshua's "second coming." To this comes the reply, "Where in
Scripture does it speak of two comings of Messiah?" The answer to this question
is typically that the second coming was not revealed to the prophets -- to which
the Scriptural response is, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth
his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)

If Yeshua is the Messiah, then what is called "a second coming," must be part of
God's revelation through His prophets, as this is no small matter.

As we have shown throughout this study, there are several levels of

interpretation of the Scriptures within Judaism. It is at the "deepest" level (the
Sod level), that the mysteries of Torah, including that of salvation through a
Divine Messiah, are found. This is not at all the same as saying that the prophets
were "not shown" these things. They indeed were. However, we have been
distanced for centuries from the knowledge required for this level of
understanding.

This Revelation study aims to rectify this problem and offer an appropriate
explanation to the mysteries of the Messiah that is within the context of Hebraic
understanding.

MESSIAH AS TZADDIK

Jewish sages throughout history have struggled with different, some times
contradictory, aspects of the Messiah. On the one hand Messiah suffers and dies,
on the other He is triumphant and reigns supreme. One of the ideas promoted to
resolve this problem, is that of their being two Messiahs.

The first of these is called Messiah ben Joseph, the other Messiah ben David.
According to tradition, Messiah ben Joseph is a tzaddik who according to some
sources is destined to suffer and die for his people. Despite what some claim
today, the "suffering servant" found in the chapters of Isaiah is considered in
ancient Jewish commentary, to be Messiah ben Joseph as well as representing
Israel.2

As Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh states, prior to the establishment of the Kingdom of

God, Messiah ben Joseph, "will rectify certain aspects of reality in preparation for
the advent of Messiah ben David." 3

Exactly what things he will rectify are not completely clear in Jewish literature.
We do know that the role of this tzaddik (as with every earthly tzaddik), is to
bring tikkun (restoration) to the world and the Godhead. Because of this, the
Midrash Rabbah does say that Messiah ben Joseph receives the kingdom before
Messiah ben David does.4

Returning to the personage of Joseph, we find a connection between the Tzaddik

and Messiah. Looking into the life of Joseph himself may help make some
connections. As previously shown, Kabbalisticly, Joseph is linked to the Sephirah
of Yesod, which, as we have discussed, is both the foundation of the world and
divine Tzaddik. In the "New Testament." these concepts are associated with
Yeshua as well. There are other parallels that can be made between these two.
For instance, the idea that his own brethren did not recognize him when he
saved them from death. This has some interesting Kabbalistic aspects.

As stated byYitzchak Ginsburgh:

Joseph, the speaker of the verse "take for yourselves seed," corresponds to the
sefirah of yesod, whose function is to express self in the form of giving seed, as
explained in Kabbalah. When Joseph first gave grain to his brothers, they were
unable to recognize him, similar to the dalet in relation to the gimlet. Upon his
revelation to his brothers (and thereby to all of Egypt), his giving became that of
the hei. Instead of grain he now gave seed. 5

The above theme of increase blessings surrounding Israel, at the time they
recognized their "long lost brother," has a type of parallel in one of Paul's letters:

Romans 11:12 - Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches
for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness.

Another thing to consider is one of Joseph's dreams where his father, mother and
brothers would all one day bow down to him. What is also interesting about this
is his father, Jacob's response.

Jacob took the "long view" to what was being said.

Genesis 37:9-11 - And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren,
and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the
moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father,
and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this
dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed
come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied him;
but his father observed the saying.

(Note: We will offer additional comment to Jacob's response in a subsequent

section of this study.)

The "sudden recognition" of Joseph by his bothers (when they are all in Egypt), is
paralleled in Scripture regarding the mourning experienced by Israel when they
finally recognize the one who was "pierced":

Zechariah 12:10 - And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall
look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in
bitterness for his firstborn.

Again, contrary to what some teach today, there is a clear history of translating
Zechariah 12:10 according as "the one pierced" (or "thrust through"), as well
as interpreting this as being the Messiah. For instance, the Talmud interprets this
future time of mourning, as being for Messiah ben Joseph:
Talmud - Mas. Sukkah 52a - What is the cause of the mourning [mentioned in
the last cited verse]? — R. Dosa and the Rabbis differ on the point. One
explained, The cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, and the
other explained, The cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination. It is well
according to him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of
Joseph, since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, And they shall look upon
me because they have thrust him through, and they shall mourn for him as one
mourneth for his only son; but according to him who explains the cause to be the
slaying of the Evil Inclination, is this [it may be objected] an occasion for
mourning? Is it not rather an occasion for rejoicing? Why then should they weep?
— [The explanation is] as R. Judah expounded: In the time to come the Holy One,
blessed be He, will bring the Evil Inclination and slay it in the presence of the
righteous and the wicked.

TZADDIK-YESOD AS JACOB'S LADDER

Re-examining the subject of Jacob's dream of the ladder ascending to heaven

(Genesis 28:12), we find that Jacob described the ladder in terms that relate to
the Sephirot, particularly that of Yesod. Note the Zohar's account of the
descriptive words he uses, including; covenant, promotion of fecundity
(abundance), receiving blessing from all the bodily organs (the other Sephirot),
"the gate of the Body, the gate assuredly through which pass the blessings
downwards."

As we have seen in the previous study section, these terms are all associated
with the Sephirah of Yesod-Tzaddik:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 150b - Jacob then said: THIS IS
NONE OTHER THAN THE HOUSE OF GOD , implying: This is not to remain idle; its
covenant is not meant to exist in isolation. It is in sooth a godly abode, to be
used for the promotion of fecundity and for receiving blessing from all the bodily
organs. For indeed this is THE GATE OF HEAVEN, or, in other words, the gate of
the Body, the gate assuredly through which pass the blessings downwards, so
that it is attached both on high and below: on high, as being the gate of heaven,
and below, as being none other than the house of God."

(Note the reference to Yesod being the "gate" as compared to Matthew 7:13-14,
and also Luke 13:24, where Yeshua says that many will try to enter this gate but
will fail.)

The ladder seen by Jacob, is a view of the Sephirotic Tree of Life, particularly the
"middle pillar," which the Zohar calls, "the essential unity of the object of faith."
(This alludes to the "Shema" - see the previous study on this subject.) Jacob saw
a representation of the Sephirot, extending from Malkut at the bottom, to
Tipheret at the top, with the "ladder" (i.e., "path," "foundation") connecting
"below" to "above."

The image of God that Jacob sees at the top includes the Sephirot of Hesed-
Mercy and Gevurah-Judgment (represented by Abraham and Isaac), on each side
and would thus indicate Tipheret. As discussed earlier in the study, Tipheret
brings these two sides into harmony.

This is explained as follows:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 150a - AND BEHOLD, THE LORD
STOOD (nitsab) UPON IT, ETC. Here Jacob discerned the essential unity of the
object of faith. This is implied in the term nitsab (firmly knit), which implies that
Jacob saw all grades stationed as one on that ladder so as to be knit into one
whole. And inasmuch as that ladder is situated between two sides, God said to
him: I AM THE LORD, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM THY FATHER, AND THE GOD OF
ISAAC, these two being respectively of the two sides, one of the right and the
other of the left.

The angels moving up and down the ladder in Jacob's vision, represent the
"Hosts of Elohim" (on the side of Hod), and the "Hosts of YHWH" (on the side of
Netzach) - (see previous study on the Overview of the Sephirot.)

TZADDIK-YESOD AS SON, NEIGHBOR AND MESSIAH

In the Jewish mystical writings, the middle pillar of this Godhead, is also linked
with the "Son of Yah." Incidently, the term "Yah" is a name of God generally
associated with the Sephirah of Chokhmah-Wisdom, also called "Father."
However, only the first letter of this name (the Yud) designates Wisdom. The
second letter (the Heh) designates Understanding, the feminine principle, or
"Mother." The two are not separated at the higher levels.6

One version of the Zohar refers to this Son, as a "neighbor":

Zohar, vol. 2, p. 115, (Amsterdam Edition) - Better is a neighbor that is

near, than a brother far off. This neighbor is the Middle Pillar in the G-dhead,
which is the Son of Yah.

To better understand the connection between these things, we return to

comments by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, where he discusses the relationship
between Messiah, the "neighbor" (mentioned in the Zohar passage just above),
and God's salvation:

The wicked Bila'am "distances" the coming of the Mashiach when he says, "I
behold it, but not in the near future." In contrast, the prophet Isaiah draws the
Mashiach nearer when he says, "for my salvation is near to come" (Isaiah 56:1).
In his commentary on the Torah entitled Heichal Ha'bracho, the Komarnar Rebbe
explains Bila'am's words as follows: 'Nearness' indicates a close neighbor who
is the Tzadik, the foundation of the world. Similarly, the holy prophet
(Isaiah) said, 'my salvation is near' (Isaiah 56:1). But this wicked one said, 'but
not in the near future.' In truth it is near; for the redemption is experienced
every day and in each hour by one with a sensitive heart. Now, it is truly close;
its 'appointed time' is here. Yet, this is not exact, since even the 'appointed time'
will be 'hastened' (before its time; see commentaries on Isaiah 60:22). Our
master, the holy Ari, noted that the 'appointed time' had actually started in his
day: "I am certain of this every day that I yearn and wait for the final
redemption." 7

Ginsburgh continues in the same commentary, by recounting that the

"appointed time," traditionally refers to the time of Messiah:

Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (who passed away in 5503), author of the commentary Or
HaChaim, explains our verse as referring in its entirety to the Mashiach. He
explains that the Mashiach's coming will be hastened, if the Jewish People merit
it, and if not, then he will come "in its appointed time." This is the meaning of
the quote "in its appointed time, I will hasten it" (Isaiah 60:22), as interpreted by
our sages. In accordance with this understanding, the quote "I behold it, but not
now" (not immediately now, but very soon) refers to a state in which the Jewish
People are worthy, whereas "I behold it, but not in the near future" refers to a
state in which they are not. So too, if the Jewish People are worthy, then the
Mashiach will come in a manner from above to below as pictured in the
phrase, "a star will go forth from Jacob" and as it is said "he will come via the
clouds of the heavens"--in the merit of the service of the majority of the souls of
Israel, the average ones amongst the Jewish People, the rank and file--who may
be labeled "Jacobs." Whereas, if they are not worthy, then the Mashiach will
come in a manner from below to above, "and a staff shall arise in Israel" and as
"a poor man, riding on a donkey"--in the merit of the service of the minority of
the souls of Israel, the Tzadikim of the generation, who are labeled "Israel."

We notice that the first Mashiach--King David--according to the Rambam's

interpretation, parallels the Mashiach at the level of "if they merit…'I will hasten
it'" according to the Or Hachaim's explanation. In addition, the final Mashiach, a
descendent of King David (called by the Sages "Caesar" in contrast to King David
who is called "half-Caesar," according to the Rambam)--parallels the Mashiach at
the level of "if they are not worthy--'in its appointed time'" according to the Or
Hachaim's commentary. 8

DISTINCTION OF TZADDIK-YESOD
AMONG THE LOWER SEVEN SEPHIROT

The Zohar also helps to explain the relationship between the lower seven
Sephirot (i.e., the "Pillars" mentioned in Proverbs 9:1 as we have discussed), and
the Tzaddik. Although the world rests upon several "pillars," it is also said to rest
upon one specifically, that being Tzaddik/Yesod:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 82b - Said R’ Judah, ‘Is it not a
dictum of the Rabbis that the world rests on seven supports, as it is written,
“Wisdom hath hewn out her seven pillars” (Prov. IX, 1)?’ R. Jose replied: ‘That is
so, but those others depend on one who is the real support of the world. This is
the Zaddik who waters and refreshes the world and feedeth all, and of whom it is
written, “Say of the Zaddik that he is good, for (through him) they eat of the fruit
of their works” (Is. III, 10), and again, “The Lord is good to all and his tender
mercies are over all his works” (Ps. CXLV, 9).’
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 69a - R. Isaac here asked R.
Simeon to explain how it is that some say the world is founded on seven pillars
and some on one pillar, to wit, the Zaddik [Yesod]. He replied: ‘It is all the same.
There are seven, but among these is one called Zaddik on which the rest are
supported. Hence it is written: “The righteous one (Zaddik) is the foundation of
the world” (Prov. x, 25). This handmaid’, resumed R. Simeon, ‘will one day rule
over the holy land below as the Matrona [Shekinah-Malkut] once ruled over it,
but the Holy One, blessed be He [Tipheret], will one day restore the Matrona to
her place, and then who shall rejoice like the King and the Matrona? - the King,
because he has returned to her and parted from the handmaid, and the Matrona
because she will be once more united to the King. Hence it is written: “Rejoice
exceedingly, O daughter of Zion”, etc. Observe now that it is written, “This shall
be to you a statute for ever” (Lev. XVI, 29). This promise is a decree of the King,
fixed and sealed.

The above passage calls Malkut-Kingdom, the daughter of Zion. The next Zohar
section identifies Yesod-Tzaddik with as being Zion:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 186a R. Judah discoursed here

on the text: The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave
forth his voice; hailstones and coals of fire (Ps. XVIII, 14). ‘When God’, he said,
‘created the world, He constructed for it seven pillars by which it was to be
upheld. So Scripture says: “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out
her seven pillars” (Prov. IX, 1). These in turn are upheld by one grade from
among them called “the Righteous One, the everlasting foundation” (Ibid. x, 25).
Further, when the world was created, it was started from that spot which is the
culmination and perfection of the world, the central point of the universe, which
is identical with Zion, as it is written: “A psalm of Asaph. God, God the Lord hath
spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down
thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth” (Ps. L, 2).
That is to say, God started the earth from Zion, from the spot where faith
culminates in its full perfection. Zion is thus the citadel and central point of the
universe, from which it began to be fashioned and from which the whole world is
nourished.

The following section associates the foundation stone with the stone the builders
despised (which is used in the "New Testament" in referring to Yeshua). This
stone is said to be, "compounded of fire, water, and air." Kabbalistically, these
three elements are associated with the three pillars of the Tree of Life, or the
three "Worlds" that exist above our physical world. (These concepts will be
discussed in detail further in this study):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 231b - R. Jose discoursed on the

verse: Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened ? (Job XXXVIII, 6). He
said: ‘When God created the world, He established it on seven pillars, but upon
what those pillars rest no one may know, since it is a recondite and inscrutable
mystery. The world did not come into being until God took a certain stone, which
is called the “foundation stone”, and cast it into the abyss so that it held fast
there, and from it the world was planted. This is the central point of the universe,
and on this point stands the holy of holies. This is the stone referred to in the
verses, “Who laid the corner-stone thereof” (Ibid. 6), “the stone of testing, the
precious corner-stone” (Is. XXVIII, 16), and “the stone that the builders despise
became the head of the corner” (Ps. CXVIII, 22). This stone is compounded of
fire, water, and air, and rests on the abyss. Sometimes water flows from it and
fills the deep. This stone is set as a sign in the centre of the world. It is referred
to in the words, “And Jacob took a stone and set it as a pillar” (Gen. XXXI, 45).
Not that he took this stone, which was created from the beginning, but he
established it above and below, by making there a “house of God”. This stone
has on it seven eyes, as it is written, “On one stone seven eyes” (Zech. III, 9),
and it is ca11ed “foundation stone”, for one thing because the world was planted
from it, and for another because God set it as a source of blessing to the world.

METATRON AS THE DIVINE TZADDIK

The Zohar makes clear in the following section, that this righteous pillar upon
which the world was founded, and upon which the lower seven Sephirot rest (all
mentioned above), is none other than Metatron. Note that in addition to the
three pillars of the Tree of life being associated with the elements of fire, water
and air (as mentioned above), they are also associated with the colors red, white
and green.

As we discuss in our text analysis, these colors are significant, they also being
associated with the aspects of judgment, mercy and balance, and are linked to
Metatron as well:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 164a - Then he began to

expound to them this verse: A song of degrees for Solomon (li-shelomoh). Except
the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the Lord guard
the city, the watchman waketh but in vain (Ps. CXXVII, 1-2). Said he: ‘Was it
Solomon who composed this Psalm when he built the Temple? (for li-shelomoh
could be understood to mean “of Solomon”). Not so. It was King David who
composed it, about his son Solomon, when Nathan came to him (David) and told
him that Solomon would build the Temple. Then King David showed unto his son
Solomon, as a model, the celestial prototype of the Temple, and David himself,
when he saw it and all the activities connected with it, as set forth in the
celestial idea of it, sang this psalm concerning his son Solomon. There is also yet
another interpretation, namely, that “for Solomon” (li-shelomoh) refers to Him
“whose is the peace” (shalom), and this psalm is a hymn above all hymns, which
ascends higher than all. “Except the Lord build the house”: King David saw all
the seven pillars upon which that house, the Universe, stands-for they stand row
upon row-and above them all is the Master of the House, who advances with
them, giving them power and strength, to each in turn. It is concerning this that
King David said: “Except the King, whose is the peace, and who is the Master of
the House, build the house, they labour in vain that build it”-that is to say, the
pillars. Except the Lord-the King, whose is the peace-guard the city, “the
watchman waketh but in vain”. This is the pillar upon which the Universe
stands, namely the “Righteous” who keeps waking guard over the City.
The Tabernacle which Moses constructed had Joshua for its wakeful and constant
guard; for he alone guarded it who is called the “young man”, namely Joshua, of
whom it says: “Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the
Tent” (Ex. XXXIII, 11). Later in its history it was another “young man” who
guarded it, namely Samuel (I Sam. 1l, I8), for the Tabernacle could be guarded
only by a youth. The Temple, however, was guarded by the Holy One Himself, as
it is written, “Except the Lord guard the City, the watchman waketh but in vain”.
And who is the watchman? The “young man”, Metatron. And you, holy
saints, ye are not guarded as the Tabernacle was guarded, but as the Temple
was guarded, namely, by the Holy One Himself; for, whenever the righteous are
on a journey the Holy One guards them continually, as it is written: “The I,ord
shall keep thy going out and thy coming in from now and forever” (Ps. CXXI, 9).’
Then they accompanied him on his journey for a distance of three miles, and,
parting from him, returned to their own way, and they were moved to quote
these words concerning him. “For he shall give his angels charge over thee to
keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands” (Ps. XCI, 11,
I2); and “Thy father shall be glad and thy mother rejoice” (Prov. XXIII, 25).

Yeridah Tzorech Aliya - "DESCENDING TO ASCEND"

One of the more mysterious concepts regarding the Tzaddik is that he must first
be humbled in order to later be exalted and raise up his brethren with him. This
is known as Yeridah Tzorech Aliya, "the descent of the Tzaddik." 9

The concept here is where the righteous one must "fall" in order to attain his true
goal. (Also called "the descent for the sake of ascent.") 10

The concept of the Tzaddik lowering Himself is reflected in one of Paul's letters,
concerning Yeshua's chosen path: 11

Philippians 2:5-7 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Messiah Yeshua:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,

The term halikhah is used to describe the Tzaddik that descends from His grade
to another in order to rebuke and instruct others, to lead them to repent. 12

A modern commentary for the parshat read at Passover (Tzav), relates how the
priest would begin his day with the most humbling of tasks of a servant, before
delving into the holier activities that would benefit the people:

Of all the complex and esoteric services done throughout the day by the
kohanim who serve in the Bais HaMikdash, the one that starts the day is perhaps
the most mundane. It is called terumas hadeshen, removal of the ash and
tidying the altar. At first it was a volunteer job -- anyone who wanted to
participate in this seemingly meaningful task could do so -- but as the requests
grew, a lottery was formed, each of the kohanim vying for the coveted task. In
fact, according to the Tosefot (Yoma 20a) even the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest,
would sweep the ashes at midnight of Yom Kippur. Why does the foremost
mitzvah for the kohain entail sweeping ash? Why shouldn't the day begin with a
holier act? Why can't sweeping ashes take place at the end of the day?

... Rav Simcha Bunim of P'shischa explains that the first order of the kohen's day
is to depart from the assumed holy rituals of the Bais HaMikdash and delve into
the ash. In order to raise the level of the nation they were meant to serve, the
kohanim had to stoop to the level of the simplest worker and clean the altar, a
seemingly menial task, that encompassed a variety of spiritual ramifications.
Because in order to reach the level of high and holy, one must start out down
and dirty. 13

The idea of the Tzaddik being lowered in order to be raised up again can be seen
in the life of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, only to be
exalted in Egypt, which in turn enabled him to save the lives of those same
brothers who had rejected him. This theme is mirrored in the life of Yeshua the
Tzaddik, whose example we are to follow.

This concept is mentioned in Paul's letters:

2 Corinthians 8:9 - For ye know the grace of our Lord Yeshua haMashiach,
that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his
poverty might be rich.

Paul goes as far as saying that Yeshua became sin for us, even though He knew
no sin:

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The idea of Yeshua being made sin for us (above), can be compared to what a
modern kabbalah author states, concerning the Tzaddik taking on impurity for
the sake of others:

The Tzaddik is called pure, but on some occasion some impurity may be found in
him so that he may join the impure to elevate them to a state of purity. 14

According to the renowned kabbalist, Gershom Scholem, the Tzaddik is; "one
who gives freely and generously. By lifting up his brethren, he himself is raised."
15

This is reflected in the Philippians passage quoted earlier. Paul writes of the
Messiah lowering himself to assist His brethren, and by doing so, was lifted up to
a position of complete authority by God:

Philippians 2:5-8 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Messiah Yeshua:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he
humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name: That at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, of things
in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every
tongue should confess that Yeshua haMashiach is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.

In Gershom Scholem's classic work, "On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead," he
speaks of the Tzaddik who, like a magnet, operates like, "a 'loadstone' that pulls
things to itself while it is above, and that which it lifts is below." 16

This time it is John's words that support this kabbalistic principle. In his gospel,
he speaks of Yeshua "drawing men unto him," upon his own ascent (following his
descent from the spiritual realm):

John 12:23-32 - And Yeshua answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the
Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this
world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and
where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my
Father honour. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me
from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.
Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will
glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it
thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Yeshua answered and said, This
voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this
world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

The concept of a Tzaddik bringing atonement to his entire generation, and even
to all generations, will be discussed in the next section of this study.

1. The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit,
1979, pp. 17-22.

2. ibid. See p. xxiii, where the author states, "... the Aggada, the Talmudic
legend, unhesitatingly identifies him with the Messiah, and understands
especially the descriptions of his sufferings as referring to Messiah ben Joseph."

3. Glossary of Kabbalah and Chassidut, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, "Mashiach,"

http://www.inner.org/glossary/gloss_m.htm

4. Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCV

5. The Mystical Signficance of the Hebrew Letters: Hei, Expression -- Thought,

Speech, Action , Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/hei.htm

6. Sefer Yetzirah, The Book of Creation, In Theory and Practice, Aryeh Kaplan,
Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine, 1990, p.15.
7. Kabbalah and Modern Life - Living with the Times: A Torah Message for the
Month of Shevat; And a Staff Shall Arise in Israel, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat59.htm

8. ibid.

9. For more on this concept see "Going Up?" Commentary on Parsha Bo, Rabbi
Pinchas WInston at http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5766/bo.html

10. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, pp. 138-139. Interestingly,
the idea of Messiah having to "decend in order to ascend," was used to explain
the "falling away" of the false Messiah, Sabbatai Zevi, in the seventeenth century
when he converted to Islam.

11. In this section of our study, we quote multiple kabbalistic concepts from
several of Paul's letters. As we are told in Scripture, Paul studied under Rabbi
Gamliel. What is not revealed, is that Rabbi Gamliel was a leading kabbalist of
his day. (See The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc.
York Beach, Maine, 1976, p. 95.) The fact that Paul often taught at this level
himself, helps explains Peter's comment that "Paul is at times hard to
understand." (2 Peter 3:15-16). Peter was a very intelligent man himself and very
knowledgeable in Torah, as seen by his leading the way in bringing the message
of Yeshua to the Jewish populace. As we have seen earlier in this study, Peter
was aware of kabbalistic principles (though not as advanced as Paul), and made
use of them in his own epistle.

12. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 97.

13. Drasha - Parshas Tzav -- Down and Dirty, Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky,
5761/2001, www.torah.org

14. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 98.

15. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 139

16. idib, p. 104, quotation from Rabbi Joseph Gilkatilla.

MESSIAH - PART 2
ATONEMENT
(Last updated 02/24/02)

ATONEMENT AND HIGH PRIESTHOOD

Two disputed concepts regarding Messiah are; his blood being shed to bring
atonement, and his death bringing atonement for many people. The latter
argument can be addressed by pointing to the laws concerning the cities of
refuge (Numbers, chapter 35). When someone was accused of manslaughter,
they could keep themselves alive by retreating to one of these cities. Upon the
death of the High Priest, their previous actions were considered atoned for, and
they could legally go free. (We address the Zohar's support for this notion of
bringing atonement to others, below.)

Scripture gives us an interesting link that connects the aspect of Messiah to the
pillar in Jacob's dream. The term Messiah means, anointed one. Note what takes
place in the following texts, first from Jacob's dream, then from Exodus when the
High Priesthood is established:

Genesis 28:18-19 - And Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone
which he had made his pillows, and made it a standing pillar, and poured oil
upon its top, and he called the name of that place Bethel, [house of God,] and
yet, Luz [is] the name of the city at the first.

Exodus 29:4-7 - And Aaron and his sons you will bring near unto the opening of
the tent of meeting, and will bathe them with water; and will take the garments,
and will clothed Aaron with the coat, and the upper robe of the ephod, and the
ephod, and the breastplate, and will gird him with the girdle of the ephod, and
will set the mitre on his head, and will put the holy crown on the mitre, and will
take the anointing oil, and will pour it on his head, and will anoint him.

Both the High Priest and the mystical pillar of Jacob's are anointed ones (i.e.,
"Messiahs"). Each functions in the role of Messiah, as the connection (covenant)
between God and man.

ATONEMENT THROUGH THE TZADDIK

The idea of a single Tzaddik atoning for his entire generation is found in
Kabbalistic literature. In the classic text, Derech Hashem (The Way of God),
Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, goes as far as stating that there can even be a
"more highly perfected Tzaddik," who can not only atone for his generation, but
even for all the generations of men:

"... suffering and pain may be imposed on a tzaddik as an atonement for his
entire generation. This tzaddik must then accept this suffering with love for the
benefit of his generation, just as he accepts the suffering imposed upon him for
his own sake. In doing so, he benefits his generation by atoning for it, and at the
same time is himself elevated to a very great degree ... In addition, there is a
special, higher type of suffering that comes to a tzaddik who is even greater and
more highly perfected than the ones discussed above. This suffering comes to
provide the help necessary to bring about the chain of events leading to the
ultimate perfection of mankind as a whole." 1

The following Zohar passage speaks of a Tzaddik dying for the sins of others,
specifically calling him "the arm." By the shed blood of this "arm," healing is
brought to the rest of "the body," which is said to be mankind. The text also says
that God smites one righteous man to bring atonement for all men of his
generation, and associates this man with the servant of Isaiah, chapter 53, a
classic (and often disputed) Messianic passage:
Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 218a – Why is it that whenever
sinners multiply in the world and punishment impends over the world, the
virtuous among them are smitten for them, as we have learnt, that for the guilt
of the generation the holy and righteous are seized upon? Why should this be? If
because they do not reprove mankind for their evil deeds, how many are there
who do reprove but are not listened to (though the righteous do humble
themselves before them)? If it is in order that there may be no one to shield
them, let them not die and let them not be seized for their sins, since it is a
satisfaction to the righteous to see their destruction. He replied: It is true that for
the guilt of the generation the righteous are seized upon, but we may explain
this on the analogy of the limbs of the body. When all the limbs are in pain and
suffering from sickness one limb has to be smitten in order that all may be
healed. Which is the one? The arm. The arm is smitten and blood is drawn from
it, and this is healing for all the limbs of the body. So men are like limbs of one
body. When God desires to give healing to the world He smites one righteous
man among them with disease and suffering, and through him gives healing to
all, as it is written, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities... and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. LIII, 5). A righteous
man is never afflicted save to bring healing to his generation and to make
atonement for it, for the "other side" prefers that punishment should light upon
the virtuous man rather than on any other, for then it cares not for the whole
world on account of the joy it finds in having power over him.

(See "Connection to Yom Kippur" below for more on the last sentence of the
above section.)

Isaiah chapter 53 (quoted above) begins with mention of the "arm of the Lord":

Isaiah 53:1 - Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the
LORD revealed?

Just prior to this verse, Isaiah had prophesied that this arm of the Lord would one
day be revealed to the nations, and that this "arm" is salvation:

Isaiah 52:9-10 - Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of
Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed
Jerusalem. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Even earlier in the book of Isaiah we see:

Isaiah 33:2 - O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou
their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Isaiah makes clear that no man could provide this salvation, thus God Himself is
salvation and intercessor (mediator) for man. This arm of salvation is also
contains the aspect of vengeance/justice:

Isaiah 59:15-17 - Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh
himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no
judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no
intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness,
it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of
salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
and was clad with zeal as a cloak.

The "arm" of God (or "hand" of God) appears early on in Scripture, as being
associated with redemption/salvation, which in turn has a relationship with
vengeance/justice:

Exodus 6:6 - Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will
bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of
their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great
judgments.

Exodus 15:1-19 - Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the
LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed
gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my
strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will
prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a
man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast
into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths
have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. Thy right hand, O
LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in
pieces the enemy.

The relationship between salvation and judgment is consistent with the role of
Yeshua, who will return for salvation and judgment:

Hebrews 9:28 - So Messiah was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto
salvation.

John 5:25-29 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is,
when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall
live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have
life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because
he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.

Isaiah associates the arm of the Lord to the actions of God against Egypt and
"the dragon":

Isaiah 51:5-15 - My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine

arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall
they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath:
for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a
garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation
shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Hearken unto me,
ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the
reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat
them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my
righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient
days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab [Egypt], and
wounded the dragon? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the
great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to
pass over? Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with
singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain
gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am he that
comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall
die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the
LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations
of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the
oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the
oppressor? The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he
should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I am the LORD thy
God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.

Isaiah repeats the theme of God providing salvation (there being "none to help"
with this), and ties this to the future day of vengeance. He associates God's own
arm as being the one who comes from Edom and who treads the winepress. This
flow of this passage speaks of redemption/salvation coming from God, His "arm,"
the angel of His presence, and the Father:

Isaiah 63:1-19 - Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from
Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his
strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red
in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have
trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will
tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be
sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of
vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked,
and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold:
therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld
me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my
fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth. I will mention the
lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that
the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of
Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according
to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people,
children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was
afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his
pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their
enemy, and he fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old,
Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him?
That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the
water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them through
the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a
beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so
didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from
heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is
thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward
me? are they restrained? Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be
ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father,
our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. O LORD, why hast thou made us
to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy
servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have
possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.
We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy
name.

Isaiah (above) establishes that the one coming from "Edom, with dyed garments
from Bozrah," is God Himself. However, as we have seen in a previous section of
this study, this same one coming to deliver judgment by way of Edom is
associated with both the Shekinah and the Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 52a - And in the future all of
them shall be delivered up, as it says: "Who is this that cometh from Edom...?"
(Isa. LXIII, 1). And this indeed is the significance of the words: "And he went
behind them"- that the Shekinah will uproot them all at the end of days.’

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 238a - HE HATH WASHED HIS

GARMENT IN WINE . With this may be compared the verse: “Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” (IS. LXIII, 1); and also: “I
have trodden the winepress alone, etc.” (Ibid. 3). “Wine” here alludes to the side
of Geburah, of stern justice which will be visited on the idolatrous nations. AND
HIS VESTURE IN THE BLOOD OF GRAPE . This is the lower-world tree, the
judgement court which is called “grapes”, in which the “wine” is kept. Thus the
Messiah will be clothed in both to crush beneath him all the idolatrous peoples
and kings.

Earlier in Isaiah, vengeance comes by way of a number of aspects of God. This

passage is particularly fascinating when viewed kabbalistically, as it contains
elements of Tipheret, Da'at Yesod, Malkut, and the Ruach haKodesh (i.e., John
16:7-11), all of which are associated with the "middle pillar" of the Godhead:

Isaiah 30:27-33 - Behold, the name of YHWH [Tipheret] cometh from far,
burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of
indignation, and his tongue [Da'at] as a devouring fire: And his breath, [Ruach
haKodesh] as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift
the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the
people, causing them to err. Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy
solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come
into the mountain of YHWH, to the mighty One of Israel. [Tipheret] And YHWH
shall cause his glorious voice [Tipheret] to be heard, and shall shew the
lightning down of his arm, [Yesod] with the indignation of his anger, and with
the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and
hailstones [Malkut]. For through the voice of YHWH [Tipheret] shall the
Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod [Yesod]. And in every place
where the grounded staff [Yesod] shall pass, which YHWH shall lay upon him, it
shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it. For
Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep
and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of YHWH, [Ruach
haKodesh] like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

CONNECTION TO YOM KIPPUR

The last sentence of a Zohar passage mentioned at the beginning of this section
(see: Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 218a, above), is reflective of the Yom Kippur
sacrifice, which as explained in several places in the Zohar, was performed to
"satisfy" the demonic realm. It is important to recall that this sacrifice could only
be performed by the High Priest, thus making a connection, between the High
Priest, Divine Tzaddik and Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 184a - ‘Observe this: the goat
which the Israelites sent down to Azazel, into that desert, was sent with the
intention of giving to the "other side" a portion, so pacifying and keeping it
occupied that it might not do harm to the sons of the Kingdom.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 185a - And as the Israelites gave
Satan a portion in order that he might leave them alone and in peace, so also did
they give a portion to the pagan nations (the offering of seventy oxen on the
Feast of Tabernacles for the seventy nations) in order that they might leave
them alone here on earth below

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page l02a - R. Jose said: ‘It is written,
"And he shall put on the two he-goats lots". This would seem to be a great
honour for Azazel. Have you ever seen a slave cast lots with his master? Usually
the servant takes only what his master gives him. The fact, however, is that
because Samael is ready on this day with his accusations, and so that he should
not have any grievance, he is given a portion in this way.

Zohar Appendix III - The Designations and The Categories, 3c - The

distinction between ‘right’ and ‘left’ in the Zohar corresponds, not only to the
distinction between reward and punishment in the next world, but also between
good and evil, and specifically moral good and evil in this world. Samael, the
power of evil, the tempter, the accuser, the evil Serpent, is placed on the left
and is identified with the grade Geburah. Now Samael is represented as the
opponent not of Hesed but of Tifereth. He is the Great Dragon, who on New Year
swallows the Moon, that is, prevents the union of the Matrona with the Holy King,
until Israel by their sacrifice on the Day of Atonement induce him to desist.
Speaking in the context of Yom Kippur, the book of Hebrews expresses that the
Yom Kippur sacrifice of Yeshua was superior to that of the annual animal
sacrifice. Both provided forgiveness of sin, and both required faith. The
difference, as Hebrews explains, is that Yeshua's work, being the shed blood of
the Divine Tzaddik (and mediator), effected a "permanent" atonement for those
who trust in Him and walk in the way of Torah:

Hebrews 9:14-15 - How much more, then, will the blood of Messiah, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our
consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
For this reason Messiah is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are
called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a
ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 12:22-24 - But, ye came to Mount Zion, and to a city of the living
God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of messengers, to the company
and assembly of the first-born in heaven enrolled, and to God the judge of all,
and to spirits of righteous men made perfect, and to a mediator of a new
covenant -- Yeshua, and to blood of sprinkling, speaking better things than that
of Abel!

(We offer a deeper analysis of these Hebrews passages later in this study.)

THE ETERNAL NATURE OF ATONEMENT

An important concept to recall here, is that the things in the heavenly realm are
represent in this physical world. We discussed earlier in our Revelation
background notes how the physical elements of the temple and priesthood were
copies of those things Moses was shown existed in the heavens.

This raises the question; If the objects of atonement and salvation pre-existed
creation of the earth in the heavenlies and were given to us in our realm of time
and space, what about the actions associated with atonement as well? If this
atonement was carried out prior to creation, then Who but God Himself (in some
form of the Sephirot) would be the one to do this? Note that the Isaiah passage
quoted above (Isaiah 59:15-16) speaks of this salvation as having already
occurred.

Jewish literature, states the the concept of Teshuvah, (commonly caleld

"repentance," but more precisely "return to God"), pre-existed the world (along
with the name of Messiah, and the Torah as mentioned earlier). The following
modern Hassidic commentary sheds light on the "eternal nature" of Teshuvah:

Where does the enormous potency of teshuvah come from? How can it erase the
past, change the present, mold the future - recreate, as it were? The power of
teshuvah derives from its transcendent nature. Like Torah, teshuvah preceded
the Creation. It is not part of the world, of Creation, of a creative process. It is
beyond time, beyond space, rooted in infinity. In the sphere of infinity, past and
present fade into oblivion. Teshuvah is in the heart, in the mind … It takes
knowledge to separate right from wrong. Only the wise know to distinguish
between holy and profane, between pure and impure. Thus teshuvah is identical
with binah. The ba'al teshuvah ("Lord of Repentance") becomes aware that sin is
a partition between G-d and man. Sin disturbs the balance of the universe,
sundering its unity. "He who transgresses the precepts of the Torah causes a
defect, as it were, above; a defect below; a defect in himself; a defect to all
worlds." The word teshuvah can be read as tashuv-hey - returning, restoring the
"hey" ... for when man sins he causes the letter hey to be removed from the
Divine Name. The Divine Name, the manifestation of G-dliness, is no longer
whole. The hey has been severed, leaving the other three letters to spell hoy,
the Biblical exclamation for woe. (The word teshuvah is divisible into these two
components: tashuv-hey. Note that the letter hey represents the physical world:
this world was created with the hey, because it is like an exedra (closed on three
sides and open on the fourth), and whosoever wishes to go astray may do so
(has the choice to let himself fall through the open bottom of the hey). 2

Numerous passages of the "New Testament" show both the atonement provided
by the divine Tzaddik, as well as the Kingdom set aside for the righteous, stem
from the "foundation of the world":

Revelation 13:8 - And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.

1 Peter 1:18-20 - Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with

corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Matthew 25:34 - Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world:

John 17:24 - Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory [i.e., Kingdom], which thou hast
given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

The relationship between the concepts of eternal Foundation ("the starting-point

of the world") and Covenant, were discussed in the first section of this Yesod
study. (See Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, page 222a in that study section).

Yeshua associates His shed blood (affecting many, reflecting the Zohar passage
above), with the theme of covenant:

Matthew 26:28 - This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for
many for the forgiveness of sins.

The association between the covenant and the "smiting of the Tzaddik" (re:
Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 218a, mentioned above), in order to bring
atonement, adds an interesting wrinkle to this verse:
Hebrews 9:16 - For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death
of the one who made it.

Paul establishes Yeshua's work with the eternal foundation/covenant, quoting

from the same "servant song" portion of Isaiah:

Romans 11:26-27 - and so all Israel shall be saved, according as it hath been
written, `There shall come forth out of Sion he who is delivering, and he shall
turn away impiety from Jacob, and this to them is the covenant from Me, when I
may take away their sins.'

Paul also associates the blood atonement of the divine Tzaddik, Yeshua, with
bringing peace. As mentioned in an earlier segment of this study, it is the
Sephirah of Yesod-Tzaddik that brings peace and tranquility: 3

Colossians 1:19-20 - For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness
dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to
reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth,
or things in heaven.

Paul uses the concept of "God smiting one Righteous man," (re: Zohar,
Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 218a, mentioned above), in his Romans letter,
arguing further that if one man (Adam) can corrupt many, then atonement for
many can also come from one Tzaddik who bears righteousness:

Romans 5:14-21 - Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over
them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the
figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For
if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and
the gift by grace, which is by one man, Yeshua haMashiach, hath abounded unto
many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was
by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Yeshua haMashiach.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all
men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came
upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many
were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Yeshua
haMashiach our Lord.

YOM KIPPUR AND PASSOVER

One of the peculiarities regarding Yeshua being the final Yom Kippur sacrifice for
salvation, is that He died at the time of Pesakh (Passover) and not at Yom Kippur.
There is a deep mystical connection between these two Feasts, as alluded to in
the Zohar:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 39b - ON THE TENTH DAY OF
THIS MONTH THEY SHALL TAKE TO THEM A LAMB. According to R. Abba, the
tenth day was chosen because on this day the Jubilee illumines the Moon (i.e.
Binah communicates light to Malkuth); for of the Jubilee it is written: "On the
tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement" (Lev. XXIII,
27).

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 40b - "Also on the tenth day of
this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement" (Lev. XXIII, 27), with the
words, "In the tenth day of this month" (Ex. XII, 3), used in regard to the
Passover lamb; for the one "tenth day" is dependent on the other.

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 69b - IN THE SEVENTH MONTH ON

THE TENTH DAY OF THE MONTH. The allusion of the “tenth” is as we have
explained. We have learnt that on this day all joy and all illumination and all
forgiveness depend on the Supernal Mother from whom issue all springs. Then
all the lights shine with glad brightness until all is firmly established, and all
judgements are also bathed in light and punishment is not inflicted. It is written:
“Howbeit (ach) on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement,
and ye shall afflict your souls” (Lev. XXIII, 27). What is the force here of the word
ach (only)? When used in connection with the Passover (Ex. XII, 15) we derive
from it the lesson that on half of the day preceding the Passover the eating of
leaven is permitted and on half it is forbidden. [Tr. note: v. T.B. Pesahim, 28b.]
Shall we say that here also it teaches that half the day eating is permitted and
half forbidden?’ R. Simeon replied: ‘It goes here with the words “ye shall afflict
your souls”, and signifies that the real affliction is only in the second half of the
day.’

As Yom Kippur is associated with the High Priest unifying Tipheret and Malkut, by
gaining the advantage on haSatan (via the scapegoat sent to him [Azazel]), in
kabbalistic writings, Passover is seen as the time of the defeat of the demonic
realm as well as unification of Tipheret and Malkut.

Author David Ariel writes,

If the Days of Awe and Sukkot are part of a process of unification, Pesah
(Passover) is a theurgic drama of vanquishing of evil and demonic forces ...
Jewish mystics invested the holiday with special significance. For them it
symbolized a victory over the demonic forces that prevail in the world as a result
of the separation of Malkut and Tiferet. ... The many rituals of Pesah are linked to
the symbolism of redemption from evil. The paschal lamb was slaughtered in
ancient times and eaten on the holiday. A vestige of this practice, which was
abandoned after the destruction of the second Temple, can be found in the
roasted shankbone that is placed on a special plate at the seder table. Jewish
mystics describe this as a theurgic ritual that destroys the powers of evil. ... The
slaughter of the lamb is the first ritual performed on the holiday and indicates
that the "husks" must be destroyed in order for the Sefirot to escape from their
dominion. ... The seder is a theurgic ritual designed to reunite the Shekinah with
Tiferet. 4
In terms of the sequence of events, Passover precedes Yom Kippur (i.e., in the
religious calendar), as the evil realm must be dealt with before the unification
process (which includes the gentile nations, who are deceived by haSatan), can
go forward.

Note that Yeshua's disciples were not allowed to go to the nations until after His
death:

Matthew 10:5-6 - ... Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of
the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel.

Matthew 28:19 - Go ye therefore, and teach all nations ...

Modern Hassidic commentary reflects how the essence of Yom Kippur is not so
much associated with the defeat of the evil realm, as it is with salvation,
expressed in terms of our soul "bonding" or "cleaving" with God:

Yom Kippur coincides with the giving of the second tablets. We can explain the
connection between the two by noting that the repentance of Yom Kippur
surpasses even "higher repentance" since it follows the "lower repentance" of
the month of Elul and the days of selichot, and also the "higher repentance" of
Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Repentance. "Higher repentance," as often
explained, is the cleaving of the soul to its Divine source, not repentance for sin,
and it corresponds to the verse "The spirit will return to G-d Who gave it." It
stems from the essence of the soul, the "yechidah," which is "unity to unify You."
This is the link between Yom Kippur and the Torah (the second tablets), for the
Torah joins G-d and Israel, so that they are "entirely one," as expressed in the
phrase "the one people to affirm Your Oneness." 5

Yom Kippur is a day in which "there is no license for the forces of evil to
incriminate." If the ketoret was offered by the Kohen Gadol in the Holy of Holies
on Yom Kippur, its ultimate function could not be the sublimation of evil. The
sublimation of evil is something that only the ketoret can achieve, but this is not
the sum of its purpose and function. The word ketoret means "bonding"; the
essence of the ketoret is the pristine yearning of the soul of man to cleave to G-
d--a yearning that emanates from the innermost sanctum of the soul and is thus
free of all constraints and restraints, of all that inhibits and limits us when we
relate to something with the more external elements of our being. Its purity and
perfection are what give the ketoret the power to sweeten the foulest of odors,
but dealing with evil is not what it is all about. On the contrary, its highest
expression is in the utterly evil-free environment of the Holy of Holies on Yom
Kippur. 6

The order of these mystical events is also reflected in the book of Hebrews,
which shows how sin had to be dealt with (when Yeshua came) before the
ultimate salvation can take effect (when He returns):

Hebrews 9:24-28 - For Messiah is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in
the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the
high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then
must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in
the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
So Messiah was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look
for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Expressed another way, the salvation that will come at Yom Kippur, follows our
repentance and forgiveness:

Yom Kippur is called a "mikvah," for, whereas teshuvah (repentance) earns us

Divine forgiveness and the right to continue, atonement wipes the slate clean,
and gives us a fresh start. 7

Returning to the idea of the shedding of the blood defeating the evil realm, the
Zohar makes the interesting statement that a "thought" (i.e., God Himself
providing atonement/salvation), only achieves its heavenly result, when carried
out in physical action on earth (i.e., Yeshua descending from the heavenlies to
be the Yom Kippur sacrifice):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 35b - FOR THE LORD WILL PASS
THROUGH.... R. Jose commented on the expression, “The Lord shall see the
blood ... and pass over”. ‘Does God then’, he said, ‘require a sign? Are not all
secrets revealed to Him? The explanation, however, is that only when a
thought-be it good or evil-is translated into action, does it bring about
its due result above, whether for reward or punishment, saving only the
intention of idolatry, of which it says, “Take heed to yourselves that your heart
be not deceived” (Deut. Xl, I6).’ As to the significance of the hyssop, R. Jose
explained that all the streets and market-places of the Egyptians were filled with
idols, and all their houses with implements of magic to link them with lower
“crowns”, and therefore it was necessary to purge the doors with the hyssop, in
order that these powers might be exorcised; and this was done in three places,
namely upon the lintel and the two side-posts. THEREFORE THE LORD WILL PASS
OVER THE DOOR AND WILL NOT SUFFER THE DESTROYER TO COME IN UNTO
YOUR HOUSES, because he will see the design of His Holy Name upon the door.
Said R. Judah: ‘But if so, why was blood only required, seeing that, as we have
been taught, the divine attributes are symbolized by three colours, white, red,
and a colour which is between the two and combines both?’ R. Jose replied: ‘The
blood was of two kinds, that of circumcision and that of the Passover lamb, the
former symbolizing mercy and the latter justice.’ ‘Not so,’ rejoined R. Judah. ‘It is
even as we have been taught, that the Holy One made the blood a symbol of
mercy, as if there were white in it, and therefore it says: “And when I passed by
thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee: In thy blood
live” (Ezek. XVI, 6). To this end was the door smeared with blood in three places,
viz. on two sides and in the middle.’ R. Hezekiah, however, held that two kinds of
blood appeared on the doors to represent the two “crowns” which were
manifested at that moment in the regions above. R. Jose maintained that it was
one crown consisting of two sides blended, viz. mercy and justice. Said R. Abba:
‘In how many ways does the Holy One show His lovingkindness to His people! A
man builds a house; says the Holy One to him: “Write My Name and put it upon
thy door (mezuzah), and thou wilt sit inside thy house and I will sit outside thy
door and protect thee!” And here, in connection with the Passover, He says:
“You inscribe on your doors the sign of the mystery of My Faith and I shall
protect you from the outside!” They inscribed the likeness of the Holy Name in
the form of the letter He’. As the Holy Name was then turned from Mercy to
Judgement, chastisement came into (God's) view at that time. Everything was
turned into red, as a symbol of vengeance on Israel's enemy. Esoterically
speaking, it is fitting to show below the colour corresponding to the state above,
whether mercy or judgement. And as it was then even so shall it be in the future,
as it says: “Who is this that cometh from Edom (=Rome), with dyed garments
from Bozra?” (Isa. LXIII, I); for He will clothe Himself entirely in judgement to
avenge His people.’

Note that the passage above again associates God Himself as being the One who
will one day "come from Edom with dyed garments from Bozra." As seen in our
earlier studies, this avenger is the Messiah and/or the Shekinah.

The following passage has a similar theme of blood vanquishing evil, but bears
careful examination. Note that the last crown (the Sephirah of Malkut) is
associated with evil. As discussed earlier, this has to do with the Kingdom
(Malkut) presently having both good and evil in it (as taught by Yeshua). As also
mentioned in a previous section of this study, the "other side" (demonic realm)
still cleaves to the Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 39b - ON THE TENTH DAY OF

THIS MONTH THEY SHALL TAKE TO THEM A LAMB. According to R. Abba, the
tenth day was chosen because on this day the Jubilee illumines the Moon (i.e.
Binah communicates light to Malkuth); for of the Jubilee it is written: “On the
tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement” (Lev. XXIII,
27). “They shall take a lamb.” Why a lamb? Because it symbolized the power of
the lowest “crown”, which the Holy One broke, the “crown” to which all the other
inferior “crowns" cling, forming the unholy triad signified by the phrase, “lambs,
menservants, and womenservants”, sent by Jacob to Esau, as a sop, as it were,
to the evil powers which the latter represented. The Holy One said: “Do ye
perform this act of slaughtering the Passover lamb, and I myself will nullify its
power above. Do ye let it pass through fire (v. 8) here below, and I shall lead the
impure principality which it represents through the fiery Stream.” And why was
the lamb to be tied up on the tenth day and slaughtered on the fourteenth?
Because, according to R. Abba, the four days corresponded to the four hundred
years that Israel was subjected to the power of Egypt. And why was the
slaughter performed in the evening? Because that is the time when judgement
predominates above and below, and also because it was at this time (“between
the evenings”) that Israel's exiles were foretold to Abraham, as it is written: “And
when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham, and lo, a horror
of great darkness fell upon him” (Gen. xv, I 2). “Horror” signifies one supernal
“crown” which represents Egypt; “darkness” is a second such, representing
Babylon; and “great” refers to the Edomite (Roman) exile, which was to be the
hardest of all. Thus it is seen that the Israelites did not go out of Egypt until all
the supernal powers and principalities which were Israel's enemies had been
brought to nought; but when these things had come to pass the people were
freed from their domination and brought under the holy and heavenly sway of
the Holy One, blessed be He, and were joined to Him and to Him alone, as it is
written: “For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants
whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt” (Lev. xxv, 55).

Note the association made in the above passage, between this lowest crown and
the "lamb." The act of slaughtering the lamb below, nullifies the powers of the
evil realm above. Here we see the lamb representing both good (the innocent
sacrifice provided by God) and bad, (the lamb stood for the Egyptian evil
powers).

This type of "dual imagery" is also seen regarding Yeshua who compares Himself
to the image of the serpent held up by Moses:

John 3:13-17 - And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The association between the serpent held up by Moses and the Messiah is found
in kabbalistic literature:

"When shall we be avenge? When our righteous Messiah shall come, who is
8
likened to a serpent; a serpent will come and take his revenge on a serpent."

The kabbalistic concept here is that Messiah will have a superior knowledge of
the demonic realm (thus "likening" Him to that realm), and thus be able to
vanquish it.

This same serpent theme is found in the Zohar with regard to Jacob (a type of
Messiah), and his dealings with Esau:

Zohar I (Toledot) 137b - And come and see: Because Esau was drawn after
that serpent, Jacob dealt with him crookedly, like the serpent, who is wise and
deals crookedly, as you say, "the serpent was cunning..." -- wise. So Jacob's
actions toward him were like a serpent to him.

Interestingly, the numerical value (in Hebrew Gammatria) for "Messiah," and for
"serpent," both come to 358.9

The blood of the Passover lamb defeating the evil realm is also found in this next
passage, which also speaks of a future and final redemption:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 41b - THIS IS THE
ORDINANCE OF THE PASSOVER: THERE SHALL NO STRANGER EAT THEREOF. This
commandment is a memorial of the Passover of Egypt. The lamb had to be kept
from the tenth day of the month, because on that date the moon begins to
increase her light until the fifteenth day, when she is in her full strength. The
lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth, “between the evenings”, namely at an
hour when judgement hangs over the world. It signified the removal of the
impurity from the holy sign (of the circumcision). Therefore “no uncircumcised
person should eat thereof” (v. 48); for this sacrifice was brought by sons of the
covenant, in order to break down the power of the “other side”, to remove the
“foreskin,” from the sign of the holy covenant. When the Holy One came to
Egypt He saw the blood of the Passover lamb smeared on the door, as well as
the blood of the covenant, and the doors purged with hyssop, in order, as has
already been explained, that the powers of impurity might be exorcised at the
time of the supreme redemption of Israel. This memorial of the past redemption
is, however, at the same time a sign and a token of the future Redemption, when
the Holy One will “slaughter” the evil inclination once and for all. And because
He killed all the firstborn of the “other side”, He ordered that the firstborn of
Israel should be redeemed, so that nothing of that “side” should cleave to them.
In all things He watched over Israel like a father over his children.

Lastly, should there be any doubt regarding a Hebraic opinion of the "suffering
servant" of Isaiah's text being the Messiah, and that this Messiah brings
atonement in place of the (destroyed) Temple, the Zohar has this to say:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 212a - ‘The souls in Lower

Paradise, on every New Moon and Sabbath day, go about and ascend to the spot
called "Walls of Jerusalem", where there are a great many chieftains and legions
mounting guard, as written: "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem"
(Isa. LXII, 6). They mount up as far as that spot, but do not enter it until their
purging is complete. There they prostrate themselves, drink in ecstatically of the
celestial radiance, and then return into Paradise. They also at times go forth,
roaming about the world and viewing the bodies of the sinners undergoing their
punishment. So Scripture says: "And they shall go forth, and look upon the
carcases of the men that have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh" (Ibid. LXVI, 24). They continue to roam about, casting their glance on
those who are victims of pain and disease, who suffer for their belief in the unity
of their Master. They then return and make all this known to the Messiah. When
the Messiah hears of the great suffering of Israel in their dispersion,
and of the wicked amongst them who seek not to know their Master, he
weeps aloud on account of those wicked ones amongst them, as it is
written: "But he was wounded because of our transgression, he was
crushed because of our iniquities" (Ibid. LIII, 5). The souls then return
to their place. The Messiah, on his part, enters a certain Hall in the
Garden of Eden, called the Hall of the Afflicted. There he calls for all the
diseases and pains and sufferings of Israel, bidding them settle on
himself, which they do. And were it not that he thus eases the burden
from Israel, taking it on himself, no one could endure the sufferings
meted out to Israel in expiation on account of their neglect of the
Torah. So Scripture says; "Surely our diseases he did bear", etc. (Ibid.
LIII, 4). A similar function was performed by R. Eleazar here on earth. For,
indeed, beyond number are the chastisements awaiting every man daily for the
neglect of the Torah, all of which descended into the world at the time when the
Torah was given. As long as Israel were in the Holy Land, by means of the
Temple service and sacrifices they averted all evil diseases and
afflictions from the world. Now it is the Messiah who is the means of
averting them from mankind until the time when a man quits this world
and receives his punishment, as already said. When a man's sins are so
numerous that he has to pass through the nethermost compartments of
Gehinnom in order to receive heavier punishment corresponding to the
contamination of his soul, a more intense fire is kindled in order to consume that
contamination. The destroying angels make use for this purpose of fiery rods, so
as to expel that contamination. Woe to the soul that is subjected to such
punishment! Happy are those who guard the precepts of the Torah!

1. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated
and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 122.

2. From, "The Dynamics of Teshuvah" (Essays on the month of Elul), Chabad

Lubavitch, http://www.jewishnewyear.com/holidays/tishrei/4833

3. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 240,
(citation from Toledot, 28a-b).

4. The Mystic Quest, An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson publishers, London, 1988, pp. 157-159.

5. From, "The Second Tablets," (Thoughts and Insights on Yom Kippur), Chabad
Lubavitch, http://www.jewishnewyear.com/holidays/tishrei/4448

6. From, "Return," (Inner Dimensions of Yom Kippur), Chabad Lubavitch,

http://www.jewishnewyear.com/holidays/tishrei/4560

7. Perceptions On The Parsha, Parshas Netzavim - Vayeilech Plenty of

Redeeming Values, Rabbi Pinchas Winston,
http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5759/netzavim.html

8. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 17,
(citation from Ta'amei ha-Te'amin, by Rabbi Isaac ha-Kohen).

9. The Hebrew Letters, Channels of Creative Consciousness, Rabbi Yitzchak

Ginsburgh, Gal Einai Publications, Jerusalem, 1990, p. 313
MESSIAH - PART 3
DIVINE ASPECTS
(Last updated 11/29/01)

HAND OF GOD

The Zohar further establishes a relationship between Tzaddik and God.

Commenting on verses in Exodus 15:2, the Zohar associates the Divine Tzaddik
with God's "right hand," and God Himself:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 55a - MY STRENGTH AND SONG

IS KAH [Yah]. R. Jose said: The Yod and the He [the Sephirot of Chokhmah and
Binah] in the Divine Name are mingled, and one is contained in the other and
they are never separated, being for ever united in love, being the source whence
emanate all those streams and springs of blessing and satisfaction to the
universe. The waters of these springs never “deceive” (Isaiah 58:11). Hence:
“and He became my salvation”, since for this purpose and unto this end the Holy
King reveals His power below, and the Right Hand is moved to perform
marvellous deeds.’ THIS IS MY GOD AND I WILL MAKE HIM A HABITATION; THE
GOD OF MY FATHER, AND I WILL EXALT HIM. “This is my God” refers to the
Zaddik, from whom blessings emanate on the married state; “and I will make
him a habitation” in the place where love is found, namely in the Sanctuary.
“The God of my father, and I will exalt him” was said by Moses (the Levite) in
regard to the supernal sphere whence the Levites derive, so that in this way
there should be symmetry and perfection in that place. R. Isaac said that “and
he became my salvation” refers to the Holy King, as in Isaiah 12:2.

The term "Kah" in this portion above, is equivalent to "Yah," one of the names for
God. (See previous section for the relationship of Yah with both the "Father" and
"Mother" aspects of God.) Also, the phrase, "This is my God," is specifically, "This
is my EL." The Zohar quotation regarding the Holy King granting salvation (in
Isaiah 12:2), is to God.

The similar names of God (YAH-YHWH, EL), are also found in this verse:

Isaiah 12:2 - Behold, EL is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for YAH
YHWH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

YHWH, LORD, TREE OF LIFE

The name given to Messiah by God, is associated with the Righteous Tzaddik,
and with the name YHWH itself:

Jeremiah 23:5-6 - Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will raise unto
David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute
judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, YHWH our
Righteousness.
Midrash Rabbah confirms that the branch (shoot) of David ("YHWH our
Righteousness"), is speaking of Messiah:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XVIII:21 - Behold, a man whose name is the

shoot (zemah), and who shall shoot up (yizmah), etc. (Zech. VI, 12). This refers
to the Messiah, of whom it also says, I will raise unto David a righteous shoot
(zemah zaddik), and he shall reign as king and prosper, and he shall execute
justice and righteousness in the land.

The Messiah is called "the Lord" among other titles, in the following Midrash.
Note the reference to the future name of "the city" (Jerusalem) as being "the
Lord is there." This is the same prophetic view as seen in Revelation, chapter 21:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations I:51 - BECAUSE THE COMFORTER IS FAR

FROM ME, EVEN HE THAT SHOULD REFRESH MY SOUL. What is the name of
King Messiah? R. Abba b. Kahana said: His name is ‘the Lord’; as it is
stated, And this is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord is our
righteousness (Jer. XXIII, 6). For R. Levi said: It is good for a province when its
name is identical with that of its king, and the name of its king identical with that
of its God. ‘It is good for a province when its name is identical with that of its
king,’ as it is written, And the name of the city from that day shall be the
Lord is there (Ezek. XLVIII, 35). ‘And the name of its king identical with that of
its God,’ as it is stated, ’And this is the name whereby he shall be called, The
Lord is our righteousness.’ R. Joshua b. Levi said: His name is ' Shoot‘; as it is
stated, Behold, a man whose name is Shoot, and who shall shoot up out of his
place, and build the temple of the Lord (Zech. VI, 12). R. Judan said in the name
of R. Aibu: His name is ‘Comforter’; as it is said, THE COMFORTER IS FAR FROM
ME. R. Hanina said: They do not really differ, because the numerical value of the
names is the same, so that 'Comforter' is identical with 'Shoot‘.

Revelation 21:22-23 - And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither
of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof.

The above text from the Midrash on Lamentations,1 is immediately followed by

the following mysterious tale about the Messiah dying around the time of the
destruction of the second Temple:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations I:51 - The following story supports what R.

Judan said in the name of R. Aibu: It happened that a man was ploughing, when
one of his oxen lowed. An Arab passed by and asked, ‘What are you?’ He
answered, ‘I am a Jew.’ He said to him, ‘Unharness your ox and untie your
plough’ [as a mark of mourning]. ' Why? ' he asked. ' Because the Temple of the
Jews is destroyed.’ He inquired, ‘From where do you know this?’ He answered, ‘I
know it from the lowing of your ox.’ While he was conversing with him, the ox
lowed again. The Arab said to him, ‘Harness your ox and tie up your plough,
because the deliverer of the Jews is born.’ ‘What is his name?’ he asked; and he
answered, ‘His name is "Comforter".’ ‘What is his father's name?’ He answered, '
Hezekiah.’ ' Where do they live? ' He answered, ‘In Birath ‘Arba in Bethlehem of
Judah.’ The man sold his oxen and plough and bought felt garments for children.
He journeyed from one city to another and from one province to another until he
reached that place. All the villagers came to buy garments from him, but the
mother of that child made no purchase of him. He asked her, ‘Why do you not
buy children's felt garments?’ She answered, ' Because a hard fate is in store for
my child.’1 ‘Why?’ he asked; and she answered, ‘Because close on his coming
the Temple was destroyed.’ He said to her, ‘We trust in the Lord of the Universe
that as close on his coming it was destroyed so close on his coming it will be
rebuilt.’ He continued, ‘Take some of these felt garments for your child and after
some days I will come to your house to collect the money.’ She took some and
departed. After some days the man said, ‘I will go and see how the child is
getting on.’ He came to the woman and asked, ' How is the child? ' She
answered, ' Did I not tell you that a hard fate is in store for him? Misfortune has
dogged him. From the time [you left] there have been strong winds and a
whirlwind came and carried him off.’ He said to her, ' Did I not tell you at his
coming [the Temple] was destroyed and at his coming it will be rebuilt?’ R. Abun
said: Why should I learn this from an Arab when there is an explicit text wherein
it is stated, And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one (Isa. X, 34), which is followed
by, And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a twig shall
grow forth out of his roots (ib. XI, 1)? The school of R. Shila said: The Messiah's
name is ‘Shiloh’, as it is stated, Until Shiloh come (Gen. XLIX, 10), where the
word is spelt Shlh. The School of R. Hanina said: His name is ' Haninah ‘, as it is
stated, I will not give you Haninah (Jer. XVI, 13). The School of R. Jannai said: His
name is ' Yinnon ‘; for it is written, E'er the sun was, his name is Yinnon (Ps.
LXXII, 17). R. Biba of Sergunieh said: His name is ' Nehirah ‘, as it is stated, And
the light (nehorah) dwelleth with Him (Dan. II, 22), where the word is spelt
nehirah. R. Judah b. R. Simon said in the name of R. Samuel b. R. Isaac: King
Messiah, whether he be of those still living or of those who are dead, bears the
name of David. R. Tanhuma said: I will give his reason, viz. Great salvation
giveth He to His king; and showeth mercy to His Messiah (PS. XVIII, 51), and the
text continues, not ‘and to David’ but to David and to his seed, for evermore.

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, who heads a kabbalah institute in Israel,2 adds some
interesting insight to the subject of Messiah, linking the Tree of Life (which as we
have seen is the Divine Tzaddik) to the Messiah, and the "righteous shoot" of
David. His text follows in blue colored font:

The wicked Bila'am's final statement (Numbers 24:l7) opens with a prophecy
concerning two Mashiachs (King David and the ultimate redeemer, King
Mashiach, a descendant from King David):

I see it, but not now;

I behold it, but not in the near future.
A star shall go forth from Jacob,
and a staff [shevet] shall arise in Israel.
In the original Hebrew, this statement contains 12 words, hinting at the 12 Jewish
months of the year. The eleventh word of the series--shevet ("staff")--parallels
and hints at the eleventh month of the Jewish year--Shevat. During this month,
we celebrate the "New Year of the Trees," hinting at the New year of the Tree of
Life. The Tree of Life symbolizes the Mashiach, the descendent of King
David, about whom it is stated, "A man whose name is Tzemach ['growth'], and
who shall grow up (Yitzmach) out of his place" (Zechariah 6:l2). (Interestingly,
the verse we have been discussing (Numbers 24:l7) continues, "and he will
crush" [U'machatz] which contains the same letters as the Hebrew word
VeTzamach-- "and he will grow").

The Hebrew letter with which G-d created the month of Shevat--according to the
Kabbalistic text, Sefer Yetzira--is the letter tzadik (whose name means "the
righteous one") about which it states, "The Tzadik is the foundation of the world"
(Proverbs l0:25). Furthermore, "The Tzadik eats to satisfy his soul" (Proverbs
l3:25); the sense of "eating" is the special sense of the month of Shevat, and
when one eats of the fruits of the Tree of Life, one "lives eternally." (i.e.,
John 6:54 - YashaNet)

The letter tzadik alludes to the Tree of Life [in that it is the second of the two
Hebrew letters that form the word "tree" in Hebrew; its shape represents a tree;
and furthermore, it is the 18th letter of the alphabet, 18 being the numerical
value of the word for life, (chai)], which is in the midst of the Garden of Eden (the
"garden" of the souls of Israel, out of whose midst sprouts the soul of Mashiach,
the tree of life).

The Rambam, at the conclusion of the section in the Mishnah Torah entitled "The
Laws of Kings" (Chapter ll, Halacha 1), states:

"The King Mashiach will rise forth and return the Kingdom of David to its former
state…The Torah testifies [in several places] concerning him [the King Mashiach]
…[amongst them,] in the portion of Bila'am whose prophecies concern two
messianic figures: the first Mashiach is King David who saved Israel from its
oppressors; the final Mashiach will rise forth from his [King David's] descendents
and save Israel in the end of days. Bila'am prophesizes: 'I see it, but not now'--
this refers to King David; 'I behold it, but not in the near future'-- this refers to
the King Mashiach; 'A star shall go forth from Jacob'-- this refers to King David;
'and a staff shall arise in Israel'-- this refers to the King Mashiach"

Thus, we find that "I behold it" parallels "a staff will arise" (both referring to the
King Mashiach) relating to the Kabbalistic idea that the Jewish tribe paralleling
the month of Shevat is Asher (cognate to the Hebrew word for "I behold it"--
ashurenu).3

(See previous section regarding "Asher" and the manna from heaven.)

VOICE OF GOD, SUSTAINER, CREATOR

Speaking of the "seven voices" of God (which we will discuss later in our
Revelation text analysis), another modern kabbalistic author supports the notion
of Messiah's divinity. Messiah is associated with the pillar of Jacob (also called
the "axis mundi"), and defined as an "element of God" (i.e., part of the divine
Godhead):

"... the seven voices correspond to the seven lower emanations, and the seventh
one is the Shekinah. Having correlated the seventh voice with the Shekinah, it is
reasonable to posit that the sixth voice corresponds to Yesod, the divine phallus
that overflows to the Shekinah. If the sixth emanation is indeed Yesod, it is
significant that the Messiah is mentioned precisely in conjunction with this
gradation: the traditional savior (mashiah) is identified as the Righteous (Saddiq)
in the divine pleroma, the cosmic pillar or axis mundi. Not only is the redeemer a
nationalist, religious, and political hero, he is the element of God that
sustains all existence." 4

The last portion of the above quotation is similar to what we find in the book of
Hebrews, which states that Yeshua, as Son of God, sustains all things:

Hebrews 1:3a - The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact
representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.

Gershom Scholem's, "On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead," cites from the
Bahir, which establishes this same "Righteous One" as the God involved with
creation:

"... the Righteous One who is the foundation of the world is in the middle (i.e.,
between Netsah and Hod), and it emerges from the South of the world (i.e.,
apparently the direction of Hesed, God's grace), and he is the prince (i.e., ruler)
of both. And in his hand he holds the souls of all living things, for he is the Life of
the World, and every term of Creation spoken about (in Scripture), takes place
through him. And of him it is written, "and he ceased from work and
rested" (Exod. 31:17), for he is the principle of the Sabbath. 5

In earlier sections of this study on Yesod, we discussed how at the very

beginning of the creation of the world, God first created the "foundation."
Kabbalistically, this may be interpreted as Yesod (foundation) emanating from
Tipheret (the Holy One, blessed be He), as the latter precedes Yesod in the "Tree
of Life" that begins with Keter, Chokhmah, Binah, etc.

The following section of the Zohar alludes to the various "stages" of creation,
including the "creation" of Yesod-Foundation by Tipheret (the Holy One, blessed
be He):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 222a - ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that

when the Holy One, blessed be He, [Tipheret] was about to create the world,
He detached one precious stone from underneath His Throne of Glory and
plunged it into the Abyss, one end of it remaining fastened therein whilst the
other end stood out above; and this other and superior head constituted the
nucleus of the world, the point out of which the world started, spreading itself to
right and left and into all directions, and by which it is sustained. That nucleus,
that stone, is called sh'thyiah (foundation) [Yesod], as it was the starting-
point of the world. The name sh'thyiah, furthermore, is a compound of shath
(founded) and Kah (God), signifying that the Holy One, blessed be He, made it
the foundation and starting-point of the world and all that is therein.

Although creation itself is usually associated with the Sefirah of Chokhmah-

Wisdom (Psalm 104:24; 135:5; Proverbs 3:19; 9:1), the Sefirah of Tsaddik Yesod
'Olam is the medium through which creation was "activated."

The entirety of the creation process is said to have come through the path of the
Four Worlds:

• Beginning in Azilut-Emanation - Chokhamah-Wisdom, the Father.

Chokhmah is on the level of Ayin ["nothingness," the aspect of Keter, the
Sephirah that cannot be known]. From this "nothingness," all things came
forth, including the remaining Sephirot. 6

• to Beriah-Creation - Binah-Understanding, which differentiated the

"oneness" of Chokmah, and "gives birth" to lower seven Sephirot, creation,
and all souls (i.e., "Jerusalem above, the Mother of all" - Galatians 4:26).

• to Yezirah-Formation - "Zer Anpin," the six Sephirot that create physical

space, represented by Tipheret-Beauty. Once space is defined the final
part of creation can take place. 7 Yesod-Foundation is the lowest Sephirah
of Zer Anpin, and as explained earlier in this section, is the "male
counterpart" to the female (Malkut) below, the pillar (axis mundi)
descending to earth, and the "starting point of the world" below.

• to Asiyah-Making - where from Yesod-Foundation above, "the image

comes into being and casts shape, life, and will into the materiality of
Malkhut." 8

ETERNAL LIGHT OF THE WORLD, MEDIATOR

Gershom Scholem states:

Several Kabbalistic traditions recognize "the Righteous One" as being the first
"created being," and associate this with the primordial light made on the first
day of creation, which was then "hidden away" for a later time. God saw that the
world could not exist without this Foundation, which is called "light." 9

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul makes the same point as Scholem does,
associating the theme of firstborn (being before all things), to the one by whom
all things were created and are sustained (in both the heavenly realm of Hesed
and the earthly realm of Yesod). Paul speaks of Yeshua combining elements of
Tipheret, (the image of the invisible God), and Yesod-Tzaddik (the firstborn of
every creature.)

As mentioned already, Yesod is the image of the image with regard to Tipheret:

Colossians 1:15-17 - Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is
before all things, and by him all things consist.

This concept of the divine Tzaddik being associated with the "light" formed at the
beginning of creation is also mentioned by John, who alludes to the Messiah's
divine pre-existence:

John 1:1-15 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were
made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him
was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and
the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that
all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear
witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that
cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and
the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of
God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him,
and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is
preferred before me: for he was before me.

As mentioned in the previous section of this Yesod study, Gershom Scholem

associates the term "the Eternally Living One" (based on Daniel 12:7), to the
divine Tzaddik, who is the "life" to the souls of men (i.e., John 1:4 above):

In Sefer ha-Bahir, the term [Tzaddik] shifts its meaning to "Life of the Universe."
We find here for the first time the symbolism of life -- a symbolism that from
then on remained associated with the figure of the Tsaddik, life is connected
with the master of souls. This, source, from which all souls come, is also the
primal ground from which the life of all worlds derives. This "life" is the mediator
by which God's strength operates in all things ... 10

Note the last portion from Scholem above, where he is again in agreement with
the "New Testament" writers, this time concerning the role of the divine Tzaddik
as mediator between God and all things:

1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one God, and one mediator between God and
men, the man Messiah Yeshua;

The "life" and blessing that the divine Tzaddik brings, are to his righteous
followers. The following passage speaks of the heavenly Tzaddik, and
corresponding earthly Tzadikkim, as mutually inheriting the earth:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 245b - Hence it is written: “The

righteous man is the foundation of the world” (Prov. x, 25). Esoterically speaking,
the Zaddik is the foundation of the upper world and the foundation of the lower
world, and the Community of Israel contains the Zaddik from above and from
below. The righteous one from this side and the righteous one from that side
inherit her, as it is written: “The righteous shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:29).

The above idea is consistent with Yeshua's words in chapter 2 of Revelation,

where He speaks of both Himself and his righteous followers inheriting the earth
and ruling the nations:

Revelation 2:26-28 - and he who is overcoming, and who is keeping unto the
end my works, I will give to him authority over the nations, and he shall rule
them with a rod of iron -- as the vessels of the potter they shall be broken -- as I
also have received from my Father; and I will give to him the morning star.

DESCENT FROM HEAVEN

Throught the various background studies prior to this one on Yesod, we have
mentioned the role of the mystical personage of Metatron, including his
relationship with Tipheret. In this part of our study we established a connection
between Metatron and characteristics of Yesod such as the covenant, Shaddai
and mediator. We also mentioned the peculiar theme related to the idea of the
Tzaddik "descending to ascend."

The Bahir, offers this following comment, concerning an "aspect" of God

descending:

Bahir 33 - They said to him: It is written (Lamentations 2:1), "He threw the
beauty of Israel from heaven to the earth." From here we see that it fell. He
replied: If you have read, you did not review, and if you reviewed, you did not go
over it a third time. What does this resemble? A king had a beautiful crown on
his head and a beautiful cloak on his shoulders. When he heard evil tidings he
cast the crown from his head and the cloak from his shoulders.

Commenting on the term "beauty of Israel," in the above Bahir verse, author
Aryeh Kaplan explains that the "beauty of Israel" cast down to earth by God, is
the Sephirah of Tipheret:

Here it is seen to be identified with the "beauty of Israel," which is the Sefirah of
Tiferet-Beauty. This is one of the six Sefirot associated with Zer Anpin, which is
usually called "heaven." The answer is that the true meaning of this verse is
actually "He cast from heaven to earth the beauty of Israel." 11

Author Elliot Wolfson, cites a kabbalistic text to show that the beauty of Israel
(cast down to earth) is none other than Metatron:

It is found in the midrash that the king said, "are you becoming haughty on
account of the diadem that you gave Me? Behold, I will cast the diadem below,
as it says, 'He cast down from heaven to earth the majesty [beauty] of Israel.'
This is the one creature whose name is Israel, for the Holy One, blessed be He,
took it and threw it to the earth. The secret of the matter is as it is found in the
Pirqe Hehhalot concerning the diadem that the Holy One, blessed be He, places
on the head of Metatron, which is called Israel. And this is the secret of 'Israel in
whom I glory' (Isaiah 49:3)." 12

Kabbalistic literature associates Metatron with both Tipheret and Yesod, and at
times, Malkut. Commenting on this "muliple personalities" of Metatron, Elliot
Wolfson writes:

One may infer therefore, that there is a blurring of boundaries separating

Metatron and the creature that is named Israel. To put the matter in somewhat
different terms, the name Israel is an appropriate designation for Jacob, and thus
the image of Jacob is applied to Metatron and/or the celestial creature. (of
Ezekiel's vision) 13

As Metatron has already been linked to the Sephirah of Yesod, this association to
the beauty of Israel adds additional insight into the mystical connection between
Tipheret and Yesod. As we have shown that Yesod is connected to Messiah, we
then have a connection between Tipheret and Messiah as well. (See previous
study on the relationship and similarities between these two Sephirah.)

Commenting on the integrated relationship between the Sephirot of Tipheret and

Yesod (both represented by Metatron), Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsbergh states:

In Kabbalah, the third day, tiferet ("beauty"), is the origin of the sixth day, yesod
("foundation"). Tiferet and Yesod totally integrate in the secret of the "middle
line" - "the body and the brit are considered one." 14

Metatron is also called the head of the angels of God. It was he that appeared as
a man to Joshua, who in turn bowed in worship, calling him "Adon" (sovereign).
The presence of Metatron even made the ground Joshua was standing on holy
(i.e., Moses and the bush at Mount Sinai).

What we have is an actual case of, "Sephirot (divinity) in the flesh":

Joshua 5:13-15 - Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a
man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to
him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as
commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell
facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my
Lord have for his servant?" The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take
off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did
so.

The relationship of Metatron to God (i.e., to the Divine Sephirot of Tipheret,

Yesod and also Malkut), is so intimate, it provoked the following discussion in the
Talmud, where someone suggested to a rabbi that Metatron was worthy of
worship:

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 38b - R. Nahman said: He who is as skilled in

refuting the Minim [heretics] as is R. Idith, let him do so; but not otherwise. Once
a Min said to R. Idith: It is written, And unto Moses He said, Come up to the Lord.
But surely it should have stated, Come up unto me! — It was Metatron [who said
that], he replied, whose name is similar to that of his Master, for it is written, For
my name is in him. But if so, [he retorted,] we should worship him! The same
passage, however, — replied R. Idith says: Be not rebellious against him, i.e.,
exchange Me not for him. But if so, why is it stated: He will not pardon your
transgression? He answered: By our troth we would not accept him even as a
messenger, for it is written, And he said unto him, If Thy [personal] presence go
not etc.

Author Moshe Idel describes the connection between Metatron and the Messiah
throughout Hebraic historical writings:

A recurrent figure in the apocalyptic literature, whose eshatalogical role has not
drawn due attention from scholars, is the archangel Metatron. Though some of
its features refelct earleir traditions, its emergence in Jewish angelology as the
prince of the divine countenance was a momentous development that was
destined to influence some interesting themes in later Messianism.

... The emergence of a median world, mythic in some of its characteristics,

facilitated the commerce between man and God as it reformulated many of the
earlier divine interventions in human affairs into angelic missions. The divine
intervention in history was now attributed to the Messiah as part of a theophanic
mode, or myth ...

... The assumption of the existence of a continuum between God and some of
the angels is paramount not only for a better understanding of ancient Jewish
angelology, but also for the more adequate apprehension of Kabbalistic theories
of emanation as an inner divine process. The relation between Metatron and God
should be understood against the background this conception. Thus Metatron as
the angel of the divine countenance is organically related to this divine limb and
as such deserves the theophanic function of the divine face in the Bible. 15

ASCENT TO HEAVEN

The theme of ascending and descending is found in another following section of

the Zohar, which speaks of the divine Yesod (called Zion in this text, as
explained by the Soncino translators), being taken away from Israel, following
the destruction of the second Temple, only to return to her later. (Note that this
section is commentary on Isaiah 52:8, within the midst of the "servant song" of
Isaiah.)

Here again, the Zohar refers to Yesod (Tzaddik) being the God of salvation,
specifically stating that this salvation is God's own salvation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 56a - R. Judah sat one day at the
feet of R. Simeon, and he began to expound the following verse: The voice of thy
watchmen, they lifted up their voices, they shall sing altogether... when the Lord
shall return to Zion (Isaiah 52:8). ‘These “watchmen” ‘, he said, ‘are those who
“watch” for the time when the Holy One will build His House once again. The use
of the past tense “lifted”, where we should rather have expected the future
“shall lift”, conveys the lesson that he who has lifted up his voice in weeping and
lamentation over the destruction of the Temple shall be worthy to be numbered
among those of whom it says “they shall sing altogether”, and to enjoy the
privilege of beholding the Holy One when He shall inhabit His House once more.
The words “when the Lord returns (to) Zion” are to be understood as meaning
“when the Lord brings back Zion”. For when the earthly Jerusalem was
destroyed, and the Community of Israel was scattered over the face of the earth,
the Holy King drew Zion [Tr. Note: According to the commentators, in this place
Zion=Yesod.] up to Himself and stretched it out before Him, because the
Community of Israel was banished. When, however, the Community of Israel
shall be restored, the Holy King will restore Zion to its place, to unite itself with
her in perfect bliss; and the children of Israel will sing: “He is my God, and I
have prepared for Him an habitation.” Concerning this it is written:
“This is the Lord, we have waited for him, let us be glad and rejoice in
his salvation” (Isa. xxv, 9) - meaning, literally, “in His own salvation”.

Another interesting text regarding an "ascent" into the heavenlies comes from
the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 30:4 - Who went up to heaven, and came down? Who has gathered
the wind in his fists? Who has bound waters in a garment? Who established all
ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and what His son's name? Surely thou
knowest!

Commenting on the above, the Zohar states that the one who went up and came
down can be either Moses (Tzaddik-Yesod), to the Holy One (God/Tipheret) or
"the four elements," which is a reference to the Shekinah-Malkut:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 79b - ‘R. Jose applied the verse,
“Who hath ascended, etc.”, first to Moses, then to the Holy One, and finally to
the four elements, and I saw that thou, Master, didst bless him!’ Said R. Simeon:
‘What he said was perfectly true. All the applications signify one and the same
thing, since they all have their root and fulfilment in the Holy One, and they are
all practically equivalent.’

The "New Testament" speaks of this one, who decended and ascended, as being
Yeshua:

John 3:13 - And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down
from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Ephesians 4:10 - He that descended is the same also that ascended up far
above all heavens, that he might fill all things.

The answer given to the question posed in Proverbs 30, "What is His son's
name?", is given as Tipheret, who represents the "Son" of Chokmah-Wisdom (the
Father) and Binah-Understanding (the Mother):
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 79b - R. Jesse was deeply
impressed by these words and said: ‘Now I see that this is indeed so. And I have
also heard it on another occasion from the mouth of the Master. But what is the
meaning of the words, “And what is his son's name?” ‘ R. Simeon replied: ‘The
inner meaning of this I myself have taught my son, R. Eleazar.’ ‘I pray thee, tell it
to me, for I did ask thee concerning it in a dream, but when I awoke I had
forgotten thine answer.’ ‘And now, when I tell thee, wilt thou remember it?’ ‘I
surely will,’ replied R. Jesse, ‘I always remember what my Mastor tells me.’ Said
R. Simeon: ‘The words must be understood in the light of the expression, “My
first-born son Israel” (Ex. IV, 22), and “Israel, in whom I am glorified” (Isa. XLIX,
3). “Israel” here refers to the supernal world, and it is this which is called “son”.
Whereupon R. Jesse replied: ‘With all due respect to the Master, this is a secret
which I already know.’ But yet again he forgot it. He was much perturbed. But
when he went into his house and lay down to sleep, he saw in his dream an
haggadic book, wherein it was written: “Wisdom (Hokmah) and glory (Tifereth) in
His sanctuary.” When he awoke, he straightway went to R. Simeon, kissed his
hand, and said: ‘This night I saw in my dream an haggadic book wherein were
written the words: “Wisdom and glory in His sanctuary”, “Wisdom” above,
“Glory” below, and “in His sanctuary” at the side. This I saw in a dream, and I
found it on my lips when I awoke.’ Said R. Simeon to him: ‘Until this time thou
wast too young to join the company of the “reapers of the field”, but now
everything has been shown unto thee! Thus the meaning is: Wisdom (Hokmah)
is His Name and Glory (Tifereth) the name of His son.’

As we have seen, there is an equivalency between Tipheret and Yesod, the latter
being an image of the image, etc. (This is very evident in the figure of Metatron).
Therefore, Tipheret, the "Son" above, is reflected in Yesod, the Divine Tzaddik,
the "son" who functions in this world.

SON OF GOD

We have also discussed the principle concerning how "things" and "events" in
the heavenly realm (outside of time), must play themselves out in the physical
realm (in time) in order for them to take their designated effect above. (Which in
turn then affect events below, i.e., prayer from below causes action in the
heavenly realm, which then effects the circumstances of the one praying.)

Turning to Matthew's gospel, we see the high priest questioning Yeshua, during
which time he (the High Priest) associates the "Messiah" with being the Son of
God, and indirectly, Son of the living God:

Matthew 26:63 - But Yeshua held his peace, And the high priest answered and
said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou
be the Messiah, the Son of God.

The above "New Testament" verse indicate a deep knowledge of kabbalistic

concepts on the part of the High Priest. We have also shown kabbalistic concepts
found in the writings of Paul and John, as well as in the words spoken by Yeshua
Himself. The Zohar also makes reference to kabbalistic schools of thought in the
early second century, under the maggid, Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai. The evidence
at hand indicates that there was a deep understanding of Torah at the Sod-level
at the time of the second temple. 16

In two places, Yeshua (the divine Tzaddik), is specifically called "Son of the Living
God," by His Talmidim:

Matthew 16:16 - And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God.

John 6:69 - And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God.

The Zohar offers a connection between the Tzaddik and title of "son of God," or
"son of a living man," associating this with the Divine title of “Zaddik, the life of
the universe,” (as discussed above.):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 6a - He thereupon began to

discourse on the verse: And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, etc. (II Sam. XXIII, 20).
‘This verse’, he said, ‘has been well explained-in addition to its literal meaning-to
signify high mysteries of the Torah. “Benaiah the son of Jehoiada” (i.e. son of
God, son of knowing-God) contains an allusion to wisdom, and is a symbolic
appellation which influences its bearer. “The son of a living man” indicates the
“Zaddik, the life of the universe”.

The concept of a divine Messiah is firmly grounded in Hebraic writings. As Moshe

Idel states:

In a Talmudic text the Messiah is called by the name Tetragrammaton (YHVH), in

a Midrash he is called by the divine name "Adonai, My Lord," while elsewhere he
is designated "El." On the other hand, God is widely described in Judaism as the
Redeemer, go'el, a term sometimes applied to an angel or a human redemmer.
These common appellations, as well as the different views on the preexistence of
the Messiah, may point to a much more substantial link between the divine and
a Messianic personae. 17

In some instances, the Messiah has been conceived also as the representative of
the divine in this world. The very fact that the phrase "meshiyah YHWH" recurs
in the sources shows that special connection between him and God. 18

1. Midrash Rabbah consists of commentaries on the Torah as well as several

other texts from the Tenakh. These writings, along with the Talmud, Zohar and
entire Tenakh, may be purchased on CD-ROM from www.davka.com.

2. Gal Einai Institute, Kfar Chabad, Israel. Website: www.inner.org

3. Kabbalah and Modern Life - Living with the Times: A Torah Message for the
Month of Shevat, "And a Staff Shall Arise in Israel," Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat59.htm
4. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 83.

5. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,

Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p.96.

6. Sefer Yitzirah, The Book of Creation, In Theory and Practice, Aryeh Kaplan,
Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine, 1990, p.132.

7. ibid, p.143.

8. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach, Maine, 1976, p.32.

9. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,

Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 100-101.

10. ibid, p.98

11. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel
Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.109.

12. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 140.

13. ibid, p. 25

14. The Mystical Signficance of the Hebrew Letters: Tzadik, The Faith of the
Righteous One, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/tzadik.htm

15. Messianic Mystics, Moshe Idel, Yale University Press, London, 1998, pp. 46-
48.

16. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach, Maine, 1976, p.95.

17. Messianic Mystics, Moshe Idel, Yale University Press, London, 1998, p. 23.

18. ibid, p. 41.

MESSIAH - PART 4
ATONEMENT/SALVATION THROUGH TIME
(Last updated 12/7/01)

LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM AND THE AKEIDAH

The concept of God "providing His own salvation," (see previous citation from
Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 56a), ties back to the Akeidah, Abraham's
binding of his son Isaac upon the altar. (The Akeidah (Genesis 22) is read every
year at the Feast of Rosh haShana. Jewish history says the Akeidah itself took
place on Rosh haShana.)
In this section of the Zohar, Abraham comments that there was a future sacrifice
yet to occur, that being God's own sacrifice. As we will discuss in the next
section, this is the "Lamb of God" who takes away the sins of the world:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 120a - ON THE THIRD DAY

ABRAHAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES, AND SAW THE PLACE AFAR OFF. As we have
already been told that Abraham went to the place, all this seems superfluous.
But the truth is that “the third day” means the third generation, i.e. Jacob, and
the words “he saw the place from afar” are parallel to the expression “from afar
the Lord appeared unto me” (Jer. XXXI, 3). Or again, “the place” alludes to Jacob,
of whom it is written, “and he took one of the stones of the place” (Gen. XXVIII,
11). For Abraham scrutinized the “third day”, which is the third grade,
and he beheld Jacob, who was destined to descend from him. “Afar off”, to wit,
at some distant time, and not soon. R. Eleazar said to R. Judah: ‘What credit is
herein ascribed to Abraham, if whilst about to bind Isaac he saw that Jacob was
destined to descend from him?’ R. Judah replied: ‘Indeed Abraham did see Jacob,
since even before that Abraham was endowed with the higher Wisdom; and now
he scrutinized the third day, which is the third grade, in order to make sure. And
indeed he did see him, but now only “from afar”, for the reason that he was
going to bind Isaac, and he did not wish to question the ways of the Holy One.
“Afar off”, that is, he saw him through a “dim glass” only, and therefore only
partially; for if the “clear glass” had been resting upon the “dim glass”, Abraham
would have seen him properly.

The “clear glass” did not function on this occasion, because this is the
grade of Jacob, who, not yet being born, had not reached that grade; and also
in order that Abraham's reward might be all the greater. AND THEY CAME TO
THE PLACE WHICH GOD HAD TOLD HIM OF, ETC. Here it is intimated that
although Abraham had some vision of Jacob, yet he said to himself, “Assuredly
the Holy One knows another way which will serve.’ Forthwith, therefore,
ABRAHAM BUILT THE ALTAR THERE. Before this it is written: AND ISAAC SPOKE
UNTO ABRAHAM HIS FATHER, AND SAID, MY FATHER. As explained elsewhere,
the reason why Abraham did not respond to him immediately was because the
normal compassion of a father towards a son left him, and hence he simply said:
‘Here I am, my son”, implying that the quality of mercy in him had been
transmuted into rigour. AND ABRAHAM SAID. It is not written: “and his father
said”, which shows again that he was regarding him not as his father but as his
adversary. GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR HIMSELF THE LAMB FOR A BURNT OFFERING,
MY SON. He should have said: “provide for us”, but what he meant was, “God
will provide for Himself when necessary, but for the present it is going
to be my son and nothing else.”

The above text includes several deep concepts, including Abraham "looking into
the future, upon the "third day," (also called the "third grade," which is the third
Sephirah of Binah-Understanding). The Sephirah of Binah is associated with
several subjects including; Jubilee, New Jerusalem, Yom Kippur and
establishment of God's kingdom on earth - all Messianic themes - as well as the
"future" with regard to time.
We have already established the link between Jacob and Yeshua, via their
relationship to Tipheret. This is also indicated in the above text as "the clear
glass," (the "lucid mirror"), one of the names given to Tipheret. Abraham can be
said to have seen the day of Messiah. Abraham only saw into the future by way
of the "dim glass" which is associated with either Yesod or Malkut. Recall that in
Exodus 6:2, God tells Moses that He revealed Himself to Abraham only as
Shaddai (Yesod) and not YHWH (Tipheret).

Yeshua mentioned Abraham's vision in a verse where He placed Himself on a par

with divinity:

John 8:56-58 - Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and
was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast
thou seen Abraham? Yeshua said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
Abraham was, I am.

In as much as the above portion of the Zohar speaks of Abraham looking

"forward" to the day of Messiah, the following portion, also involving the Akeidah,
looks "back." Here, the ram that Abraham sacrificed at a particular point "in
time," is said to have been pre-ordained and manifested itself in time and space
at the time Abraham needed it. (Judaism teaches that God often provides the
solution before the problem even manifests itself.)

Again, we refer to the idea mentioned earlier, that if the element of sacrifice pre-
existed since the foundation of the world, the actual work of sacrifice/atonement
did as well. (i.e., Yeshua being the "lamb slain since the foundation of the world."
- Revelation 13:8.)

The text mentions, "the angel of His presence" (here seen as the Shekinah,
though having association with Metatron), having determined in advance to
partake of the suffering of Israel. The passage goes on to say that God (the Holy
One blessed be He - i.e., Tipheret) will proclaim to the world the salvation of God:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 120b - Straightway, however,

ABRAHAM LIFTED UP HIS EYES AND LOOKED AND BEHELD BEHIND HIM A RAM,
ETC. We have been taught that that ram was created at twilight (on the sixth
day of Creation), and he was of the first year, as it is written, “one he-lamb of the
first year” (Num. VII, 63), thus being according to requirement. But if so, how
could he have been created at twilight? The truth is that from that time it was
pre-ordained that that ram should be at hand at the moment when
Abraham should require it. The same applies to all those things said to have
come into being “at twilight”, which in reality means that they were then
predestined to appear at the requisite moment. R. Judah further discoursed on
the verse: In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence
saved them (Is. LXIII, 9). He said: ‘This is the translation of the k'ri, hut according
to the k'thib we should translate, “He was not afflicted.” The lesson to be derived
from this variation is that Israel's affliction reaches the Holy One even in the
place above which is beyond affliction or perturbation.
“And the angel of his presence saved them.” If He is together with them in
their affliction, how can it be said that He saves them? Observe, however, that it
is not written, “He saves them”, but “he saved them”, that is, He determined
in advance to partake in their sufferings. For whenever Israel is in exile the
Shekinah accompanies them, as it is written, “Then the Lord thy God will return
(v’-shab) with thy captivity” (Deut. XXX, 3). According to another explanation,
“The angel of his presence” signifies the Shekinah, which accompanies them in
exile. Hence in the Scripture the words “and I have remembered my covenant”
(Ex. VI, 5) are immediately followed by “and now, behold, the cry of the children
of Israel is come unto me; moreover, I have seen” (Ex. III, 9). It is also written,
“And God remembered his covenant” (Ibid. II, 24), referring to the Shekinah,
“with Abraham” (Ibid.), symbolic of South-west, “with Isaac” (Ibid.), symbolic of
North-west, “and with Jacob” (Ibid.), symbolising the complete and perfect union.
The Holy One, blessed be He, will one day send forth a voice to proclaim to
the world the words, “For he said, Surely, they are my people, children that will
not deal falsely; so he was their saviour” (Is. LXIII, 8). Blessed be the Lord for
evermore, Amen and Amen.’

As mentioned, in addition to being called "grades," the Sephirot are also known
as "gates" or "doors," as it is through them that we approach God in order to be
conformed to His image and grow in intimacy with Him.

The following section of the Zohar, gives additional insight into the Sephirah of
Yesod (known as Shaddai), being the door that leads to the other Supernal doors,
and how Abraham was able to gain insight through this door:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 103a - ‘The "gates" mentioned

in this passage (Prov. 31:23) are the same as the gates in the passage, "Lift up
your heads, O ye gates" (Ps. XXIV, 7), and refer to the supernal grades by and
through which alone a knowledge of the Almighty is possible to man, and but for
which man could not commune with God. Similarly, man's soul cannot be known
directly, save through the members of the body, which are the grades forming
the instruments of the soul. The soul is thus known and unknown. So it is with
the Holy One, blessed be He, since He is the Soul of souls, the Spirit of spirits,
covered and veiled from anyone; nevertheless, through those gates, which are
doors for the soul, the Holy One makes Himself known. For there is door within
door, grade behind grade, through which the glory of the Holy One is made
known. Hence here "the tent door" is the door of righteousness, referred to
in the words, "Open to me the gates of righteousness" (Ps. CXVIII, 19), and this is
the first entrance door: through this door a view is opened to all the other
supernal doors. He who succeeds in entering this door is privileged to know both
it and all the other doors, since they all repose on this one.

At the present time this door remains unknown because Israel is in exile; and
therefore all the other doors are removed from them, so that they cannot know
or commune; but when Israel return from exile, all the supernal grades
are destined to rest harmoniously upon this one. Then men will obtain a
knowledge of the precious supernal wisdom of which hitherto they wist not, as it
is written, "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom
and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the Lord" (Is. XI, 2). All these are destined to rest on this lower door
which is the "tent door"; all too will rest upon the Messiah in order that he
may judge the world, as it is written, "But with righteousness shall he judge the
poor, etc." (Ibid. 4). Thus when the good tidings were brought to Abraham, it
was that grade which brought them, as we have deduced from the fact that the
word vayomer (and he said) is used without a specific subject in the passage
"And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round."

We learn the following from this above passage:

• The Sephirot, also called gates or grades, are provided by the infinite Eyn
Sof as a means for finite man to understand Him.

• Man's body (which he can understand) is to his soul (which he cannot

comprehend) as the gates are to the Eyn Sof.

• These grades are presented not so much in a "linear fashion," but as one
within the next, such as a circle within a circle (i.e., Ezekiel's vision of a
"wheel within a wheel").

• The gate of righteousness (Yesod) is the entrance way to other

gates/grades, leading to God.

• Israel is blind to this gate to righteousness in its current exile. (Romans

11:25)

• When Israel returns from exile (i.e. Romans 11:26) there will be a
unification of all God's creation, including the various grades (gates) of the
heavenly realm.

• At that time, all of these grades will "rest upon" this single gate of
righteousness, which is the tent door (facing "east," the direction of
Tipheret and the other Sephirot).

• All these grades will also rest upon the Messiah, showing Him to be
intimately linked to the gate of righteousness, the Sephirah of Yesod.

• The "good tidings" were brought to Abraham by this single grade. These
"good tidings" are the "gospel," which we have already discussed is
associated with the Sephirah of Binah and the Jubilee Release, which is
"Messiah's Day."

• As Messiah is Himself linked to this grade, this explains how Yeshua could
have brought the gospel to Abraham, including revelation of "His day"
(John 8:56).

THE SEPHIROT THROUGH TIME

In a Pesakh (Passover) commentary for this year (5761/2001), Rabbi Yisroel
Ciner, speaking of how the element of "time" restricts our view of reality and God
(and how God is not restricted by this), gives the following example:

The physical world is bound by time and place. These parameters do not exist in
the spiritual realm and they, of course, do not bind Hashem, in the least. We can,
to a certain degree, understand that Hashem is not bound by space since
mankind, to a certain degree, has overcome the parameters of space. We live in
a world of CNN's global village. We can, in real time, observe events that are
occurring on the other side of the globe. As such, we can somewhat understand
that Hashem is not bound by that parameter. Existing beyond time, on the other
hand, being that we are totally bound by it, is most difficult to understand. We
remember the past, surmise about the future and exist in the split-second known
as the present. However, the true reality for those not bound by this parameter
is that the past, present and future all exist simultaneously! Rav Dessler offers
an illuminating understanding of this idea. He explains that it can be compared
to a map of the world covered by a large paper with a small 'window' cut out.
This window is only large enough to reveal one city of this world map. By moving
the paper, the city that had been revealed becomes covered as the next city
comes into view. The cities that were in view, the city that is in view and the
cities that will come into view all exist simultaneously. They are only hidden from
us. Time is the cloak that inexorably moves over the map of our lives, relegating
the past to our memory while revealing the present and concealing the future.
This time-cloak of concealment only obscures the physical realm. No such cloak
exists in the spiritual domain. 1

As discussed earlier, God has revealed Himself in stages through history. To

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He revealed Himself at the level of Shaddai (Yesod).
Only with Moses, was He revealed at the level of YHWH (Tipheret):

Exodus: 6:2 - And God speaketh unto Moses, and saith unto him, `I am YHWH,
and I appear unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as El Shaddai; as to My
name YHWH, I have not been known to them;

The key point here, is that although God was revealed as "Shaddai" to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, He still "existed" as YHWH at that time. Later, when He reveals
Himself as YHWH to Moses, He does not cease "being" Shaddai. All of these
emanations of God existed (and continue to exist) together, and each contains
aspects of the other(s). (I.e., "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" - John
14:9). Partly, due to the restrictions of time in our physical universe, we "see"
God in different ways at different times in history. (See above example quoted
by Rabbi Ciner.)

As all of the Sephirot are emanations of the same God and thus share
characteristics, they nonetheless represent distinct aspects and perform
different "functions" of God. As Scripture, and other Hebrew writings, show that
the Sephirot are revealed at different times in history, it can be said that God,
making Himself known to man in different forms, causes His plan of
atonement/salvation to "play out" in history one step at a time.
Just as our own spiritual journey begins with the Malkut (i.e., "Seek ye first the
Kingdom ..."), and ascends "up the pillar" through Yesod, toward Tipheret and
ultimately Keter, God's revelation of Himself "descends" through the Sephirot,
beginning with Keter and descending "down the pillar" to Malkut.

Author Yehuda Liebes, in his book, Studies in the Zohar, explains the concept of
spiritual history in terms of a journey through the Sephirot:

"The Zohar describes the unfolding of the generations as a descent through the
body of the Holy One, at the End of Days the process will reach his feet [Malkut]
and the Messiah will arrive." 2

Prior to this "arrival" at Malkut (see above), this "unfolding of generations"

through the kabbalistic Tree of Life must pass through Yesod. (This role of Yesod
was discussed in a previous section.) We will now associate this aspect of Yesod
(which as discussed is identified with "Tzaddik" - the righteous one), with God's
salvation plan through time.

Yehuda Liebes (who is a teacher of Jewish mysticism at Hebrew University of

Jerusalem), writes of a Messianic figure who is "not exactly" Messiah. In the
opening paragraphs of his classic work, Studies in the Zohar, he mentions:

"... a messianic figure who is actively engaged in the process of the world's
tikkun [restoration]. While he is not the Messiah himself -- the latter will come
only after the tikkun -- it is he who paves the way for redemption and makes it
possible." 3

The Zohar speaks to great lengths of Simeon bar Yohai, a second century rabbi
who is said to have been the only righteous man of his day. Although many
"messianic" attributes are associated with Rabbi bar Yohai, he is seen in the
limited role of one who, "absolves the world of judgment until the advent of
Messiah." 4

According to Liebes, Rabbi bar Yohai also taught at length about;

"... the mystery of the Godhead and on the sefirot during history and exiles of
the Jewish people, and finally, from an examination of the letters of the
Tetragrammaton in combination with other calculations, determines the date of
the End of Days. The End would occur in several stages." 5

According to Liebes, the second century gathering and teachings of bar Yohai
and his followers, called the Idra, is considered in the Zohar, as a singular event,
greater even than the assembly of the Israelites at Mt. Sinai for the giving of the
Torah. The Idra did not represent the advent of Messiah, but a "stage
preparatory to it." (This will be discussed in more detail later in this study). 6

Another aspect that Liebes brings forth, is that of the "mysterious aspect" of the
Tzaddik, who not only does not reveal secrets, but he himself is called a secret
and is guarded in secrecy. The Tzaddik is the "concealed aspect of the
Godhead." (As opposed to Malkut - the revealed aspect.) 7
This "concealed aspect of Tzaddik" is reflected in several themes. This includes
Yesod as the phallus image, which modesty dictates is kept hidden. Another is
shown in a story of the letters of the Torah who vied to be first letter of the
Torah. The letter Tsadde asked to be first, as it is associated with the foundation
of the world. God responded by saying, "Tsadde, you are tsadi and you are
tsaddik (righteous), but you must be concealed; you may not be so exposed." 8

Liebes mentions how the letter tsadde is formed of the letters yod and nun,
which are male and female joined back to back. (As mentioned earlier, Yesod has
both male and female characteristics.)

What is especially interesting is this observation of Liebes':

This "back to back" form represents a defect, and the tsadde is thus not to be
revealed until that defect is corrected. 9

Elsewhere, Liebes writes of the "two aspects" of the pillar of called Tzaddik - one
of a "terrestrial person" and the other of a "cosmic or divine force." He mentions
that the talmudic statement regarding the "Righteous being the foundation of
the world," is not clear as to whether it is referring to a cosmic pillar or righteous
human being. Liebes points out that in the Zohar, Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai is
considered to be this pillar upon whose righteousness the world was maintained
during his generation.10

Liebes cites the following passage from the Bahir (120) that speaks of "the
righteous, the everlasting foundation," as being both a divine pillar and a
terrestrial person: 11

There is one pillar from the earth to the firmament and Righteousness is its
name, after the righteous ones, and when there are righteous persons in the
world it gains strength, and when there are not it is weakened, and it bears the
burden of all the world, as it is written, "Righteousness is the foundation of the
world," and if it is weak the world cannot exist. Therefore even if there is only
one righteous man in the world, he upholds the world.

What is perhaps most interesting is that Liebes presents the idea, found in the
kabbalistic school of Rabbi Todros, who taught that Messiah is "an incarnation of
the sefirah of Yesod," thus bringing a definite Divine aspect to the Messiah:

The Messiah's symbolic rung, according to this kabbalistic circle, was the Sefira
of Yesod. Especially relevant in this context is a statement by Todros Abulafia:
"None of the commentators I have seen say what is the name of the Messiah
[who is mentioned in the Talmud among the things that were created before the
creation of the world], but I tell you by the true way [i.e, Kabbala] that his name
is Righteous (Zaddik), for it is written: "He is righteous and redeemed" (Zech.
9:9); "Righteous, foundation of the world"; and "The righteous shall live by his
faith (Hab. 2:4). Rabbi Todros is not claiming that the Messiah's name had not
been stated explicitly before him, for several names -- Menahem [comforter], for
example -- are mentioned in the Midrash, and several others were added in
Rabbi Todros' Kabbalistic circle. We even find the name Righteous in the Midrash
as a name of the Messiah. What had not been stated explicitly before Rabbi
Todros was able to do so on the basis of Kabbala is the name of the Messiah who
was created before he world. The implications here -- and it is not merely on a
symbolic level, for he is speaking, as we shall see, of total identity -- is that the
Messiah is an incarnation of the sefira of Yesod. 12

OUR VIEW OF GOD THROUGH TIME AND THE HEAVENS

Author Aryeh Kaplan, in his book, Ramban, Philosopher and Kabbalist, expands
on the same ideas presented by Yehuda Liebes, by showing how God's work,
through the Sephirot, did not end at the time of creation, but continues "within
time" in history as we experience it:

The early kabbalists established a principle, in that the activity of the sefiroth of
the Divine Atziluth, neither ended with their emanation at the time of Creation
nor with the later developmental phases. ... Another rule states that each sefirah
represents a certain attribute in the array of forces of the hidden divinity of Ein
Sof, corresponding to His revelation in the world of Atziluth. Moreover, each
sefirah includes all the others, arranged around her, with her being at the center
as a kind of auxiliary escort. 13

Rabbi Pinchas Winston also supports the idea of the relationship between history
and the Sephirot:

... the Ten Sefiros that act as spiritual filters for G-d's light to make reality and
ultimately, our lives possible, also contain the "data" for distinct periods of time
in history. Thus, the sefirah of Chesed governed the first one thousand years of
history, Gevurah the second, and so forth until the sixth millennium, which is
rooted in the sefirah of Yesod. 14

Our "spiritual distance" (in the "lowest heaven," near Malkut and away from
Keter/Eyn Sof), causes us to see God, those things associated with Him and His
plan, in a very "fractured" way. There is one God, yet we see various emanations
of Him via the Sephirot. We also view His Feasts (Passover, Shavuot, Rosh
haShana, Yom Kippur, Succot) as being very distinct, yet (as we shall discuss in
detail further on), they are part of one plan and are unified in the heavenly
realm.

Rabbi Moshe Miller, in his commentary on the Zohar, explains how our view of
God is affected by which of the "four worlds" we are viewing Him in:

"... the higher the world or plane of reality, the greater the unity and infinity of
God that is revealed or manifest there. Nevertheless, since all worlds are the
result of a constriction and lessening of the Infinite Light (the Eyn Sof), they are
all, in one sense or another, limited and defined. That is to say, the revelation of
God is less or more limited, depending on which world is referred to. Therefore
the word for "world" in Hebrew, "olam," is etymologically related to the word
"he'elem," meaning hiddeness, or concealment -- referring to the concealment of
God's Infinite Light, so that in the higher worlds the Infinite Light is more
revealed, and in the lower worlds the Infinite Light is less revealed. 15
The Book of Enoch 16 is an interesting resource that gives insight into the various
"views" of God from our point of view. Enoch mentions four entities, Son of Man,
Elect One, Lord of Spirits and Ancient of Days, within his vision of the heavenlies.

In the Book of Enoch, the four titles are quite interchangeable. This would reflect
the more unified view of God that he experienced when he received his vision.

For instance:

• Of the Son of Man it says that He accompanied the Ancient of Days, and to
Him righteousness belongs. The Son of Man will overthrow kings and the
powerful and break in pieces the teeth of sinners. He will overthrow those
who do not exalt Him, thereby establishing Himself to be God. He does
these things to those who do not exalt the name of the Lord of Spirits,
thus equating Himself with that entity (Enoch 46:1-4).

The name of this Son of Man was invoked before the sun, stars and signs of
heaven were formed. He is the hope of those who are troubled. All who dwell on
the earth will fall down and worship him, and bless and glorify him. The Elect and
"Concealed One" existed in his presence before the world was created. He
reveals to the saints and the righteous the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits. In his
name will the righteous be preserved, and they will dwell with him forever.
(Enoch 48:3-7; 61:12,17).

This Son of Man existed "in secret" since the beginning. He is also called "son of
woman." The elect will stand before him one day (Enoch 61:9-11). People will
pray to him and petition him for mercy (Enoch 61:13). He is equated with the
Lord of Spirits (Enoch 61:15-18). He or his name live with the Lord of Spirits
(Enoch 69:1) He is equated with the Messiah (Enoch 48:11).

• Of the Elect One it says that He will sit upon the Throne of Glory. Either
the Elect One, or the one speaking this prophecy to Enoch, will dwell in the
midst of them, and change, bless and illuminate the face of heaven
forever. He will also change the face of the earth, bless it, and cause those
whom He has elected to dwell upon it. (Enoch 45:3-5; 50:3, 54:5). Wisdom
comes out of his mouth. The Lord of Spirits has gifted and glorified him
(Enoch 50:3). He will be exalted at the end of days (Enoch 50:5). He is
equated with the Messiah (Enoch 51:2-5). He will appear in the presence
of the Lord of Spirits at the end of days (Enoch 51:10). He is also equated
with the Lord of Spirits (Enoch 60:7-16)

• Of the Lord of Spirits it says that those who believe in His name will be
declared righteous and be saved (Enoch 43:2; 49:3). Sinners who deny His
Name will face his punishment (Enoch 45:2; 53:7) Those who do not
repent before him will perish (Enoch 49:3). The prayers of the righteous
(at the end of days - i.e., Revelation 8:4), are said to ascend to Him (Enoch
47:1) He sits upon the throne of glory. Before him the saints will be judged
in righteousness (Enoch 61:2-5). He will issue new garments to the
righteous (Enoch 61:18).
 • Of the Ancient of Days it says his head was like white wool and his robe
indescribable (Enoch 46:1; 70:12). He is the one who flooded the earth,
promised to not do this again and gave the rainbow (Enoch 54:1-3). He
calls himself the Lord of spirits (Enoch 54:4).

Enoch also establishes three of these entities as separate from each other in one
verse:

Enoch 48:2 - In that hour was this Son of man invoked before the Lord of spirits,
and his name in the presence of the Ancient of days.

Author Daniel C. Matt makes a statement that would reflect well upon what is
seen in Enoch:

At the deepest levels of divinity, all opposites and distinctions vanish,

overwhelmed by oneness. 17

THE PLAN THOUGH TIME

The Zohar connects the Sephirot of Chokhmah, Tipheret and Yesod as bringing
God's blessings (via the mystical "River of Eden"), to the world (i.e., Malkut).
These blessings descend throughout history and culminate in the eternal
Shabbat when they are no longer "intermittent."

The following passage transcends time and ties together; the Sephirot, God's
blessings through history and the future blessings of the Olam Haba (World to
Come). Note also the close relationship between Tipheret and Yesod (as
mentioned earlier) within this context. Both are "the Lord," but they are viewed
in different roles. This is discussed further on in this section:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135b - ‘The congregation

respond: “Blessed is the Lord who is blessed for ever and ever.” The expression
“who is blessed” indicates the streaming of blessings from the source of life to
the place whence issue nourishment and bounty for all creatures. And why do we
call this source “blessed”? Because it sustains and waters ’olam va'ed (lit. for
ever and ever), which is the Sabbath eve. In this way blessings are transmitted
to this ’olam va'ed from the highest world, so that it attains its full perfection.
Thus in this benediction, “blessed” represents the ultimate source whence all
blessings emanate ; [Tr. note: Hohmah.] “the Lord” is the centre [Tr. note:
Tifereth.] of all the supernal sides; “who is blessed” represents the peace of the
house, the fountain of the cistern, [Tr. note: Yesod] providing completion and
nourishment for all, while “for ever and ever” refers to the world below, [Tr.
note: Malkuth.] which needs these blessings: the “good oil” of “blessed”, “the
Lord”, and “the Blessed One” is all for this ’olam va'ed. Therefore the whole
congregation has to recite this every day; but on Sabbath eve it must be recited
with special devotion and gladness, in order that the Sabbath may be fitly
blessed by the holy people. When they begin to recite this benediction a voice is
heard in all the heavens that are sanctified by the entrance of the Sabbath:
“Blessed are ye, holy people, for that ye bless and sanctify on earth below, that
thereby many supernal holy hosts may be blessed and sanctified above.”
Blessed are they in this world and blessed are they in the world to come. The
Israelites do not recite this benediction until they are crowned with the crowns of
holy souls, as we have said before. Blessed is the people who is worthy of them
in this world, so that it may merit them in the world to come.

We know that the blessings that stem from the "waters of Eden" are for
atonement: 18

Zechariah 13:1 - In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

This water is associated with God's "grace." One of many examples of this is
from the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 64b - R. Abba further said: ‘We
know that “water” everywhere symbolizes God's kindness, “Grace”

God's grace in turn, is related to salvation, which comes by "faith":

Ephesians 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Habakkuk 2:4 - Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the
just shall live by his faith.

This "faith" connects back to the River of Eden:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 141a - "And thou shalt be like a
watered garden" (Is. LVIII, 11), that is, like the celestial garden whose supernal
waters never fail, but flow on for ever and ever; "and like a spring of water,
whose waters fail not" (Ibid.), alluding to the river that issues from Eden and
flows on for all eternity. Observe that the "well of living waters" is a symbol
within a symbol for guiding faith. There is the well which is the very source of the
waters [Yesod], and there is the well which is fed by that source of water
[Malkut]. There are thus two grades, which are, however, really one with two
aspects, male and female, in fitting union. The well and the issue of waters are
one, designated by the name of "well", it being at once the supernal never-
ceasing fountain and the well that is filled by it. And whoever gazes at that
well gazes at the true object of faith. This is the symbol which the
patriarchs transmitted in digging the well, in such a way as to indicate that the
source and the well are indissoluble.

In the above passage, note that the "well" is associated with Yesod (the Divine
Tzaddik), and is called, "the true object of faith."

Paul states that this well (also called the rock), was Messiah, his true "object of
faith":

1 Corinthians 10:4 - And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Messiah.
As mentioned, another place we find time transcended involves the Feasts of the
Lord. From our perspective (within space and time) we view these as a series of
very different events and practices, scattered throughout the year. This is not
the case in the heavenly realm however.

As author David Ariel states, the Feasts have a unified purpose:

Every ritual aspect of the Jewish liturgical year is related to the unification of
Tiferet and Malkhut and to the restoration of divine harmony. 19

The Zohar states that all the feasts, though separate and distinct within time, are
united with one purpose in the heavenly realm, associating them with the
Sabbath and the Shema, which speaks of the (coming) unification of the Name of
God (as discussed earlier in out studies):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135b - The six [Feast] Days are
but a preparation for her [the great Sabbath]. As they are united above in "One",
so she is unified below in the mystery of "one", to correspond to them above.
The Holy One, blessed be He, who is One above, does not take His seat upon the
Throne of Glory, until She has entered within the mystery of the One in
accordance with His very essence of Oneness, to be the One in One. This, as we
have said, is the significance of the words: "The Lord is One, and His Name is
One." It is the mystery of the Sabbath, which is united with the mystery of the
One so that it may be the organ of this Oneness.

Judaism recognizes a seven thousand year timetable of history. This is divided

into 2,000 years of "chaos," (Adam to Abraham), followed by 2,000 of strict
Torah, then 2,000 of the "days of Messiah," leading to His appearance and the
final 1,000 year Shabbat.

The mysterious part of this equation concerns the "marker" that appears after
the 4,000th year, (when Yeshua happened to be on the scene). If the Messiah did
not appear at that time, then what happened to launch this "era of Messiah"
which is in preparation for Him? The answer is the Divine Tzaddik, who is also the
Messiah, though not revealed to us in His full capacity "at this time."

This idea of Messiah existing in one role, only to be completely revealed as the
Messiah at a later time is not foreign to Hebraic thinking:

Nahmanides clearly distinguishes between the one who was born and in the
future will be the Messiah, and the Messiah's actual revelation due to the
fulfillment of his mission, which would make him the actual Messiah. This idea is
also expressed by (Rabbi Abraham) Abulafia when he says: "And he said that the
Messiah will arrive immediately for he is already born." We may conclude that
Abulafia also conceived of two stages in the career of the Messiah: his birth,
when he apparently has been destined to be a Messiah, and his arrival. His birth
makes him the Messiah "in potentia" and his arrival makes him the actual
Messiah. 20
This dual role of the Messiah, first coming as the suffering/atoning Tzaddik, and
then later the victorious Messiah, is how Yeshua explained Himself:

Mark 9:12 - Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first
and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He
must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

Luke 17:24-25 - For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven
shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.
But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

Luke 24:44-47 - Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written
in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He
opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then
He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Messiah to
suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

(Interestingly, the Sephirah of "Binah" is alluded to in multiple places in the

above text, i.e., "understanding," "the third day," "repentance," "Jerusalem.")

We conclude with the following insightful commentary on the subject of "time,"

from the Chabad-Lubavitch:

We are accustomed to regarding time as a string of segments second follows

second, hour follows hour, Monday follows Sunday. Special days--Shabbat, Rosh
Hashanah, Passover--each have their place in the sequence of days and months
portrayed by our calendar, preceded and followed by the "ordinary" days that
separate them. This, however, is a most perfunctory perception of time, just as a
description of the human body in purely physical terms--hair, skin, bone, blood,
flesh, sinew and brain tissue classified solely by their spatial juxtaposition to
each other--is a most superficial vision of man. Time is a complex organism
whose various organs and faculties interact with each other, each fulfilling its
individual function and imparting its effect upon the whole. G-d created the
whole of time--every age, millennium, century, year and second of it--as a single,
multifaceted body. It is only that we, finite and temporal creatures that we are,
encounter its "limbs," "organs" and "cells" one at a time, regarding the past as
passed because we have passed through it, and the future as yet to be because
we have yet to experience it. Just as time, as a whole, consitutes a integral
organism, so it is with the various time-bodies--the day, the week, the month,
the year, etc.--designed by the Creator of time as distinct components of the
universal time-body. Each of these has its own "head," a neurological center
which generates, processes and controls the stimuli and experiences of its
"body." So if we learn to be sensitive to the structure of time, we can transcend
the "sequential" timeline of our lives. If, upon entering the "head" of a particular
time-body, we imbue it with a certain quality and stimulate its potential in a
certain way, we can profoundly affect the days and experiences of that entire
time-body, whether they lie in our "future" or our "past." 21
1. Parsha-Insights - Pesach, Rabbi Yisroel Ciner, (Torah.org), 2001.

2. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, p. 164, citing
Zohar II 9a-b, II 258a.

3. ibid, pp. 1-2.

4. ibid, p. 10.

5. ibid, p. 8.

6. ibid, p. 51.

7. ibid, p. 27.

8. ibid, p. 28.

9. ibid, p. 174.

10. ibid. p. 13. The similarities between Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai in the Zohar,
and Yeshua of the "New Testament" are many. These include his teaching the
aspect of mercy regarding the Torah, commanding his disciples to "love one
another," being the "only righteous man of his time," and the departure of his
soul bringing tikkun to the upper worlds.

11. ibid, p. 14.

12. ibid, pp. 18-19.

13. Ramban, Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc,
Jerusalem, 1998, p. 359.

14. Perceptions on the Parsha: Parshas Shoftim, Judging by the Situation, Rabbi
Pinchas Winston, http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/shoftim.html.

15. Zohar: Selections translated and annotated by Moshe Miller, Moshe L. Miller,
Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars, Morristown, NJ, 2000, p.39.

16. The Book of Enoch The Prophet, translated by Richard Laurence, Wizards
Bookshelf, San Diego, 1995.

17. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism, Daniel C. Matt,
HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1996, p.167.

18. See Waters of Eden, The Mystery of the Mikvah, Aryeh Kaplan,
NCSY/Orthodox Union, 1976, for a detailed study of this subject.

19. The Mystic Quest, An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason
Aronson publishers, London, 1988, p. 162.

20. Messianic Mystics, Moshe Idel, Yale Univesity Press, London, 1998, p. 61.
Interestingly, Nahmanides used this argument in his debate against Christian
claims concerning "Jesus." For an insightful look at this debate, we recommend
the video, "The Disputation," as described on the YashanNet Reading List.

21. From www.jewishnewyear.com/holidays/tishrei/4763, The Neurology Of

Time, Chabad-Lubavitch.

MESSIAH - PART 5
TIKKUN
(Last updated 12/3/01)

As mentioned in the previous section of this study, there is a restorative aspect

to God's plan of salvation that precedes the return of Messiah (where peace
finally comes to the world and Israel is made supreme among the nations).

Referring back to an earlier quotation from Yehuda Liebes, there exists in

Kabbalah:

"... a messianic figure who is actively engaged in the process of the world's
tikkun [restoration]. While he is not the Messiah himself -- the latter will come
only after the tikkun -- it is he who paves the way for redemption and makes it
possible." 1

As we discussed in an earlier section of this study, Judaism teaches that this

figure is a messiah, specifically Messiah ben Joseph, the first of "two messiahs"
to come. He is the one who suffers, is "pierced," and dies in order to bring tikkun
in advance of Messiah ben David.

If we keep in mind what was shown in the previous section on time acting as a
"cloak" that obscures our vision of God, we can see that the figure providing
tikkun prior to the Messiah who brings in the Kingdom (the Divine Tzaddik), can
also be the very "same" Messiah.

Just as God revealed Himself as El Shaddai to some people at one time in history,
and as YHWH to others at another time, so too does He reveal Himself to
humanity as the Divine Tzaddik at one time, and Messiah as the other, all the
while being both Tzaddik and Messiah at all times.

There are multiple facets to the Messiah, regarding sin, salvation, tikkun and
unification. All of these are linked to the "middle pillar of the Godhead" and its
comparable Sephirot.

Thus, Messiah is associated with:

• Malkut - with regard to the coming judgment and establishment of the

kingdom

• Yesod - as Divine Tzaddik, who suffers and dies to bring atonement and
tikkun

• Tipheret - who brings unification to the Name of God

 • Da'at - through whom the Ruach haHodesh comes

• Keter - as the image of the invisible God

THE NEED FOR TIKKUN

The concept of tikkun is defined by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh as follows:

• A tikun is a state of perfection and order.

• "The world of Tikun," (olam hatikkun, "the world of rectified order") is the
world that first manifests this state, which is synonymous with the world of
Atzilut.

• Tikun is the spiritual process of liberating and retrieving the fragments of

Divine light trapped within the material realm, unconscious of G-d's
presence, thereby restoring the world to its initially intended state of
perfection. This is accomplished through the performance of mitzvot.

• Tikun is a remedy prescribed against the effects of committing a sin.2

Paul wrote of this return to a state of "perfection and order" in his letter to the
Messianic congregation in Rome:

Romans 8:18-23 -For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the
earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of
God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him
who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from
the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we
know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until
now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the
redemption of our body.

As we will discuss in this portion of the study, due to the sin of Adam, and
subesequent sins of man (including the more famous ones such as the golden
calf at Mount Sinai), both the world and heavenly realms are in a state of
"disunity" and in need of rectification. As such, the "name of God" is also said to
be in need of tikkun, something that will occur at a point in our future, according
to the prophet Zechariah:

Zechariah 14:9 - And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall
there be one LORD, and his name one.

All that has been "tainted" by the sin of man, is in need of tikkun.

This includes:

• The Godhead (the Sephirot)

• The Torah, transcending both spiritual and earthly realms

 • Man/Creation

Although this unification will not become "permanent" until a future time (from
our point of view within time), God has established means by which we can
effect aspects of this tikkun in this world. These are not fruitless excercises, as
these actions bring benefit to mankind, are pleasing to God and even enhance
the coming of the Kingdom (See comments on 2 Chronicles 7:8-9 in the next
section of this study.)

Man, through his actions in the physical realm, is involved in the process of
bringing tikkun.

This includes his involvment in:

• The sacrificial system

• The Feasts of the Lord

• The study and practice of Torah, including prayer and meditation

These will be addressed further in this study. We will first examine the idea of
tikkun at the "highest" level, that being a restoration of the Godhead (Sephirot).

TIKKUN OF THE GODHEAD

(AND RELATIONSHIP TO THE SHEMA)

As author Chayim J. Henoch, states that the sin of Adam had a cosmic effect --
one that "fractured the Godhead," and would ultimately be rectified. This tikkun
would be crowned by the arrival of the Messiah:

The chief cause for the existence of evil in the upper and lower worlds, which
necessitates a universal catharsis, is the mystical sin of Adam. This sin effected
an abysmal fissure in the Divine harmony of all being and interrupted the flow of
Divine energy into the arteries of the universe.

... The purpose of this sefiric, cosmo-historical catharsis is thus directed toward
the renewal of the shining of the Divine light in all phases and branches of the
universe, piercing and making the veil of opaqueness and darkness disappear.
Ultimately, this sublime purpose expresses the realization of fixing of the
mystical-universal split, symbolized by the arrival of the Messiah, which
represents the climactic completeness of man, who is created in the image of
God. 3

Kabbalistically, it is taught that the tree from which Adam and Eve took the fruit
represents Yesod/Tipheret. The fruit picked from the tree (and thus "separated"
from it) is associated with Malkut (the Shekinah).

Here we have the serious sin of "separating the bride from the bridegroom,"
causing the disunification of the name of God. As discussed earlier, the Sephirah
of Malkut (the bride) is associated with the last (lesser) "H" (the letter "heh") in
the name Y-H-V-H. Malkut is also linked to the Shekinah, which is in exile with
Israel during this time.

As Rabbi Henoch explains:

By taking and eating of the forbidden "fruit" from the Tree of Knowledge -- from
the sefiroth of Yesod and Tifereth, which are represented by the wood of the
Tree and the Tree itself, respectively -- Adam disturbed the harmony in the
Divine world of Atziluth. 4

Adam and Chavah (Eve) were thus themselves separated from their intimate
existence with God. Now living in the physical world, still linked to the Shekinah,
but separated from the rest of the Godhead, they were given "garments" to
wear. Kabbalistically, what are said to be "animal skins" in the Torah, represent
the actual flesh that our bodies are since made of. Just as we will be given new
bodies in order to exist in the heavenly realm (1 Corinthians chapter 15), so were
Adam and Chavah given the fleshy bodies we now have in order to exist in this
physical realm.

The difficulty we face in understanding how "all of this works," lies in the fact
that events take place in two realms -- "outside of time," and "within time." The
Eyn Sof, as we have discussed, is "outside of time" and eternal. "Time" is part of
His creation.

As discussed in the previous section of this study, we are (barring occasional

miraculous interventions as seen in Scripture), restricted in our view of reality by
the dimension of "time."

For example, we know that God is "One" and His name is "One." This is a
profound truth of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), which is considered the Bible's
"great statement of faith," as it proclaims the unity of God.

As discussed in an earlier section, the daily recitation of the Shema consists of

two statements:

Hear, O Israel: YHWH our ELOHIM is one YHWH,

Blessed be His glorious name, whose Kingdom is forever and ever.

The Shema transends time, by declaring two statements of fact:

1. YHWH and ELOHIM are one (i.e., "yesterday, today and always").

2. YHWH and ELOHIM will be one (when His Kingdom is established).

This interpretation is supported by the prophet Zechariah, who makes it clear

that "within the realm of time," God's name is not presently "One" (due to the sin
of Adam, as described above).

It is in the "future" (which exists only when speaking of "time"), that God's name
will be One:
Zechariah 14:9 - And YHWH shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall
there be one YHWH, and His name one.

Rabbi Chayim Henoch explains the relationship between events within time, and
outside of time, as follows:

But it must be emphasized that these two processes, the cosmic and the
historical, are intrinsically two sides of the same dynamic coin, called "Divine
revelation," which penetrates the upper and the lower realms, and no creature is
able to exist outside of its perimeters. 5

This concept of how events can "occur" both outside of time, as well as within
our historical reality, explains how Deuteronomy 6:4 and Zechariah 14:9 can
both be true (even though they seem to "contradict" on the surface).

Another example of similar things being different within time and outside of time,
concerns the upper Sephirot of Chokhmah and Binah, the "father" and "mother."
These two Sephirot are said to never be separated (unlike Tipheret and Malkut,
the son and bride which are apart). Yet, a tikkun is said to come to the upper
Sephirot themselves.

This seeming contradiction is caused by the effect of "time" in our realm, and is
explained as follows:

This flaw is only possible in the lower realms and cannot reach the upper plane.
Thus the two lights of Yud and heh (the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton)
are always perfectly connected, with the cusp of the Yud above them. All three
(the cusp of the yud, alludingto Keter, the Crown and the Yud itself, alluding to
Chochmah, Wisdom, and the Heh, alluding to Binah, Understanding) are bound
together with a strong, firm bond. But in the lower realms we do find separation
as a result of men's sins. The Yud separates from the Heh, the Heh from the Vav,
and the Vav from the (second ) Heh. 6

(Note: In the above text, Tetragrammaton is the four-letter name of God (YHVH).
The lower realms are those "within time," the upper realms are "outside of time."
The "cusp" is the very top part of the letter Yud, likened to a crown. i.e., Keter =
crown).

Returning to the Shema, the second line of the Shema prayer is not found in
Scripture, but was spoken by the children of Jacob, back to their father as a
confirmation of their faith.

The Zohar offers the following insight on the role of faith with Jacob and his sons,
mentioning the role of the "two-edged" sword (the Torah):

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 62a-b - R. Simeon then spoke on

the verse: "Let the saints exult in glory, let them sing for joy upon their beds"
(Ps. CXLIX, 5). ‘We have learnt’, he said, ‘that the knot of faith is tied with
thirteen attributes, and in addition the Torah is crowned with thirteen
"measures", [rules of interpretation] and the holy name is crowned therewith.
Similarly, when Jacob desired to bless his sons, he said that his sons should be
blessed with the bond of faith; it is written, "all these are the tribes of Israel,
twelve, and this (zoth)", etc. (Gen. XLIX, 28); thus there were thirteen, the
Shekinah being joined with them. We have learnt that all those "measures"
ascend and rest upon a certain head, and the pious inherit all that glory from
above, as it is written, "Let the saints exult in glory", in this world, "and let them
sing for joy upon their beds"-in the next world. "The high praises of God are in
their mouths", to tie the bond of faith in fitting manner; and so "a two-edged
sword is in their hand", to wit, the sword of the Holy One, blessed be He, which
flashes with two judgements.

Rabbi Pinchas Winston gives the following insight into the relationship between
the Shema, God's Kingdom, Sabbath, as well as "how the end is tied to the
beginning":

Malchus [Kingdom] corresponds to Shabbos [the Sabbath], which indicates that

it is the completion of physical existence. Logically, it also corresponds to King
David, who is the ancestor of Moshiach, whose kingdom will come at the end of
history, when G-d's mandate for creation has been fulfilled. Hence, Malchus
represents the time in history when G-d's kingdom is firmly established on earth,
as well as in Heaven. All that was ever accomplished for good during the
previous six millennia will be synergized into a completed whole, just as Shabbos
allows an individual to integrate all that was spiritually achieved during the
previous six days of the week.

Thus Malchus and Shabbos are considered feminine in nature. It is a feminine

trait to receive, gestate, and give back a completed whole. The previous six days
of the week are considered masculine, full of energy expended in many
directions, often simultaneously. It is Shabbos that brings "peace-and-quiet" to
creation, allowing the person to re-focus on his or her relationship with G-d, and
to enjoy the fruits of the previous days' labor. In other words, whereas the
previous six days efforts are considered to be in a horizontal direction, Shabbos
moves a person in a vertical direction, closer to G-d. Shabbos is the time to
absorb new levels of spiritual realization into one's consciousness, so that Motzei
Shabbos, one emerges as a "briah chadashah"- a "new creation."

Kabbalah points out that Malchus is really just the revelation on the lowest level
of what exists on the highest level. The uppermost sefirah is called "Keser,"
[Keter] which means "Crown." Since this sefirah is so sublime, it is completely
beyond man's ability to grasp, and is therefore referred to as "Ayin," which
means "Nothing." Compared to what comes after it, which is far more "physical,"
it is as if it does not exist. Malchus is called "Ani," which means "I" - the ultimate
expression of individuality and existence.

It is the same letters as the word "ayin," except that they arranged differently:

Ayin - Ani
(aleph-yud-nun) - (aleph, nun-yud)
What this expresses is that the light that makes up our physical world, and gives
life to all that exists, is really the light of Keser, after it has been filtered and
"splintered" through the eight sefiros between Keser and Malchus. However, it is
in Malchus that the light becomes unified once again, with the important
exception that it has also been revealed and realized along the way. It has gone
from "Ayin" to "Ani," which was the whole point of creation in the first place-and
of a person's life.

This is also expressed in the last word of the Shema: Echad. The word Echad is
made up of three letters: aleph, ches, dalet. The rabbis explains that the aleph
refers to the sefirah Keser, because the letter aleph represents the number
"one," and G-d is One. The ches, corresponds to the number eight, and hence,
the eight sefiros that follow Keser. The dalet always symbolizes Malchus,
because it corresponds to the number four, which emphasizes G-d's kingship
over all four directions of physical existence.

In a Sefer Torah (a book of Torah), the dalet is written larger than the previous
two letters, to emphasize that it represents the fulfillment of creation: the
revelation of G-d to all mankind, and the permanent establishment of His
Kingdom throughout all of existence. 7

Another section of the Zohar, speaking on the subject of the (future) unification
of the name of God, shows how through the study of the Torah (the two-edged
sword), we can understand the deepest aspects of God. It states that the great
mystery of faith is knowing that God as YHWH is one with God as ELOHIM (the
mystery of the Shema).

This concept is associated with an understanding that there is a "Supernal

Torah," associated with YHWH and the heavenly realm, and a historical Torah
associated with ELOHIM and the earthly realm. (This will be discussed in detail
later in this study.):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 160b-161b - The whole mystery

of the Faith depends upon this; from this comes the knowledge of the mystery of
mysteries, the secret of secrets. YHWH ELOHIM is a full Name, and the whole
is one. Herein is a mystery of mysteries to the masters of the esoteric
knowledge. And, indeed, blessed are they who endeavour to comprehend the
Torah. When the Holy One resolved to create the world, He guided Himself by
the Torah as by a plan, as has been pointed out [Tr. note: v. Zohar, Gen., 134a in
connection with the words "Then I was by him as amon" (Prov. VIII, 30), where
the word amon (nursling) may also be read uman (architect). Was the Torah,
then, an architect? Yes; for if a King resolves to build him a palace, without an
architect and a plan how can he proceed?

Nevertheless, when the palace has been built, it is attributed to the King: "here
is the palace which the King has built", because his was the thought that thus
has been realized. Similarly, when the Holy One, blessed be He, resolved to
create the world, He looked into His plan, and, although, in a sense, it was the
plan which brought the palace into being, it is not called by its name, but by that
of the King. The Torah proclaims: "I was by Him an architect, through me He
created the world!"-for the Torah preceded the creation of the world by two
thousand years; and so, when He resolved to create the world He looked into the
Torah, into its every creative word, and fashioned the world correspondingly; for
all the words and all the actions of all the worlds are contained in the Torah.

Therefore did the Holy One, blessed be He, look into it and create the world. That
is why it says not merely "I was an architect", but "I was, alongside of Him, an
architect". It may be asked, How can one be an architect with Him? God looked
at His plan in this way. It is written in the Torah: "In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth"; He looked at this expression and created heaven
and earth. In the Torah it is written: "Let there be light"; He looked at these
words and created light; and in this manner was the whole world created. When
the world was all thus created, nothing was yet established properly, until He
had resolved to create man, in order that he might study the Torah, and, for his
sake, the world should be firmly and properly established. Thus it is that he who
concentrates his mind on, and deeply penetrates into, the Torah, sustains the
world; for, as the Holy One looked into the Torah and created the world, so man
looks into the Torah and keeps the world alive. Hence the Torah is the cause of
the world's creation, and also the power that maintains its existence. Therefore
blessed is he who is devoted to the Torah, for he is the preserver of the world.

‘When the Holy One resolved to create man, there appeared before His Mind
potential man, in form and condition as he was to be in this world; and not he
alone, but all human beings, before they enter this world, stand before Him in
the same way, in that treasure-house of souls where, dressed in a semblance of
their earthly forms, they await their entry into this world. When their time has
arrived to descend to this world, the Holy One calls upon a certain emissary
appointed over all the souls to go down, and says to him: "Go, bring hither to Me
such and such a spirit", and on the instant that soul appears, clad in the form of
this world, and is led forward by the angel that the Holy King may look upon it.
Then does the Holy One warn that soul, when it shall have reached the
earthly regions, to remember the Torah, and devote itself thereto, so
that it may know Him and the mystery of Faith; for better were it for a
man that he should never be born than not to know Him.

Therefore is it presented before the Holy King, that afterwards it may know Him
in this world, and be devoted to the Holy One in the mystery of the Faith.
Concerning this it is written: "Thou hast been shown to know", that is, shown by
the angel to the Holy One, in order to know, to understand, to penetrate in this
world to the mystery of the Faith, the mystery of the Torah. And he who, having
come into this world, does not study the Torah to know Him-better were it for
him that he had never been born; since the only aim and object of the Holy One
in sending man into this world is that he may know and understand that YHWH is
Elohim.
This is the sum of the whole mystery of the Faith, of the whole Torah, of all that
is above and below, of the Written and Oral Torah, all together forming one
unity. The essence of the mystery of Faith is to know that this is a complete
Name. This knowledge that YHWH is One with Elohim is indeed the
synthesis of the whole Torah, both of the Written and of the Oral, for
"Torah" stands for both, the former being symbolic of YHWH and the
latter of Elohim. The Torah being the mystery of the Holy Name, it is therefore
called by two names, one of which is general, and the other particular. The
general is complemented by the particular, also the particular by the general,
both combining to form one synthesis. In the Torah we find, therefore, the
synthesis of the Above and the Below, for the one Name, YHWH, is above, while
the other, Elohim, is below, one indicating the higher world and the other the
lower. And therefore is it written: "Thou hast been shown to know that YHWH is
Elohim."

This principle that reconciles verses which proclaim both a current and future
unification of the Godhead, also provides the harmonizing of other verses, such
as Revelation 13:8, which speaks of Yeshua's work "already being done" (outside
of time), and Galatians 4:4, where it says His work was done when He came to
the physical realm (within time):

Revelation 13:8 - And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.

Galatians 4:4 - But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his
Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

As Rabbi Pinchas Winston says of the view of God as found in the Shema:

From the very top of creation until the very bottom of creation, even in the
darkest, most physical parts of existence, you must know and be real with G-d's
Oneness. There is never a place that G-d isn't, just places where it is not proper
to think about Him. There is never a time when G-d isn't, just times when He
doesn't seem apparent to us. 8

THE PROCESS OF HEAVENLY TIKKUN

Beyond the separation of Malkut from Tipheret/Yesod, Adam's sin caused a

disruption of the harmony among all of the Sephirot. Of particular importance is
that the three "upper Sephirot" (Keter, Chokhmah, Binah), were separated from
the remaining "lower" seven.

These upper three Sephirot are known as Arikh Anpin, the "long face," also called
the "infinitely patient one." As discussed earlier in this study, these three
Sephirot are associated with the highest heaven of Azilut, existing above our
level of time and space.

The configuration of the "lower" seven Sephirot, is called Ze'er Anpin, the "small
face," also called the "impatient one." (Ze'er Anpin is technically made up of six
of the lower seven Sephirot while Malkut-Shekinah is in exile.) As also discussed
earlier Ze'er Anpin is associated with the dimensions of physical space that exist
within the dimension of time.

The result of this split between the upper and lower groupings, is that Divine
light from Arikh Anpin does not shine upon Ze'er Anpin. This cessation of light
from above causes Ze'er Anpin to pour out (unmitigated) judgment. In addition
to this, the split among the Sephirot (causing a lack of intimacy among them),
makes a full dekevut (cleaving/communion) for man with the Godhead
impossible.9

Thus, the full/permanent measure of forgiveness of sin, that comes via

repentance (which is associated with the Sephirah of Binah/Understanding) is not
in place until Binah, (along with Chokhmah and Keter), is re-united with the lower
Sephirot of Ze'er Anpin.

In order for the full/permanent measure of forgivenss to be in effect, tikkun must

first come to Arikh Anpin (the Supernal Sephirot of Keter-Chokhmah-Binah). This
is in actuality a tikkun of the entire cosmos, which kabalistically is called the
"Messianic tikkun." Once this is done, Arikh Anpin will effect tikkun upon Ze'er
Anpin. This occurs when the flow of illumination from above is reconnected.

The Zohar likens this "connection" metaphorically, as a "part in hair" (on the
head) of Arikh Anpin which, when tikkun has taken place, is aligned with a part
on the head of Ze'er Anpin. From the latter branches out the 613
commandments of the Torah.10

With regard to the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the three Supernal Sephirot of Arikh
Anpin are the "Holy of Holies," of the heavenly realm.11

The only one allowed to enter into this heavenly Holy of Holies is "the King" -
Tipheret:

When the last of the ten lights (Shekinah) was complete with all its lights shining
and everything fixed and functioning properly, there appeared at the end a
certain place that is most awesome (the Holy of Holies of the Heavenly Temple).
This is the place of great desire, the place of love and peace. This place is hidden
and secret. Only the King may come there. No one may enter except for Him.
This place contains all the beauty of this light and all its radiance and perfection.
In it are found all the pleasantness and delight. When the King enters, who can
express His great beauty and goodness? None can compare to Him in all His
glory and holiness. Being so hidden, the light is all the greater and more intense.
12

Our own view of events within time (in the "secular" world) and that which occurs
outside of time (in the "holy" world) is in need of tikkun as well. This is said to
occur at the level of the heavenly Holy of Holies.

As stated by kabbalistic author Daniel Matt:

"There is a secular world and a holy world, secular worlds and holy worlds. These
worlds contradict one another. The contradiction, of course, is subjective. In our
limited perception we cannot reconcile the sacred and the secular, we cannot
harmonize their contradictions. Yet at the pinnacle of the universe they are
reconciled, at the site of the holy of holies." 13

The understanding of Ze'er Anpin (Tipheret) being associated with judgment until
tikkun is effected upon it is mentioned in the Zohar. The topic of this section is
the "heave offering" which is shown to represent the "elevation" of the Shekinah
upward toward the heavens, specifically toward the bridegroom, Tipheret (Ze'er
Anpin). As discussed, Ze'er Anpin is made up of six of the lower seven Sephirot,
with Malkut (the Shekinah) being the seventh.

In this text we have Ze'er Anpin associated with someone named Bo'el, meaning
"God is in Him." Boel is also called the "throne of the power of judgment." which
is said to be mitigated when men repent. (See also the subsequent section on
the role of man in the process of heavenly tikkun.)

This merging of judgment and mercy is also seen in the union of the angels
Michael (associated with Tipheret), and Gabriel (associated with Yesod). We thus
have another connection between these two Sephirot, as discussed in an earlier
section.

This section of the Zohar follows:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 147a-b - AND THIS IS THE

HEAVE-OFFERING WHICH YE SHALL TAKE FROM THEM. Said R. Eleazar: This verse
has been interpreted and the inner mystery thereof explained. But there is
evidently a contradiction between the above verse (where it says "That they
take Me a heave-offering") and this. First it says, "take Me"; then "take My
heaveoffering"; then "take from them". However, the whole meaning amounts to
this: "Take Me (as) a heave-offering"- but who should take? The children of
Israel. And from whom should they take? "From every man whose heart impells
him", namely from the supernal angels above, upon whom this "Heave" (the
Shekinah) is raised, those who do perpetually raise Her up to the Supernal King;
and when Israel is worthy, they take Her from them and bring Her down. Who
are those angels? The four who raise Her, and in whom the Heart (God) takes
delight. Yet, though this "heave- offering" is borne aloft by them, "ye shall take"
from them, in order to bring Her down to earth. How are they to do so, even in
this dispensation? By the power of good works, prayer, and the keeping of the
Law. But at the time when the Temple yet stood, it was by means of the colours
that were manifested below, after the pattern of the colours above, through the
sacrificial worship. Those colours drew down the Terumah (the Shekinah) to the
lower spheres; that is to say, the colours which were below prevailed over those
that were above, the former bringing down the latter, one entering into the
other, the former becoming "bodies" for the latter. Therefore it says, "which ye
shall take from them".
GOLD, AND SILVER, ETC. Gold is included in Gabriel. The supernal gold is carried
below by Gabriel, and seven kinds of gold separate themselves from it. "Silver"
above is united with Michael below, and one rests on the other. "Brass" is also
above; it originates from gold, because gold and five have the same symbolism.
It is fire which brings forth brass, and from this power emanate supernal
mysterious serpents (nehashim = nehosheth = brass) and Seraphim brought
forth by fire (from saraph, to burn). Therefore brass is golden, lit with orange and
red, like fire. It is contained in Noriel (Fire of God) and forms his body. Techeleth
(purple blue) is contained in both brass and gold, and derives energy from both
sides. It possesses great strength and nothing can obtain dominion over it. It
forms the throne of the power of judgement, and is therefore called "Boel" ("In
him is El", i.e. God as Power), as it is written: "And El (God) is angry every day"
(Ps. VII, 12). But when men turn back to God with perfect repentance, his name
is changed into Raphael (God heals): for he brings healing to assuage the pains
of that bitter judgement.

In "purple-red" (Argaman) gold and silver are fused: Michael and Gabriel are
intertwined with each other, and of this it is written: "He maketh peace among
the dwellers on high" (Job xxv, 2). The two, being joined one with the other,
become one body. There is "crimson" also above, contained in Urie1, like the
former, to combine purple-blue and purple-red. Byssus also is above, contained,
like the former, in the mystery of Raphael, in order that silver and gold may be
united. So much for the mystery of the seven pillars [Tr. note: i.e. the seven
angels symbolized by the seven colours.] above which are contained in the
seven that are below.

Boel is mentioned only one other place in the Zohar, where he is seen as being
the one to unite the letters of the name YHVH at the end of days, referred to as
"keys" (i.e., the "Key of David" which we will discuss in our text analysis):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - At the time when the
Spouse is united with the Matrona a herald comes forth from the south, crying:
"Awaken, O ye supernal hosts, and unfurl the banners of love in honour of your
Lord!" Then one of the leaders of the celestial array-he whose name is Boel (God
is in him)- stands forth, and in his hands are four keys which he obtained one
from each of the four corners of the earth. One key has upon it the sign of the
letter Yod engraved; the second the letter He’; and the third the letter Vau; and
these three keys he lays beneath the boughs of the Tree of Life. Then these
three become one. Then the fourth and last key, which bears upon it the second
letter He’, joins the three which have become one. And all the angelic hosts
enter by means of those keys into the Garden of Eden, where with one voice
they proclaim the Divine unity at the selfsame moment as it is proclaimed here
below. Then the Shekinah, the Bride, is conducted to the Palace of the King, Her
Bridegroom, for now He stands complete in all His supernal goodness and can
supply Her with all that She needs.

(This last reference comes from a larger section of the Zohar, which we have
made available in Appendix I.)
As the Zohar notes (above), tikkun comes in stages. Here we see Bo'el first
uniting the Y-H-V, (Father, Mother and Son), which is representative of bringing
tikkun to Arikh Anpin (the Y-H) and Ze'er Anpin (the V). Only after this has been
accomplished, is the final "H," representative of Malkut-Shekinha (the bride)
brought in unity with the rest of the Godhead.

Yehuda Liebes explains the stages of heavenly tikkun as such:

It begins with the highest configuration (attika Kaddisha), continues to the male
configuration of the Godhead (Ze'er Anpin), and culminates in the Shekinah. This
order is necessary, for it is the absence of tikkun at a higher level that causes
disturbance at the level below it, and it is the higher level, once it has undergone
tikkun, that brings about the tikkun of that below it. 14

Following the tikkun of the heavenlies, comes that of the earthly realm:
15
... The tikkun then is completed with that of Jerusalem and the Sanctuary.

TIKKUN AS SEEN IN THE "NEW TESTAMENT"

The concept of tikkun is present throughout the texts of the "New Testament,"
but perhaps no more so than in the book of Hebrews. This text is one of the more
Kabbalistic (and thereby misunderstood) books of the entire Bible.

Even at the time the book was written, the ability to understand its concepts had
faded:

Hebrews 5:11-14 - ... of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain,
since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles
of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who
partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason
of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

After this mild rebuke, the author prepares his audience for a deeper (Sod) level
of understanding:

Hebrews 6:1-3 - Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles

of Messiah, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of
baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this we will do if God permits.

Hebrews, chapter 9 is of key importance in understanding the work of Yeshua in

the heavenly realms, with relation to bringing tikkun to the heavenly Holy of
Holies, which brought tikkun to Ze'er Anpin, and also opened the door for the
forgiveness of sin.

There are several points usually missed when Hebrews is studied outside of its
Kabbalistic context, such as:
 1. Yeshua's sacrifice is in the context of the Yom Kippur sacrifice. Hebrews
does NOT teach that the sacrificial system in its entirety in now forever
done away with -- only that there was a change ("pre-ordained" as part of
the heavenly Supernal Torah), to the Yom Kippur sacrifice and thus the
priesthood.

2. The "Melkizadek priesthood" is the "Supernal priesthood" of which the

Levitical one is patterned, in the same fashion that the heavenly Temple
(shown to Moses) is the one after which the earthly Tabernacle/Temple
was patterned.

3. The earthly representations of what is found in the heavenlies, include not

only the priesthood and temple articles, but also the actions/processes
regarding redemption, atonement, salvation, etc. What is to be done in the
heavenlies is "played out in time" in the earthly realm.

4. The "New Covenant" is NOT in effect at this time. Hebrews 8:6-13

reiterates this by its citation of the Tenakh's terms for this covenant (i.e.,
there will be no need for "evangelism" as all will know the Lord). Yeshua
(as the Divine Tzaddik) has prepared the way for this (by effecting tikkun
to Ze'er Anpin), but the New Covenant does not come into reality ("in
time") until His work (the union of Malkut-Shekinah and Tipheret), is
finished and is crowned by His arrival as Messiah. Certain "aspects" of the
New Covenant may be experienced now, just as aspects of our salvation
may be experienced, but is not yet complete until He returns. (See the
article by James Trimm on this subject in the YashaNet library.)

5. This "unfinished work" of Messiah will be completed when (as the book of
Hebrews states), He "appears a second time for salvation."

6. As noted earlier in this study, there exists a mystical relationship (outside

of time) between Pesakh (Passover) and Yom Kippur. This sheds light on
how Yeshua can be the Yom Kippur sacrifice, yet die on Pesakh. Yom
Kippur deals with salvation and establishment of the New Covenant.
Pesakh deals with sin and defeat of the demonic realm. (See subsequent
section on the role of the Feasts regarding tikkun.)

These points must be kept in mind to properly understand the book of Hebrews.
Here we offer a sod-level interpretation, with comments interjected in bold:

Hebrews chapter 9:

Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the
earthly sanctuary.

"Covenant" is linked to the Sephirah of Yesod. As we have discussed

Yesod is in the role of the Tzaddik - who has the free will to follow his
role or turn away from it. This first covenant was thus dependent on the
behavior of the earthly tzaddikim (the people) who failed - i.e., Hebrews
4:2-6, 8:7-9.
The first covenant had aspects of divine service within the earthly
sanctuary, as Yesod is the Sephirah that connects the earthly and
heavenly realms.

... For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the
table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second
veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All,

The "Holiest of All" is equivalent to the Holy of Holies and is Arikh Anpin
in the heavenly realm.

... which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides
with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that
budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of
glory overshadowing the mercy seat.

In the Ark we see a microcosm of the three pillars of the Godhead.

• The manna, given abundantly to the people is from the right side
of Hesed-Mercy.

• Aaron's rod represents the Sephirot of the central pillar and as we

have discussed earlier, is associated with Metatron.

• The tablets of the covenant represent the restrictiveness and

judgment of the Torah and of the left side of Gevurah-Judgment.

... Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

This reprieve is consistent with the schools of Kabbalistic thought

through the ages, which kept the deeper mysteries within tight circles
of people, and did not make them available for general consumption.
Within the teachings of Kabbalah however, it is said that there would
come a time just prior to the arrival of Messiah that these secrets would
be made more accessible to the world. This is exactly what is happening
in recent years with many ancient Kabbalistic texts being translated
into English.

... Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into
the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part
the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for
himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;

Note that this discussion is focused on Yom Kippur, when the High
Priest entered the Holy of Holies.

... the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet
made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing.

The author states that the restrictions placed on the Holy of Holies in
the earthly Temple, was a representation of the fracture between Arikh
Anpin and Ze'er Anpin in the heavenly realm. (Again, recall the principle
that what is seen below is an image of what exists above.)

Repentance was of course available through the yearly Yom Kippur

service, but not in a permanent fashion. The heavenly Holy of Holies,
Arikh Anpin, which includes Binah (repentance), was "cut off" from the
lower Sephirot, interrupting the flow of God's mercy.

This teaching is consistent with Jewish commentary on the "Tent of

Meeting" as being a "time of meeting," reflecting a defect in the
relationship between man and God, who could only meet at appointed
times (unlike Adam and Chava who walked with God all of the time.)

... It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are
offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to
the conscience--concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and
fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation. But Messiah came as
High Priest of the good things to come,

Messiah as High Priest includes aspects of both Tipheret and Yesod.

(Note: When Yeshua returns to judge the earth and establish His
kingdom He will include aspects of Yesod and Malkut.)

The "good things to come" will achieve their realization in the "Jubilee,"
which is associated with Binah, called the "hidden source of freedom."
(i.e., "When that which is perfect comes" - 1 Corinthians 13:10.)

... with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is,
not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own
blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption.

His work in the heavenly Holy of Holies effected the tikkun of Arikh
Anpin.

... For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood
of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God,
cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

This is a kal v'chomer argument (If the lesser results in something, then
this applies more so to the greater.) Yeshua thus effected the required
tikkun that brought a full/permanent solution to what the annual Yom
Kippur sacrifice could effect only partially.

The "living God" we serve is El Hai and is associated with the Sephirah
of Yesod.

... And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of
death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that
those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
As "mediator" we see the aspect of Yesod as Tzaddik. In turn, the
earthly tzaddikim benefit from His actions. The "New Covenant" is
associated with Binah, which is "freedom" (redemption) and "mother" of
creation, specifically the tzadikkim in this context (i.e., Galatians 4:26).

The inheritance is the Kingdom (Malkut) which will be rectified and

joined to the rest of the Godhead upon Yeshua's return.

... For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of
the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power
at all while the testator lives.

Inheritance comes upon the death of the one bequething it. As

discussed earlier in this study, the Divine Tzaddik, kinsman redeemer to
the earthly tzaddikim, must shed his blood for his brethren, possibly
having to die for them.

... Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when
Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took
the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and
sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the
covenant which God has commanded you." Then likewise he sprinkled with blood
both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law
almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is
no remission. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the
heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these.

Moses was the Tzaddik and Maggid (teacher) of his day.

Divine "purification" requires a Divine tikkun (by God's "right arm"), not
something done by man alone.

... For Messiah has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are
copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God
for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most
Holy Place every year with blood of another--He then would have had to suffer
often since the foundation of the world; -but now, once at the end of the ages, -
He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is
appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Messiah was
offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will
appear a second time apart from sin, for salvation.

This final passage shows the work of Messiah "through time":

• The High Priest enters on Yom Kippur

• Yeshua was slain once since the Foundation of the world

• The "end of the ages" is the 2000-year period known as the "days
of Messiah" (see the subsequent section on "Tikkun of the Torah")
 • Messiah died at Pesakh for sin (bringing tikkun to the heavenly
realms of Arikh Anpin and Ze'er Anpin)

• Messiah returns at Yom Kippur for salvation (unifying the

Godhead and creation)

The above heavenly action had a physical representation on earth:

Matthew 27:51 - And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the
top to the bottom ...

The harmony (Tipheret) brough to the heavenly realms is reflected in the

following prayer recited at Pesakh, at the time that the third cup of the Seder -
the cup associated with the New Covenant:

May He who establishes harmony in the universe bestow His peace upon us,
upon Israel, and upon all mankind. 16

Note that at the Passover Seder conducted by Yeshua prior to His death, He
defers from drinking of this third cup of the New Covenant, until He returns to
establish the Kingdom:

Matthew 26:27-29 - And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to
them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the New Covenant, which
is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in
my Father's kingdom.

As followers of Yeshua and the Torah, we are welcomed into the "New Covenant"
in the present time, based on His promise. We will experience the reality of this
when He returns and drinks of this cup with us in the Kingdom, upon
establishment of the New Covenant.

There is more concerning the tikkun of the Godhead than what we have
discussed thus far. There is still an element that concerns the actions of man
himself "within time." As Yehuda Liebes stated in the quotation at the beginning
of this section, concerning the role of the Tzaddik:

"... it is he who paves the way for redemption and makes it possible."

Thus, although Yeshua's actions make possible this flow of light from Arikh Anpin
to Ze'er Anpin and subsequently to the world, the drawing down of this light from
Ze'er Anpin to Malkut (the earthly realm), is dependent on the actions of the
earthly tzaddik. (See previous section on Yesod for more on this function of the
tzaddik.)

Due to the actions of Yeshua, man himself can now "approach" (dekevut -
"cleaving") the Heavenly of Holies and effect continual tikkun on Arikh Anpin,
thus bringing God's blessings to the world and hastening the coming of the
Messiah.
The book of Hebrews states explains this. We offer the following commentary:

Hebrews 10:19-22:

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest

Not the earthly Holy of Holies, but rather approaching the heavenly
Arikh Anpin.

... by the blood of Yeshua,

Yesod as the Divine Tzaddik (see previous section on the blood of the
Tzaddik being shed for the atonement of his brethren).

... by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is,
His flesh,

The "veil" is what separated us from the place where God made his
presence in the Holy of Holies. Thus, there is a "negative" connotation
to the veil, as it "keeps us away from God." The Temple walls
themselves are said to have this same "undesirable" yet necessary
effect. Following the Millennial Shabbat, this will be rectified as God
will no longer be contained within the walls of a Temple (Revelation
21:22).

The author compares the "flesh" of Yeshua to the veil in the same
sense. It can be said that the physical body of Yeshua (a tabernacle for
God, i.e., Yesod) continues to act as a "veil," that keeps many people
from seeing who He is.

... and having a High Priest over the house of God,

This is a function of Yeshua as Tipheret in the heavenly realm, as

discussed in our studies on Tipheret.

... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The washing with water is an allusion to the mikvah, with "water" in

this context being the River of Eden, or the Torah, which sanctifies us
to God.

Rabbi Pinchas Winston, in a current (December, 2001) Torah commentary, offers

the following insight concerning the role of the suffering Messiah and his effect
on heavenly tikkun. This idea will come into play when we analyze events
occuring in the heavenly realms, beginning in chapter 5:

In hindsight, it is clear that Yosef ended up in jail as a stepping stone to become

second-in-command of Egypt. Certainly, there are other more pleasant ways to
promote a person in life. However, Divine Providence chose this route for Yosef
for reasons that may be known only to Heaven. On the other hand, the fact that
Yosef was able to succeed and remain spiritually unscathed even in the lowest
part of the lowly Egypt, was a tremendous comment about Yosef's spiritual
stature. Furthermore, he did not lose his ability to reveal the unknown even
while he was there, evident by his ability to correctly interpret the dreams of
Paroah's servants who "happened" to be in prison at the same time he was
there. This, perhaps, is the basis of Yosef's ability to play such an important role
in the Final Redemption of the Jewish people, when they seem to be at their
spiritual lowest. If the first Moshiach to come - Moshiach ben Yosef - is a spiritual
heir to his illustrious ancestor, then a major part of his success will be his ability
to reveal the hidden ONLY FOR THE SAKE OF HEAVEN, (many can do it for their
own gain and glory), to act as a pure and successful channel for the Light of G-d.

... That is Moshiach ben Yosef, someone from whom the unadulterated truth will
flow like a stream of clear, refreshing, life-giving water. He will be a person so
pure, so devoted to the will of G-d, that the Light of G-d will be drawn to him like
metal filings to a magnet, and all that he does will be successful. His truth will be
like fire that will burn up the straw - the lie - of Eisav. If so, why must he die in
the process of bringing redemption (Succah 53a), only to be revived again by
Moshiach ben Dovid, the final Moshiach? 17

1. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, pp. 1-2.

2. Glossary of Kabbalah and Chassidut, http://www.inner.org/glossary/gloss_t.htm

3. Ramban, Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc,

Jerusalem, 1998, p. 366.

4. ibid, p. 201.

5. ibid, p. 365.

6. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), by Rabbi Moshe Chaim

Luzazatto, translated by Avraham Yehoshua ben Yakov Greenbaum, The Temple
Institute and Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 1999, p. 62.

7. Parshas Emor - Eighth Parshah and Counting, Rabbi Pinchas Winston

(torah.org)

8. Parshas VaEschanan - Nachamu: Pleading In Comfort, Rabbi Pinchas Winston

(torah.org)

9. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, p. 13.

10. ibid, p. 45

11. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev Ben Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach,
Maine, 1976, p. 28.

12. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), by Rabbi Moshe Chaim
Luzazatto, translated by Avraham Yehoshua ben Yakov Greenbaum, The Temple
Institute and Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 1999, p. 60.
13. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism, Daniel C. Matt,
Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1996, p.153.

14. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, p. 61.

15. ibid, p. 65

16. The Concise Family Seder, Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch, Jonathan David Publishers,
Inc. Middle Village, NY, 1987, p. 41.

17. Parshas Vayaishev - Yesod HaOlam, Rabbi Pinchas Winston (torah.org)

MESSIAH - PART 6
TIKKUN OF THE TORAH
(Last updated 5/25/01)

The necessity of tikkun of the Godhead (as discussed in the previous section), is
reflected in a need of tikkun of the Torah, which emanates from the Godhead.
The source of the Supernal Torah is Ze'er Anpin, or if you will, the Sephirah of
Tipheret, which as we have seen is associated with the name YHWH. The Torah
itself is thus said to suffer from "untempered judgment."

In the Idra portion of the Zohar, Rabbi Simeon says of the relationship between
the state of the Godhead and that of the Torah:

Why is it "time to act for YHVH?" Because "they have violated your Torah." What
is meant by "they have violated Your Torah?" It refers to the Supernal Torah,
which is nullified if the tikkun of this Name is not performed, This is said to Attik
Yomin (the Ancient of Days.) 1

The "call" to repair Ze'er Anpin (Tipheret) and thus the Torah, goes to Attik
Yomin (the "Ancient of Days"), the highest level of Arikh Anpin. For this to occur,
Arikh Anpin must itself first undergo tikkun. (The process of tikkun flows from
Arikh Anpin to Ze'er Anpin, then to the Torah, and finally to creation.)

Author Yehuda Liebes points out that according to the Zohar, there is much more
to the commandments of the Torah than what is learned "at the surface." In fact,
to not attempt to penetrate the mysteries of God and creation (through the
deeper levels of Torah) would lead to Torah becoming meaningless. (This is
similar to the warnings found in the book of Hebrews).

Liebes states the following:

The Zohar's view, would seem to be that concern with the mitsvot
[commandments] alone, to the exclusion of their profound mysteries, would lead
to the nullification of the Torah. This was also one of the major impulses for the
appearance of the Kabbala: the feeling that an exclusive concern with the Torah
as such would become meaningless and ultimately repugnant, and this would
lead to the Torah quite literally being nullified. 2

Liebes goes on to say the following about Torah needing Tikkun:

This relationship between the tikkun of the Torah and that of the world, is
present in earlier literature as well. For example: The world is to exist for six
thousand years -- two thousand of chaos (tohu), two thousand of Torah, and two
thousand of the Messianic era" (Sanhedrin 97a). Here the years of Torah, are the
years between tohu and the Messianic period. The author of the Zohar would
seem to have built upon this statement, seeing himself as standing at the
boundary marking the end of the years of Torah and the beginning of those of
the Messianic era. The Torah at this point stood in danger of nullification, which
would have meant the return of the days of tohu. 3

The issue of the mundane performance of the commandments of the Torah, void
of their deeper concerns, especially love and mercy toward one's fellow man, is
found in the first chapter of Isaiah:

Isaiah 1:10-23 - Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto
the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of
your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams,
and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs,
or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at
your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an
abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I
cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting Your new moons and
your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to
bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you:
yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine
eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the
oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let
us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be
willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel,
ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness
lodged in it; but now murderers. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with
water: Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth
gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the
cause of the widow come unto them.

A comparison may be made between Liebes comments and the words of Isaiah,
with statements made by Yeshua to His fellow Pharisees. Early on in Matthew's
gospel we see Yeshua rebuking them, by quoting the prophet Hosea, who had a
similar lament against the people as Isaiah did:

Matthew 9:13 - But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and
not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

A bit later in the gospel, we see a second rebuke along the same lines.
(Evidently, the Pharisees did not follow His instruction from 9:13 above):
Matthew 12:7 - But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and
not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

Yeshua accuses the Pharisees of His day, of "shutting up the Kingdom" (i.e., a
nullification of Torah) by missing the deeper meaning of the Torah
commandments (i.e., what Yehuda Liebes calls "profound mysteries."):

Matthew 23:13 - But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves,
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Matthew 23:23 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of
the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to
leave the other undone.

Note that in the latter verse ("... and not to leave the other undone"), Yeshua
does not do away with the Torah of Sinai. He tells the Pharisees to seek the
deeper meaning while continuing to follow what the Torah says to do. Yeshua
refers to the weightier matters of the Torah being; judgment, mercy, and faith.
These are representative of the three pillars of the kabbalistic Tree of Life.
(Judgment = the left column, Mercy = the right column, Faith = the central
column.)

Yeshua is pointing out that the purpose of the Torah commandments was to
teach us about the Tree of Life (the Sephirot), which in turn instructs us on a
deeper level of Torah understanding.

This is seen when we look at the original context of Yeshua's words or rebuke
(above), which are a citation from the prophet Hosea, who also speaks of Torah
to be carried out in love, with its purpose being to lead man to a deeper
knowledge of God:

Hosea 6:1-6 - Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he
will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive
us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall
we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the
morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain
unto the earth. O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do
unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it
goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by
the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. For I
desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings.

There is a highly charged kabbalistic connection between Yeshua's words in

Matthew and those of Hosea. First of all, note that the word for "knowledge" in
Hosea 6:6, is "Da'at" - the representative Sephirah emanating from the Sephirah
of Binah-Understanding, that is equated with the Ruach haKodesh.
Even more interesting, is that the quotation from Hosea, comes immediately
after the mention of being raised up "on the third day." As was discussed in the
previous section regarding Abraham and the Akeidah), the "third day" is
associated with the "third Sephirah" of Binah-Understanding, and representative
of the future resurrection.

In addition to this, returning to Yeshua's words, He states that He is calling

"sinners to repentance." As we have seen, "repentance" is another concept
linked to Binah, which (as discussed in the previous section), is of greater effect
following the tikkun that Yeshua performed with His own sacrificial death.

Yeshua's rebuke in Matthew 12:7, equates the Pharisees performing the

commandments apart from "the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy,
and faith," with being ignorant (a lack of "da'at," i.e., Hosea 6:6), of who He was
and how service to Him was equivalent to service to God and of a higher service
than that associated with the physical Temple of God.

Here are the preceding verses:

Matthew 12:1-6 - At that time Yeshua went on the sabbath day through the
corn; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to
eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do
that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have
ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with
him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which
was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for
the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the
priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto
you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

The above is one of the more controversial sections of Scripture and is often
used as "proof" that Yeshua could not be the true Messiah, as He and His
disciples wilfully broke Torah by working on the Sabbath. We discuss this specific
account in detail, in the next section of this study.

THE SUPERNAL TORAH

The Zohar teaches that there are several "layers" in the Torah, each associated
with an essence of the Divine.

As Yehuda Liebes explains:

The lowest level is the Torah's outer garments which are the stories of the Torah
in their plain sense; their supernal source lies not in the sefirot but in the
heavens and their hosts (the stars, spheres or angels). The stratum beneath the
garments is the body, comprising of the mitsvot, which are called "gufei Torah,"
the "bodies of the Torah," their souce is the Shekinah. Beneath the body is the
"soul," which is the true essence of the Torah, and has its origin in Tif'eret. The
fourth stratum is the "soul of the soul" of the Torah, and it originates in Attika
Kaddisha. 4
The term Attika Kaddisha in the above text refers to "The Holy Ancient One"
(Aramaic). In some contexts, this term is a synonym for "the Ancient of Days"
(Attik Yomin), or for the Sephirah of Keter in general.5

The Zohar indicates that the possibility to see "the soul of the Torah" (that
derived from Tipheret), exists in this world (as was occasioned at Mount Sinai),
but experiencing the "soul of the soul," is reserved for the world to come.

The following comments on this subject show that there is a "higher" (or
"deeper") level of Torah, and offers a rebuke of those who do not look beyond
the "outer garments" or even the "body" of the Torah, to the actual "soul" of the
Torah. This censure is strikingly familiar to Yeshua's rebuke of the Pharisees over
the same issues:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 151b-152a - AND THE LORD

SPOKE TO MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI, ETC. Said R. Abba: ‘Why was
the command regarding the paschal lamb repeated here after it had been given
them once whilst they were still in Egypt? The reason is that the Israelites
thought that that command was intended only for the one year in Egypt and not
for future years. Hence, "in the wilderness of Sinai... of the second year”: the
command was renewed to indicate that it was to be kept throughout the
generations. “In the first month of the second year” contains a sublime mystery.
The month signifies the Moon, [Tr. note: Malkuth.] and the year points to the Sun
[Tr. note: Tifereth.] that sheds his rays on the Moon. Thus it happened at the
time when all the precepts of the Torah were delivered to Israel.’ Said R. Simeon:
‘Alas for the man who regards the Torah as a book of mere tales and everyday
matters! If that were so, we, even we could compose a torah dealing with
everyday affairs, and of even greater excellence. Nay, even the princes of the
world possess books of greater worth which we could use as a model for
composing some such torah.

The Torah, however, contains in all its words supernal truths and
sublime mysteries. Observe the perfect balancing of the upper and the lower
worlds. Israel here below is balanced by the angels on high, of whom it says:
“who makest thy angels into winds” (Ps. CIV, 4). For the angels in descending on
earth put on themselves earthly garments, as otherwise they could not stay in
this world, nor could the world endure them. Now, if thus it is with the
angels, how much more so must it be with the Torah - the Torah that
created them, that created all the worlds and is the means by which these are
sustained. Thus had the Torah not clothed herself in garments of this world the
world could not endure it. The stories of the Torah are thus only her outer
garments, and whoever looks upon that garment as being the Torah
itself, woe to that man-such a one will have no portion in the next
world.

David thus said: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out
of thy law” (Ps. CXIX, 18), to wit, the things that are beneath the garment.
Observe this. The garments worn by a man are the most visible part of him, and
senseless people looking at the man do not seem to see more in him than the
garments. But in truth the pride of the garments is the body of the man, and the
pride of the body is the soul. Similarly the Torah has a body made up of the
precepts of the Torah, called gufe torah (bodies, main principles of the Torah),
and that body is enveloped in garments made up of worldly narrations. The
senseless people only see the garment, the mere narrations; those who are
somewhat wiser penetrate as far as the body.

But the really wise, the servants of the most high King, those who stood on
Mount Sinai, penetrate right through to the soul, the root principle of all, namely,
to the real Torah. In the future the same are destined to penetrate even to the
super-soul (soul of the soul) of the Torah. Observe that in a similar way in the
supernal world there is garment, body, soul and super-soul. The heavens and
their hosts are the outer garment, the Community of Israel [i.e., Malkut] is the
body which receives the soul, to wit, the “Glory of Israel” [i.e., Tipheret] ; and the
super-soul is the Ancient Holy One. All these are interlocked within each other.
Woe to the sinners who consider the Torah as mere worldly tales, who only see
its outer garment; happy are the righteous who fix their gaze on the Torah
proper. Wine cannot be kept save in a jar; so the Torah needs an outer garment.
These are the stories and narratives, but it behoves us to penetrate
beneath them.

Noted Kabbalist, Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi, expresses a similar viewpoint:

It has been said that the words of the Torah are like a fine garment, and that
beneath the weave is the soul, which is God. While a natural man may be
familiar with the Scriptures to a remarkable degree it does not mean, as we have
noted, that he perceives their inner content. He may obey all the
Commandments scrupulously, and this is to his credit; but it does not mean he
comprehends what the Law is really about. This requires a shift in view, a
process of conversion that will enable him, not only to perceive the anatomy of
the body and its workings, but to glimpse the soul within the body. 6

At the higher level of Tipheret, is the deeper study of the Torah, (i.e., Kabbalah).
This level of understanding is associated with receiving of the "higher soul" (the
Neshemah), which as we have discussed in given through Tipheret.

A person at this level can begin to experience a knowledge of God similar to

Adam's, as it was the Neshemah that God breathed into Him:

Genesis 2:7 - And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; [neshmat hayyim] and man
became a living soul [nefesh hayyah].

As mentioned in that earlier part of our study, such a person is considered linked
to Tipheret and is even thought of as being greater than the prophets.

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Section 2, Page 35a - What, now, is the
difference between those who study the Torah and faithful prophets? The former
are ever superior, since they stand on a higher level. Those who study the Torah
stand in a place called Tifereth (Beauty), which is the pillar of all faith, whereas
the prophets stand lower in the place called Nezah (Victory) and Hod (Majesty);
and those who merely speak in the spirit of holiness stand lower still. He who
studies the Torah needs neither peace offerings nor burnt offerings, since the
Torah is superior to all and the bond of faith; wherefore it is written “Her ways
are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace” (Prov. III, 17), and also,
“Great peace have they which love thy law and they have no occasion for
stumbling” (Ps. CXIX, 165).’

Note that the Zohar (above) goes as far as saying that a person studying Torah
does not require the usual sacrifices of reconciliation to God. Without an
understanding of the levels of Torah, and context of this teaching, such a
statement would be considered antinomian in spirit (which the Hebrew Zohar is
not of course).

As Yehuda Liebes states of the Zohar's view of Torah:

"... it speaks, rather, of deepening the Torah we possess and tempering it by

means of a profound mystical vision." 7

The Zohar holds a view of a "Supernal Torah" (from which the Torah given to us
at Mount Sinai is a reflection). This earthly/historical Torah is to the Supernal
Torah, what the earthly Temple, artifacts, priesthood, its functions (and
defects!), are to the Supernal ones. Thus, the Zohar supports the concept of the
Supernal "Melchizadek priesthood" (from which the Levitical priesthood was
patterned), as described in the "New Testament" book of Hebrews.

Kabbalistically, the "defect in the Torah" is said to be one of untempered

judgment that is corrected through the tikkun of Arikh Anpin, which upon shining
its light on Ze'er Anpin, softens the harsh judgments of the latter (when it is
separated from the former).

Interestingly, the Zohar credits this tikkun to the actions of Rabbi Simeon ben
Yohai, who preached the return of love and mercy as the "missing ingredient,"
that was key to correctly following Torah. The "New Testament" of course,
credits the same teaching to Yeshua.

Although tikkun has been brought to the Torah, we are still not experiencing its
understanding in a state that is both complete and requiring no effort. In the
time following the arrival of Messiah, it will be apprehended intuitively, requiring
no effort on the part on those below, as it will flow freely from above all at once.8

This of course, is the New Covenant (related to the Sephirah of Binah), a time
when no one will have to tell anyone about God. This is also a time of full
forgiveness, when (due to the tikkun of the Godhead), we have full access to
Binah/repentance without effort on our part as the Torah will be fully within us:

Jeremiah 31:31-34 - Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took
them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant
they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall
be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith
the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and
will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more
every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for
they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith
the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

This "Supernal Torah" that has been mentioned throughout this study, is the
Torah of Messiah, a concept found throughout Jewish literature.
9
For example:

Genesis Rabbah 98:9 - When he, about whom it is written, "Lowly and riding
upon an ass" (Zechariah 9:9) will come ... he will elucidate for them the words of
the Tora ... and elucidate for them their errors.

Ecclesiastes Rabbah 11:1 - The whole Tora which you learn in this world is
vanity against the Torah of the World to Come. For in this world a man learns
Tora and forgets, but in the Furture to Come (he will not forget), as it is written,
"I will put My Tora in their inward parts and in their heart I will write it."
(Jeremeiah 31:33).

Midrash Alpha Beta diR. Akiba, BhM 3:27-29 - In the future the Holy One,
blessed be He, will sit in the Garden of Eden and expound (the Torah) ... the Holy
One, blessed be He, will expound to them the meanings of a new Tora which he
will give them through the Messiah.

Hesed l'Avraham (Abraham Azulai) 13c-14a - This is the secret of the Tora
which the Holy One, blessed be He, will renew for Israel ... The Torah will remain
in her place. But at present her words are combined in physical combinations, as
they were needed for this physical world. But in the future, when the children of
Adam will divest themselves of this physical body and will ascend and attain to
the mystery of the body which Adam the first man had before he sinned, then
they will become adepts in the mystery of the Torah, when that which is hidden
will be revealed.

Yemenite Midrash, pp. 349-350 - In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He,
will seat the Messiah in the supernal Yeshiva (House os Study), and they will call
him "the Lord," just as they call the creator ... And the Messiah will sit in the
Yeshiva, and all those who walk on the earth will come and sit before him to hear
a new Torah and new commandments and the deep wisdom which he teaches
Israel.

As seen throughout these quotations (above) and other texts presented earlier in
this study, their is a deeper level of Torah which is possible to attain glimpses of
now (by attaining the level of Tipheret), but will be fully realized when Messiah
himself appears to explain it to all.

THE CASE OF YESHUA AND HIS DISCIPLES

We return to the case of Yeshua, whom some today accuse of violating the
Torah, and thus disqualifying himself as being a true Messiah. Perhaps the most
controversial issue is found in the following account, where he "makes
allowance" for his disciples to break the Sabbath:

Matthew 12:1-8 - At that time Yeshua went through the grainfields on the
Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and
to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are
doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" But He said to them, "Have you
not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful
for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have
you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the
Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One
greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, "I desire mercy
and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of
Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Yeshua's disciples are clearly "working on the Sabbath," a violation of the Torah
given at Mount Sinai. He allows for this, and cites two examples in His/their
defense. (It is important to note that these two explanations are not isolated as
He deals with this issue throughout His arguments with the Pharisees as we will
discuss.)

Yeshua compares the actions of His disciples to the priests who work in the
Temple on the Sabbath, and also to David, who ate the Bread of the Face
(allowed only to the priests).

We will first address the latter, as recounted in 1 Samuel:

1 Samuel 21:1-9 - Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And
Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, "Why are you alone,
and no one is with you?" So David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has
ordered me on some business, and said to me, "Do not let anyone know
anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded
you.' And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. Now
therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or
whatever can be found." And the priest answered David and said, "There is no
common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least
kept themselves from women." Then David answered the priest, and said to him,
"Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And
the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even
though it was consecrated in the vessel this day." So the priest gave him holy
bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken
from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it
was taken away. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day,
detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the
herdsmen who belonged to Saul. And David said to Ahimelech, "Is there not here
on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my
weapons with me, because the king's business required haste." So the priest
said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah,
there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For
there is no other except that one here." And David said, "There is none like it;
give it to me."

Regarding how David cound violate the Torah in such a fashion, the Talmud
offers the explanation that his life was in danger. (This is often cited to dismiss
Yeshua's rationale for citing the account of David, as the lives of Yeshua and His
disciples were not in any danger.)

Regardless of that particular opinion in the Talmud, Yeshua's argument is valid,

as we will now explain.

Even though Saul was in pursuit of David's life, at the time David partook of the
Bread of the Face, he was not faced with starvation (which would justify him
eating this Holy Bread). Nor does he state to the High Priest, Ahimelech, that his
life is in immediate danger, which would have given Ahimelech a "reason" to
allow Torah to be violated.

Ahimelech himself says he knew nothing about David's life being in danger:

1 Samuel 22:11-15 - So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of
Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came
to the king. And Saul said, "Hear now, son of Ahitub!" He answered, "Here I am,
my lord." Then Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and
the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have
inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this
day?" So Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your
servants is as faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your
bidding, and is honorable in your house? Did I then begin to inquire of God
for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant,
or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all
this, little or much."

The summation of the events over these two chapters is as such:

1. David asks Ahimelech to break Torah by giving him of the Bread of the
Face

2. Ahimelech obliges David, thus "breaking the Torah"

3. Ahimelech reveals to Saul that he knew David to be a true man of God at

the time that David came to him

4. Ahimelech therefore did not need to consult with God about David's
intentions

As Ahimelech himself says that he did not view David's situation as being one of
"life or death," why would he break Torah by offering the Bread of the Face to
David? Critical in answering this are David's own words, regarding why he was
entitled to violate the Torah in this fashion:

1 Samuel 21:2 - The king has ordered me on some business

1 Samuel 21:8 - For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me,
because the king's business required haste.

As David was not on a mission from Saul the King, there would seem to be two
ways to interpret his words. Either he was lying, or the "king" David is on a
mission for, is not King Saul, but the "heavenly King" (who is kabbalistically
identified with Tipheret, source of the Supernal Torah).

If David was lying, simply looking to be fed and to acquire a sword, and thus ate
of the Bread of the Face, it would certainly be difficult to defend his actions. Why
not tell Ahimelech the truth? As the p'shat of the text stands, Ahimelech and
David are both quite guilty.

If we look beyond the p'shat of these verses however, we see something else -- a
principle called "violating the Torah for the sake of heaven," that is, in order to
fulfill God's perfect plan.

"VIOLATING TORAH" FOR THE SAKE OF HEAVEN (THE LORD)

One of the most interesting concepts found in both Talmud and Kabbalah, is that
of "violating Torah for the sake of heaven." (Also, "for the sake of the Lord").
Such a statement may sound contradictory on the surface, but as we will show is
grounded in Scripture and supported in Talmud.

There are several categories of reasons, why the breaking of Torah, may be
allowable:

1. When two Torah commandments conflict, the higher one takes

precedence

2. When the fulfilment of a commandment could cause harm to someone, a

person may be excused from certain commands

3. Where the Torah of Mount Sinai (which is a shadow of the Supernal Torah)
is violated in order to accomplish God's ultimate plan as revealed within
the Supernal Torah

An example of the first type involves the commandment to circumcise a son.

What happens if this act (which is "work") occurs on the Sabbath, when "work" is
not permitted? In this case, the command of circumcision is the "higher
command" and takes precedense - circumcisions are performed on Shabbat.

The same principle is true for the priests working in the Temple on Shabbat. (One
of Yeshua's arguments.) As they "work" on Shabbat, they are "violating Torah."
However, this "work" is allowed in order to fulfill the higher Torah commands
regarding the Temple.
An example of the second type would be if someone was in very poor health and
fasting could jeopardize their life. God commanded Yom Kippur to be a day of
"afflicitng our souls," which is commonly interpreted to be fasting. What to do?
The principle of "life" takes precedence, and the person is excused from that
commandment.

Another example of this second type would be if someone were hiding from an
evil person and you knew where they were concealed. If that evil person asked if
you knew where they were, to say "no" would be lying, which is a sin. However,
to reveal their location would cause them unjust harm. In this case, to "break
Torah" by lying is the appropriate behavior. A Biblical case here is Rahab, who
hid Joshua and Caleb.

The third type would include actions by a righteous person, which are done in
order to bring about God's ultimate will. A "minor" example would be the actions
of Joseph, who "framed" his brother Benjamin, by having his personal cup placed
in his sibling's sack. God's ultimate purpose involved bringing Jacob and all of his
family coming to Egypt. This was accomplished by the "breaking of Torah"
(bearing a false witness against Benjamin) by Joseph.

There are deeper aspects of this last aspect however. An example, addressed in
Talmud, is seen in the actions of Elijah on Mount Carmel, who offered sacrifices
away from the Temple.

As mentioned by author Yehuda Liebes (citing Rashi), Elijah's actions were a

blatant violation of Torah.

"It is time to act for the Lord, for they have violated Your Torah." This verse had
been applied already in the Talmud to cases wherein it was necessary to violate
certain mitsvot for the sake of heaven: "They have violated your Torah". Why?
Because 'it is time to act for the Lord'" (Berakhot 63a). Rashi comments: "An
example is that of Elijah on Mt. Carmel, who sacrificed on a high place, even
though this is forbidden, for he sought to retrain Israel for the sake of the Holy
One, blessed be He." According to this interpretation, the word heferu, "they
violated," should be read haferu, in the imperative voice, and not in the past
tense as in the Masoretic text. 10

This concept of "breaking Torah" because it is "time to act for the Lord," is
alluded to in the Talmud which says:

Menahot 99a-b - There are times when the abrogation of the Torah is its
foundation.

An even more direct statement found in Talmud, states the following concerning
a "tried and true" prophet of God:

Sanhedrin 90a - R. Abbahu said in R. Johanan's name; In every matter, if a

prophet tells you to transgress the commands of the Torah, obey him,
with the exception of idolatry.
(Note: Footnote 18 to the above verse in the Soncino Talmud cites the actions of
Elijah on Mount Carmel as an example of this type.)

Why would the Talmud make such statements as the above two? The Talmud
correctly recognizes that there is more than one "level" of Torah. The 613
commands of the historical Torah, given at Mount Sinai, are at one level. At
another, more sublime level, is the Supernal Torah - the deeper level of
understanding that reveals God's ultimate plan. (i.e., the Torah of Messiah which
is the Torah of Binah, and Torah of Mount Zion as referred to in Galatians and
Hebrews - see below.)

Returning to the issue of Yeshua defending his diciples actions, of "picking grain"
on the Sabbath. He uses a kal v'chomer argument stating that if David's actions
(as well as those of the priests who work on Shabbat) are acceptable "violations"
of the Torah from Sinai (as they were done in service to the "King"), how much
more acceptable is the behavior of His disciples, who serve Him, the heavenly
King, who is Himself collectively the Supernal Torah (Chokhmah), Supernal
Temple (Binah), Divine Tzaddik (Yesod) and Son of God (Tipheret).

This relationship of Messiah to multiple Sephirot is seen throughout Jewish

literature.

For example:

Talmud Bab. Bath. - "Three are called by the name of the Holy One, blessed be
he (Tipheret), and they are: the righteous one (Yesod), the Messiah, and
Jerusalem (Malkut/Binah)." 11

The words of Yeshua and actions of His disciples do not invalidate the Torah of
Sinai, nor the commands regarding the Sabbath, which are still to be followed.
The sole issue here surrounds Him and the relationship between the "Torah of
Sinai" and the "Torah of Messiah," which is the Supernal Torah.

The Torah of Sinai, which is the Torah of this World, was given due to sin, and
accomodates much of man's sin in its teachings. As stated earlier, the Supernal
Torah is at a "different level" than the historical Torah.

A good example of this issue of "different levels of Torah," is seen when

comparing Ezekiel's Temple (the Millennial Temple), to those in the past (and
also the Tabernacle). Rabbinic analysis recognizes that there are several
"violations of Torah" with how Ezekiel's Temple functions. Reconciling them is
not so easy, without an understanding of thje Supernal Torah.

For instance, the Stone Edition Chumash commentary on Ezekiel's Temple,

states the following:

The commentators note that several of the laws pronounced by Ezekiel

contradict the laws of Torah, a clear contradiction of the principle that the
commandments of the Torah are eternal and immutable ... the Messianic era is
shrouded in mystery: therefore the simple meaning of this passage must remain
hidden from us until, in the words of Rabbi Yochanan in Menachos 45a, the
prophet Elijah will come and reveal it to us. 12

A newly translated (Hebrew into English) classic, Mishkney Elyon (entitled

"Secrets of the Future Temple"), also shows how Ezekiel's Temple is an anomaly
with regard to the Torah:

Even the mishnaic sages were perplexed by difficulties in Ezekiel's prophecies,

including certain apparent contradictions to the Halachah. In the words of the
Talmud: "Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: Hananiah ben Hizkiah is most
certainly remembered for good, for if it were not for him, the Book of Ezekiel
would have been removed from the canon because his words seem to contradict
the Torah. What did Hananiah do? They brought him up three hundred barrels of
oil (for light and food) and he sat in an attic and reconciled all the dificulties."
(Shabbat 13b and see Menachot 45). 13

As Ezekiel's Temple is of a "different level," than either of the first two Temples
(or the Tabernacle), there are corresponding variations regarding its functions,
service, priestly attire, etc. Although each Temple differs from the others, they
are all mystically "contained within one another:"

The earthly Sanctuary depends upon the upper Sanctuary, and that Upper
Sanctuary in turn upon another Upper Sanctuary, which is the most exalted of
all. All of them are included in one another, and this is the meaning of the verse,
(Exodus 26:6): 'And the Sanctuary was One" 14

When Yeshua walked the earth, (as Divinity in a "human Tabernacle"), He

represented a "higher level" of the Temple (as He stated in Matthew 12:7-8), and
thus a higher level of the Torah, one that takes "precedence" over the Torah of
Sinai, but does not "contradict it." (i.e., To every thing there is a season, and a
time to every purpose under the heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1.)

The idea of the Supernal Temple, (which does not actually "leave" it place) being
contained within the physical presence of Yeshua, is mirrored in Ezekiel's
Temple. This coming (Millennial) Temple is said to consist of a physical, earthly
structure, that coexists in the heavenly realm:

However, in time to come, not only will the two Temples be similar, but the
Upper House will extend until it reaches the lower world. This is the meaning of
the saying of our Rabbis thatthe third Temple will be the work of the hands of
God. For the Heavenly Temple will not be uprooted from its place. Rather, it will
extend until it reaches the lower world, and then around it will be built a physical
structure as fitting in this material world, and the two structures will be joined
and become one and will never again separate. God's glory will be fully revealed
there, as it is writeen, "And the glory of God will be revealed, and all flesh will
see" (Isaiah 40:5). Then there will be complete peace and happiness forever. 15

(The above text of course parallels Revelation chapter 21.)

Returning to the issue of "service to the King" and the Supernal Torah, we turn to
another portion of Matthew's account, regarding the actions of Yeshua's disciples
regarding fasting. Note the first verse of this section (discussed earlier) leading
up to the discussion:

Matthew 9:13-17 - But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy,
and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the
Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Yeshua said unto them, Can the
children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?
but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then
shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for
that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made
worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and
the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new
bottles, and both are preserved.

In the above section, Yeshua considers the actions of His disciples as correct
within the Torah that he represents. (See also our Matthew study for more on the
above section.)

We find this principle repeated in another account. Here, the Torah of Sinai
called for the payment of the Temple tax on the part each man. Yeshua excuses
his disciples, for the same reason he allowed them to pick grain on Shabbat -
they are in service to Him (the "King"), who is physically among men on the
earth for a brief time:

Matthew 17:24-27 - And when they were come to Capernaum, they that
received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay
tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Yeshua prevented
him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take
custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of
strangers. Yeshua saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding,
lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up
the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt
find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

In another example, Yeshua points to the error of the Pharisees and supremacy
of the Supernal Torah when he chastises them again for this (using metaphorical
language), in the later portions of Matthew's account. The lesson here is that
those things from the earthly realm are a type of "subset" of that in the Supernal
Realm. This is indicated by his comment regarding the altar (representing the
Supernal realm) and those things on it (the earthly realm):

Matthew 23:16-22 - Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "Whoever swears by
the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is
obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the
temple that sanctifies the gold? And, "Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing;
but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and
blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore
he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who
swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who
swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

If Yeshua is indeed who He says He is (understood kabbalistically as being the

"middle pillar of the Godhead"), then the Torah and Temple that exist in this
realm, which are both "temporary," are a shadow of their Supernal selves, and
therefore "subservient" to Him. Thus the issue is not one of him unjustifiably
"breaking" the Torah of Sinai, as there is a "Supernal Torah" of Messiah, that He
is adhering to and teaching.

As He concisely stated, the Pharisees would have known who and what He was, if
they had looked into the Supernal Torah at the essence of God:

Matthew 12:6-8 - Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than
the temple. But if you had known what this means, "I desire mercy and not
sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is
Lord even of the Sabbath."

BACK TO THE FUTURE

We return to the book of Hebrews, this time a portion within chapter 12. With a
knowledge of the different levels of Torah understanding, we see that the
metaphorical comparison between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, is a comparison
between the earthly Torah of judgment, (Sinai, associated with Malkut) and the
"rectified" Torah, (Zion, which in this context is heavenly Jerusalem - associated
with Binah:

Hebrews 12: 18-29:

For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned
with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a
trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the
word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that
which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall
be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

The "mount" is Mount Sinai, which is associated with Malkut/Kingdom,

the "lower mother." In its current unrectified condition, Malkut is a
mixture of good and evil (as Yeshua taught in His parables). Recall from
our previous studies that when Malkut (the bride) is separated from
Tipheret (the groom) the former is a source of judgment.

... And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:
But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

"Zion," "the city of the living God" and "heavenly Jerusalem" are all
associated with Binah, the "upper mother." Binah is associated with
Malkut in its rectified state, when it is freed from the "evil side"
(Brought back to its proper state - i.e., the Jubilee Release, in the
Millennial Sabbath and the Olam Haba.)

Sinai is associated with the original covenant based on the promise of

the people to keep it - which failed. Zion is based on the better promise
of Messiah, the sinless, Divine Tzaddik that was sacrificed to effect
tikkun above and below.

"Zion" is a higher level of following Torah and not an abolishment of

Torah (i.e., Matthew 5:17-21; Romans 3:31). Those following Yeshua are
to first put their trust in the atonement He provided, and then follow
Torah within this framework of trust/faith. This includes gentiles who
follow Him as well (Acts 15:21), who are now included in the faith of
Israel and its Torah (Ephesians 2:11-12). One who claims an association
with Messiah, and refuses to be a "hearer and doer" of Torah (thinking
he is "free" from it), is considered a liar and outside the will of God (1
John 2:1-6).

The next three verses are interesting as they show Messiah; a) in the
heavenly realm outside of time, b) connecting the heavenly and earthly
realms, and c) in the earthly realm:

... To the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn, which are written in
heaven,

Here is Yesod as the (Divine) Tzaddik, firstborn from the foundation of

the world (outside of time).

... and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to
Yeshua the mediator of the new covenant,

Here is Yesod as the Mediator, connecting heaven and earth. The "New
Covenant" is Binah, where all comes together.

... and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things that that of Abel.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth,

Here we have Yesod as the Divine Tzaddik on earth (within time).

... much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from
heaven:

The voice of God is associated with Tipheret. These earthly and

heavenly voices ultimately are from the same source as the former is
the "image of the image" with regard to the latter. (i.e., the dual role of
Metatron, the link between Joseph and Jacob, etc., as discussed earlier.)

... Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet
once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once
more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that
are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we
receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved,

The tikkun (i.e., shaking) comes to the heavenlies as well as the earth.

This Kingdom that cannot be moved is the rectified Malkut (when linked
back to the rest of the Godhead), through the actions of
Yesod/Tipheret.

... let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

The consuming fire is Malkut as the Shekinah, when untempered by

Tipheret. Again, "serving God" can only be done in the spirit of truth -
through His Torah.

The Zohar supports the view that the Torah of Sinai was one of judgment (which
is why the commandments of the Torah are associated with the "left side" of the
Kabbalistic Tree of Life):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 21b - Our teachers have asked:
‘Why at the time when Moses went up into Mount Sinai did the theophany take
the form of a flaming fire, which is the symbol of Severity?, The answer given by
R. Jacob was: ‘It was appropriate to the moment, which was one of Severity.’ R.
Jose said: ‘It was symbolic of the events associated with that spot. For of this
spot it is written: “and (he) came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb,’, a place
of which it is also written: “Also in Horeb ye made the Lord wroth” (Deut. IX, 8).
It is written further: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of
fire out of the midst of a thorn- bush”, as a symbol that the wicked are one day
to become “as thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire,’ (Isa. XXXIII, I2).’ R.
Judah said: ‘We learn from here the mercifulness of the Holy One, blessed be He,
towards the wicked.

The teaching about Sinai and Zion (above) is paralleled in Paul's letter to the
Galatians, a text often used to "prove" that Paul taught against following Torah.
(Which is a complete misinterpretation caused be removing the message from its
proper context.)

Rather than teaching that Torah was no longer the blueprint for the life of the
believer (see Romans 3:31 where Paul maintains it is part of faith in Yeshua),
Paul's message in Galatians is that gentiles do not have to "become Jews first," in
order to come to Messiah. (Our Romans study deals with this topic in detail.)

Paul is directing these comment to gentiles (Galatians 2:7-8; 4:8), teaching them
against trying to earn one's salvation through the works of the Torah. (An effort
associated with Mount Sinai, as seen in the book of Hebrews [above] - further
evidence as to who wrote the book of Hebrews!):

Galatians 4:22-31:
For it has been written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the maid-servant,
and one by the free-woman, but he who is of the maid-servant, according to
flesh has been, and he who is of the free-woman, through the promise; which
things are allegorized, for these are the two covenants: one, indeed, from mount
Sinai, to servitude bringing forth, which is Hagar; for this Hagar is mount Sinai in
Arabia, and corresponds to the Jerusalem that now is.

Here Malkut, represented by Sinai, is presented as Shekinah in its

present unrectified form (earthly Jerusalem).

... and is in servitude with her children, and the Jerusalem above is the free-
woman, which is mother of us all,

"Jerusalem above" is Binah as Jubilee, the symbol of

freedom/redemption, and mother to creation (the lower Sephirot and
physical realm including man)

... for it hath been written, `Rejoice, O barren, who art not bearing; break forth
and cry, thou who art not travailing, because many are the children of the
desolate -- more than of her having the husband.'

Here we go from a "barren" Malkut (separated from her mate, Tipheret)

to the time following its rectification and link to the rest of the
Godhead. We discuss this in detail further down in this section.

And we, brethren, as Isaac, are children of promise, but as then he who was born
according to the flesh did persecute him according to the spirit, so also now; but
what saith the Writing? `Cast forth the maid-servant and her son, for the son of
the maid-servant may not be heir with the son of the free-woman;' then,
brethren, we are not a maid-servant's children, but the free-woman's.

Here is the same message as in Hebrews chapter 9 -- trust in the

atonement provided, and then follow Torah within this framework of
trust/faith.

Note the following passage from the Zohar, which mirrors Paul's teachings on the
higher and lower Jerusalem:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 186a - For Zion and Jerusalem,
while one, represent two degrees, the one being the channel of judgement, the
other of mercy; first there issues from one the sound of mercy, and afterwards
there comes forth from the other the voice of judgement, the two forming the
source from which the paths of judgement and mercy issue and diverge.

Paul's message in Galatians is to follow Torah in faith/trust (which comes first,

and is associated with Mount Zion) as he refers to not violating the commands of
Torah in the same letter. Note that these violations of Torah include
"uncleanness," which is brought about in several ways, (including the eating of
unkosher food!):
Galatians 5:19-25 - And manifest also are the works of the flesh, which are:
Adultery, whoredom, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
strifes, emulations, wraths, rivalries, dissensions, sects, envyings, murders,
drunkennesses, revellings, and such like, of which I tell you before, as I also said
before, that those doing such things the reign of God shall not inherit. And the
fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law; and those who are
Messiah's, the flesh did crucify with the affections, and the desires; if we may
live in the Spirit, in the Spirit also we may walk;

Paul was also the author of the book of Romans, which makes clear that those
who who turn from Torah, are the ones "in the flesh." Conversely, those who "live
and walk in the Spirit" (i.e., Galatians 5:25 above), are subject to the Torah:

Romans 8:5-8 - For those who are according to the flesh, the things of the flesh
do mind; and those according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit; for the mind
of the flesh is death, and the mind of the Spirit -- life and peace; because the
mind of the flesh is enmity to God, for to the law of God it doth not subject itself,
for neither is it able; and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.

Returning to the subject of the "barrenness" of Malkut-Shekinah as represented

by Mount Sinai in Hebrews and Galatians. Both the citation from Hebrews 12 and
the one from Galatians 4, are a "midrash" on several passages in the Tenakh
that speak about a transition from a time of barrenness, associated with Israel in
exile (with the Shekina), to one where "many are the children of the desolate --
more than of her having the husband," the future New Jerusalem.

The first of these is a notable prophecy, not only for its content, but for the one
who spoke it -- the wicked Balaam -- who was made by God to speak the truth
concerning the future of Israel, whose "seed would be in many waters," i.e.,
consisting of many peoples:

Numbers 24:1-9 - Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless
Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face
toward the wilderness. And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped
according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. Then he took up
his oracle and said: "The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, The utterance of
the man whose eyes are opened, The utterance of him who hears the words of
God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:
"How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! Like valleys that
stretch out, Like gardens by the riverside, Like aloes planted by the LORD, Like
cedars beside the waters. He shall pour water from his buckets, And his seed
shall be in many waters. "His king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom
shall be exalted. "God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He
shall consume the nations, his enemies; He shall break their bones And pierce
them with his arrows. "He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who
shall rouse him?' "Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses
you."
The prophet Jeremiah, in his discourse about the New Covenant, speaks of the
children of Israel returning from captivity (i.e., exiled with the Shekinah, separate
from the rest of the Godhead). Following the time of Jacob's trouble (commonly
called the "Tribulation" period of the last days), where He corrects them in
justice, God Himself will bring salvation to Israel. He will multiply the numbers of
children of Israel at that time:

Jeremiah 30:1-24 - The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
"Thus speaks the LORD God of Israel, saying: "Write in a book for yourself all the
words that I have spoken to you. For behold, the days are coming,' says the
LORD, "that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the
LORD. "And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers,
and they shall possess it."' Now these are the words that the LORD spoke
concerning Israel and Judah. "For thus says the LORD: "We have heard a voice of
trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in
labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a
woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, So that
none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.
"For it shall come to pass in that day,' Says the LORD of hosts, "That I will break
his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more
enslave them. But they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king,
Whom I will raise up for them. "Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,' says
the LORD, "Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And
your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be
quiet, And no one shall make him afraid. For I am with you,' says the LORD, "to
save you; Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, Yet
I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, And will
not let you go altogether unpunished.' "For thus says the LORD: "Your affliction
is incurable, Your wound is severe. There is no one to plead your cause, That you
may be bound up; You have no healing medicines. All your lovers have forgotten
you; They do not seek you; For I have wounded you with the wound of an
enemy, With the chastisement of a cruel one, For the multitude of your
iniquities, Because your sins have increased. Why do you cry about your
affliction? Your sorrow is incurable. Because of the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased, I have done these things to you. "Therefore
all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one
of them, shall go into captivity; Those who plunder you shall become plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a prey. For I will restore health to you And
heal you of your wounds,' says the LORD, "Because they called you an outcast
saying: "This is Zion; No one seeks her."' "Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will
bring back the captivity of Jacob's tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places;
The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain
according to its own plan. Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the
voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as
before, And their congregation shall be established before Me; And I will punish
all who oppress them. Their nobles shall be from among them, And their
governor shall come from their midst; Then I will cause him to draw near, And he
shall approach Me; For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?' says
the LORD "You shall be My people, And I will be your God."' Behold, the
whirlwind of the LORD Goes forth with fury, A continuing whirlwind; It will fall
violently on the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the LORD will not return
until He has done it, And until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the
latter days you will consider it.

In Isaiah, chapter 54 (which follows the Messianic passages of the previous

chapters in Isaiah), God tells the barren Israel to sing, as He will enlarge the size
of its tents in order to accomodate a great number of children. This barren "wife
forsaken" is associated with Sinai and the Shekinah in exile with the people. As
we will see, this portion of Isaiah has a great deal of commonality with the vision
of the heavenlies that John experiences in the book of Revelation:

Isaiah 54:1-17 - Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into
singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the
children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the
LORD. "Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of
your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will
inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. "Do not fear, for you
will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For
you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of
your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is
His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of
the whole earth. For the LORD has called you Like a woman forsaken and
grieved in spirit, Like a youthful wife when you were refused," Says your God.
"For a mere moment I have forsaken you, But with great mercies I will gather
you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting
kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the LORD, your Redeemer. "For this is
like the waters of Noah to Me; For as I have sworn That the waters of Noah would
no longer cover the earth, So have I sworn That I would not be angry with you,
nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart And the hills be removed, But My
kindness shall not depart from you, Nor shall My covenant of peace be
removed," Says the LORD, who has mercy on you. "O you afflicted one, Tossed
with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful
gems, And lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of
rubies, Your gates of crystal, And all your walls of precious stones. All your
children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your
children. In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from
oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.
Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles
against you shall fall for your sake. "Behold, I have created the blacksmith Who
blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I
have created the spoiler to destroy. No weapon formed against you shall
prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall
condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their
righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.

Isaiah chapter 60, points to a future time when the people go from being
associated with the earthly Jerusalem (Malkut-Shekinah) to the New Jerusalem -
the city of the Lord (i.e., Binah). The people themselves are called the City. As we
will discuss later in our study, this corresponds with the last chapters of the book
of Revelation.

Isaiah 60:14 - Also the sons of those who afflicted you Shall come bowing to
you, And all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah goes on to make further statements about the New Jerusalem, which are
in accordance with the end of book of Revelation, again showing "Zion" (or Jacob,
re; Isaiah 59:20), to have many children. This section comes on the heels of
Isaiah chapter 59, which as we discussed in an earlier section, has to do with the
arm of the Lord (God Himself) being Messiah to His people.

Note the reference to the "sun and moon" which are symbolic of Tipheret and the
Shekinah (Malkut):

Isaiah 60:19-22 - "The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for
brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an
everlasting light, And your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor
shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And
the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be
righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The
work of My hands, That I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time."

1. Zohar: Ha Idra Rabba Kadisha (The Greater Holy Assembly), 1:11.

2. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, p. 47.

3. ibid, p. 48.

4. ibid, p. 45.

5. Glossary of Kabbalah and Chassidut,

http://www.inner.org/glossary/gloss_A.htm.

6. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach Maine, 1976, p. 87-88.

7. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, p. 47.

8. ibid, p. 49.
9. These excerpts are taken from a collection presented in, The Messiah Texts,
Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1979, pp. 247- 257

10. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, p. 47.

11. The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit,
1979, p. 21

12. Commentary on Haftaras Emor (Ezekiel 44:15-31), The Artscroll Series/Stone

Edition Chumash, Mesorah Publications, 1994, p. 1176.

13. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), by Rabbi Moshe Chaim
Luzazatto, translated by Avraham Yehoshua ben Yakov Greenbaum, The Temple
Institute and Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 1999, pp. 22-23.

14. ibid, p. 20, citation from Zohar Pekudey II, 235a

15. ibid, p. 69.

MESSIAH - PART 7
MESSIANIC FIGURES AND IDEAS
(Last updated 5/25/01)

As mentioned in an earlier section there was and are many ideas within Judaism
regarding the characteristics and functions of the Messiah. (i.e., the "two
messiah theory" of Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David, being one
branch of thought.) The reason for this wide variety of opinion is that the Bible
does not give a simple, definitive explanation of who Messiah is.

Although the word mashiach, (simply meaning "anointed"), appears many times
in the Tenakh, the actual term "The Messiah" (haMashiach), referring to one
particular and significant individual, does not appear anywhere in the Tenakh.
Yet, Jewish tradition as well as Yeshua Himself, make clear that the Torah and
Prophets all testify to "the Messiah."

In this section we will examine several ideas concerning attributes of the

Messiah, as well as specific individuals (aside from Yeshua) who have been given
some type of Messianic identity.

PETER'S REVELATION

In Matthew chapter 16, we see Peter as the recipient of blessing, for

understanding something about Yeshua that seemingly was not apparent to that
point. This revelation is said to have been given to Peter from God Himself:

Matthew 16:13-17 - When Yeshua came into the region of Caesarea Philippi,
He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So
they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of
the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter
answered and said, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Yeshua
answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

The above text mentions three aspects of Yeshua:

1. Yeshua refers to Himself as "the Son of Man"

2. Peter says He is "the Messiah"

3. Peter says He "the Son of the Living God."

The concepts of "Son of Man" and "Messiah" were linked in Judaism by time of
Yeshua. It would seem that Peter and the others believed Yeshua to be Messiah
in some sense:

John 1:40-41 - One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to
him, "We have found the Messiah."

As Peter's words receive praise for revealing something not readily seen, it would
seem that the latter part of his statement, referring to Messiah Yeshua as "the
Son of the Living God" is signficant.

Later in the same discussion, we see Peter chastised, for making the following
comments:

Matthew 16:20-23 - Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no
one that He was Yeshua the Messiah. From that time Yeshua began to show to
His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You,
Lord; this shall not happen to You!" But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind
Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of
God, but the things of men."

This second part of the coversation begins with Yeshua curiously telling his
disciples not to reveal that He is the Messiah (more on this below), and revealing
to them His role of a suffering, dying and resurrecting tzaddik. As we have
discussed earlier in this sudy, the concept of Messiah ben Joseph is closely
related to the idea of the Tzaddik (and thus the Sephirah of Yesod). Further, the
term used by Peter, "Living God" (El Hai) is also associated with Yesod, the
foundation of the lower seven Sephirot.

Peter's later comment that he was rebuked for, shows that he had in mind a
"kingly Messiah" of the the "Messiah ben David" type (who will triumphantly
usher in the Kingdom and restore Israel to greatness). As seen by the words and
actions of his disciples, the prevalent view of the Messiah among them was one
of a conquerer, and not humble, suffering tzaddik:

Acts 1:6 - So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this
time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
Returning to the original comment that he was praised for, Peter had linked the
(kingly) Messiah with the Tzaddik, "Son of the Living God," who is a "Messiah ben
Joseph," that suffers for the sake of atonement for his brethren. Thus, we might
say that Peter was right about what he previously said about the Messiah, but he
did not truly know what he was saying.

JOHN'S REVELATION

From what the Bible and extra-Biblical sources tell of John the Baptist, he seems
to have been from an Essene background as opposed to Pharisaic. Interestingly,
Andrew, the brother of Peter, was one of John's disciples:

John 1:35-41 - Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And
looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" The two
disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and
seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him,
"Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" He
said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and
remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). One of the two
who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He
first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah."

Note John's early comments about his cousin Yeshua:

John 1:29 - The next day John saw Yeshua coming toward him, and said,
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:35-36 - Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And
looking at Yeshua as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

It would seem that John held a different image of Messiah than did Peter (and
most of the people - see below). John's chief concern is with the forgivensss of
sin, not the restoration of the Kingdom.

As we have discussed, the theme of "forgiveness of sin" is associated with the

Passover theme (i.e., the "Lamb of God"), and victory over the demonic realm.
This is reflected in one of Yeshua's own comments in John's account, which ties
victory over haSatan to the idea of the Tzaddik being "lifted up from the earth,"
as mentioned in an earlier study. Note the people's expressed view of a Messiah
who does not die (i.e., Messiah ben David), and how this causes confusion in
their minds regarding the "Son of Man":

John 12:30-34 - Yeshua answered and said, "This voice did not come because
of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this
world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples
to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die. The people
answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever;
and how can You say, "The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of
Man?"
John's view is further demonstrated in Luke's account where we have what is
often considered by critics to be a contradictory passage. Here we have John,
who already testified to Yeshua being "the Messiah," asking his disciples to find
out if Yeshua is the Messiah:

Matthew 11:2-3 - And when John had heard in prison about the works of
Messiah, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One,
or do we look for another?"

Luke 7:18-21 - And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. And
John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Yeshua, saying, Art thou
he that should come? or look we for another? When the men were come unto
him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that
should come? or look we for another?

On the surface it would seem John's memory has failed him, but in reality, John
knows perfectly well that Yeshua is the Messiah - that is the Messiah who comes
to deal with sin. What he is seeking to find out is if Yeshua is also the Messiah
coming to restore all things, as associated with the Yovel (Jubilee) year.

It would seem that John was considering whether there was one or two Messiahs
to come. This is a very critical point, as it is in the writings of the Qumran
community (the Dead Sea Scrolls) that we find hints at an understanding that
there may be one Messiah who fulfills "both roles." (This idea is discussed further
in this section.)

Also important is Yeshua's "coded response" to John. Rather than giving a

straight yes/no answer, He replies in terms of the Yovel Year (Jubilee), as
prophesied by Isaiah - a time of restoration:

Matthew 11:4-6 - Yeshua answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the
things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are
cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel
preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

Luke 7:22-23 - And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and
plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then
Yeshua answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye
have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

What is interesting about Yeshua's reply lies in the details. The ideas of Messiah
causing the lame to walk, lepers to be healed, deaf to hear, and the gospel to be
preached was a common understanding taken from passages in the Tenakh,
particularly Isaiah. What is unusual is the mention of the dead being raised. This
was not such a familiar or accepted concept at that time. As we will see the
missing piece to this puzzle may come from Qumran.

In summation, it could be said that the Pharisees, being the party of the
"common man" were more concerned with a Kingly, conquering Messiah, who
would bring back the Kingdom. This was found in the figure of Messiah ben
David. This would also suggest a reason that the Pharisees wanted to kill Yeshua.
If they could accomplish this, it would proved He was not the Messiah.

The Essenes (originating from the Saducees, who once held firm control over the
Temple and Priesthood), did not "mingle" within society as the Pharisees did, and
would most likely have been concerned with the atoning/priestly aspects of the
Messiah.

Yeshua's reason for not telling His Jewish brethren that He was the "Messiah"
may have had something to do with their view of who the Messiah was. The
common people would most likely have held to the popular Pharisaic view (see
notes to John 12:30-34 above), and when He did not establish the Kingdom, and
was killed, they would have been let down.

To review, the following were the basic expectations of the "two Messiah" theory:

• Messiah ben Joseph would suffer, fight and die, for His people.
(Kabbalistically, He also brings tikkun.)

• Messiah ben David would arrive to usher in the Kingdom and (possibly)
resurrect the dead, but would not Himself die.

YESHUA'S REVELATION

One of the peculiar aspects of Yeshua's ministry is His unwillingness to make

clear who He was to His Jewish brethren (other than to His immediate followers):

Matthew 16:20-23 - Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no
one that He was Yeshua the Messiah.

It would seem that this tactic was effective:

John 10:24 - Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You
keep us in doubt? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly."

This is not to say that Yeshua denied being the Messiah (as seen in his
comments to Peter above). Despite cautioning His disciples and other Jews not to
reveal that He was he Messiah, when speaking to a non-Jew, He made it very
clear that He was just that:

John 4:25-26 - The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming". "When
He comes, He will tell us all things." Yeshua said to her, "I who speak to you am
He."

This woman was not the only non-Jew that He informed of His identity:

John 4:39-42 - And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him
because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."
So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them;
and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own
word. Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you
said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the
Messiah, the Savior of the world."

Yeshua thus cloaked His Messiahship from His Jewish brethren, but not from
those outside of the faith of Israel. This "double standard" would seem to be
based on the idea that those of Israel had no excuse for not recognizing Him (if
they were following Torah correctly), whereas to those who did not have the
Torah, He made Himself more "obvious."

As He said to the leaders of the people:

Matthew 16:3 - You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you
cannot interpret the signs of the times.

As mentioned earlier in this study, by the time Yeshua arrived, the lack of Torah
study at the deeper (kabbalistic) levels, had cause this confusion and error within
Judaism regarding the characteristics and complete role of Messiah.

This was something that only Messiah Himself could rectify, as is written:

Genesis Rabbah 98:9 - When he, about whom it is written, "Lowly and riding
upon an ass" (Zechariah 9:9) will come ... he will elucidate for them the words of
the Tora ... and elucidate for them their errors.

MESSIAH AND RESURRECTION

The relationship between Messiah and the resurrection of the dead is unclear
throughout Jewish writings. Some texts simply link the resurrection to the time of
Messiah, while others indicate that he is directly involvoed. Later Jewish
literature associates the figure of Messiah ben David with this theme.1

The following text clearly links Messiah directly to the resurrection, and presents
him as a human, being of the children of the children of Adam:

Pirqe Mashiah, BhM 3:73-74 - In that hour, the Holy One blessed be He, will
crown the Messiah and place a helmet of salvation on his head, and give him
splendor and radiance, and adorn him with the clothes of honor, and stand him
up on top of a high mountain in order to bring glad tidings toIsrael. And he will
let it hear with his voice: "Salvation is near!" And Israel will say: Who are you?"
And he will say: "I am Ephraim." And Israel will say: "Are you the one whom the
Holy One blessed be He, called 'Ephraim, My firstborn, Ephraim is a darling son
to me'?" And he will say, "Yes." And Israel will say to him: "Go and bring glad
tidings to them that sleep in (the Cave of) Machpela, that they should rise first.
In that hour he goes up and brings glad tidings to those who sleep in Machpela,
and says t othem: "Abrhama, Isaac, and Jacob, rise! Enough have you slept!"
And they reply and say: Who is this that removes the dust from over us?" And he
says to them: "I am the Messiah of the Lord. Salvation is near. The hour is near."
And they answer: "If it is really so, go and bring the tidings to Adam the first
man, so that he should rise first." In the hour he says to Adam the first man:
"Enough have you slept." And he says: "Who is this who drives the slumber from
my eyes?" And he says: I am the Messiah of God from among the children of
your children."

Of special interest in the above citation is the reference to Messiah being

Ephraim, the "first born." In the Zohar we that Metatron is called "first begotten
of all the creatures of Elohim" and is appointed to resurrect the dead:

Zohar, Genesis p.126, Amsterdam Edition - And Abraham said to his oldest
servant of his house" (Gen. 24:2) Who is this of whom it said "his servant?" In
what sense must this be understood? Who is this servant? R. Nehori answered:
"It is in no other sense to be understood than expressed in the word "His
servant," His servant, the servant of Elohim, the chief to His service. And who is
he? Metatron, as said, He is appointed to glorify the bodies which are in
the grave. This is the meaning of the words "Abraham said to His servant" that
is to the servant of Elohim. The servant is Metatron, the eldest of His
[YHWH's] House, who is the first-begotten of all creatures of Elohim,
who is the ruler of all He has; because Elohim has committed to Him the
government over all His hosts.

As mentioned earlier, Kabbalistic teaching associated the "First born" with the
divine Sephirah of Yesod (i.e., Righteous One/Tzaddik - Foundation):

Several Kabbalistic traditions recognize "the Righteous One" as being the first
"created being," and associate this with the primordial light made on the first
day of creation, which was then "hidden away" for a later time. God saw that the
world could not exist without this Foundation, which is called "light." 2

Messiah is also seen as having the power of resurrection in the following

document:

Yemenite Apocalypse, pp. 326-327 - In the future, all the nations of the
world will come to the Messiah and say to him,: Have we not heard about you
that it is in your power to slay and to bring back to life?

Another text implies Messiah's role in the resurrection by making a connection

between his arrival and this event. What is interesting here is the comment that,
"all who have fallen asleep in hope of him shall rise again," - establishing a
connection between eternal life and "faith in Messiah" himself. (See comments to
John 11:20-27 below):

2 Baruch 30:1-5 - And it shall come to pass after these things, when the time
of the advent of the Messiah is fulfilled, that he shall return in glory. Then all
who have fallen asleep in hope of him shall rise again. And it shall come
to pass at that time that the treasuries will be opened in which is preserved the
number of the souls of the righteous, and they shall come forth, and a multitude
of souls shall be seen together in one assemblage of one thought, and the first
shall rejoice and the last shall not be greived.
The power of resurrection being in the hands of Messiah ben David is seen in the
following text, which speaks of the end times where Messiah ben Joseph is killed
by the anti-Messiah (known in Jewish legend as "Armilus"):

Hai Gaon, Responsum - When Messiah ben Joseph is killed, his body will
remain cast out (in the streets) for forty days, but no unclean thing will touch
him, until Messiah ben David comes and brings him back to life, as commanded
by the Lord.

Other Jewish writings reserve the resurrection of the dead to "the Holy One
blessed be He," (i.e., Tipheret - see previous studies), and not the Messiah:

Pes. Hadta, BhM 6:58 - In the future, the Holy One blessed be He, will
resurrect the dead.

Seder Eliyahu Rabba, 5, p. 22 - The resurrection of the dead will be brought

about by the Holy One blessed be He, in this world in order to sanctify His great
name in the days of the Messiah, and in order to give rewards to those who love
Him and fear Him in the World to Come.

Midrash Alpha Beta diR. Akiba, BhM 3:31 - And how does the Holy One
blessed be He, resuscitate the dead in the World to Come? We are taught that
the Holy One blessed be He, takes in His hand a great shofar, which is a
thousand cubits of the cubits of the Holy One blessed be He, and blows it, and its
sound goes from one end of the world to the other.

What we therefore see in the Jewish writings is both the Messiah as Tzaddik
(Yesod) as well as the Holy One blessed be He (Tipheret), being given
credit/responsibility regarding the resurrection of the dead. As we have
discussed previously in this study, the Sephirot of Yesod is in the image of
Tipheret. The two are closely linked, as has also been mentioned regarding the
role of Metatron, who is described in terms associated with both Yesod and
Tipheret.

In John's account we see Martha displaying an understanding of the relationship

between the Divine Tzaddik, God (i.e., Tipheret) and the resurrection of the dead.
She links Messiah's power of resurrection as coming directly from His
relationship with God. She further associates Messiah as the "Son of God" who
"came into the world," establishing a Divine connection. (See previous studies on
the descent of the Divine Tzaddik). Yeshua in turn links resurrection to "believing
in Him" as seen in 2 Baruch 30:1-5 above:

John 11:20-27 - Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Yeshua was coming,
went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Now Martha said to
Yeshua, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even
now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Yeshua said to her,
"Your brother will rise again." Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again
in the resurrection at the last day." Yeshua said to her, "I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And
whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said
to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to
come into the world."

Martha's last comment is interesting as there was a great deal of mystery

surrounding the Messiah's origins. This is seen elsewhere in John's account:

John 7:25-27 - Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom
they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the
rulers know indeed that this is truly the Messiah? However, we know where this
Man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one knows where He is
from."

The idea of the Messiah's origins being shrouded in mystery is found in various
Jewish writings, that states that several things preexisted our world, including;
Torah, Repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, God's Throne of Glory, the
Fathers, Israel, the Temple and the Messiah.

Of these concepts, the teachings surrounding Messiah are the oldest, with
Messiah appearing preexistent in the Book of Enoch, dated around 150 BCE.
Subsequent ideas include the name of Messiah preexisting as well as his spirit or
soul, and even He Himself (along with His throne), being fashioned before the
world was created.3

ESSENE (QUMRAN) IDEAS

There was one expectation that the various views of Messiah shared -- the
Messiah would come from the lineage of Judah. This of course creates conflict
with regard to the idea of a "priestly aspect" to Messiah (as presented earlier in
this study), as the priesthood comes via Levi and not Judah. To solve this
"conflict" the writings of the Essenes (Dead Sea Scrolls) is invaluable, along with
our prior teachings on the Supernal Torah and unity of things in the higher
heavenly realms.

The Essenes were dedicated to living sanctified lives and studying the Torah.
What we find in their writings is not only the idea of a priestly Messiah, but als
the union of Priest and King in one Messiah. This is found in the figure of
Melkizedek.

Perhaps the most important thing we know from Tenakh about Melkizedek
(whose name means "righteous king"), is that he is associated with a type of
priesthood:

Psalm 110:1-7 - The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make
Your enemies Your footstool." The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out
of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers, In
the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the
morning, You have the dew of Your youth. The LORD has sworn And will not
relent, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."
The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He
shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall
execute the heads of many countries. He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He shall lift up the head.

Among the Dead Sea Scrolls is one document, commonly called "the Coming of
Melkizedek," that gives great detail into the Essene's view of the aspects and
roles of this mystical figure.4

These include concepts such as:

• The Yovel Year (Jubilee) having to do with more than just forgiveness of
secular debt, but also the forgiveness of sin

• God's agent of salvation is Melkizedek who performs actions associated

directly with God, such as the atoning for sin and executing judgment
upon the world

• By the power of Melkizedek, haSatan's power is taken away

• Melkizedek is presented as a divine figure, including substitution of his

name for the divine name of YHWH in a citation of Isaiah 61:2

The Qumran text follows. Missing fragments are indicated by a (...):

11Q13 Col.2 - (...) And concerning what Scripture says, "In this year of Jubilee
you shall return, everyone f you, to your property" (Lev. 25;13) And what is also
written; "And this is the manner of the remission; every creditor shall remit the
claim that is held against a neighbor, not exacting it of a neighbor who is a
member of the community, because God`s remission has been proclaimed"
(Deut.15;2) the interpretation is that it applies to the Last Days and concerns the
captives, just as Isaiah said: "To proclaim the Jubilee to the captives" (Isa. 61;1)
(...) just as (...) and from the inheritance of Melchizedek, for (... Melchizedek) ,
who will return them to what is rightfully theirs. He will proclaim to them the
Jubilee, thereby releasing them from the debt of all their sins. He shall proclaim
this decree in the first week of the jubilee period that follows nine jubilee
periods. Then the "Day of Atonement" shall follow after the tenth jubilee period,
when he shall atone for all the Sons of Light, and the people who are predestined
to Melchizedek. (...) upon them (...) For this is the time decreed for the "Year of
Melchizedek`s favour", and by his might he will judge God`s holy ones and so
establish a righteous kingdom, as it is written about him in the Songs of David;
"A godlike being has taken his place in the council of God; in the midst of divine
beings he holds judgement" (ps. 82;1). Scripture also says about him ; "Over it
take your seat in the highest heaven; A divine being will judge the peoples" (Ps.
7;7-8) Concerning what scripture says; "How long will you judge unjustly, and
show partiality with the wicked? Selah" (Ps. 82;2) the interpretation applies to
Belial and the spirits predestined to him, because all of them have rebelled,
turning from God`s precepts and so becoming utterly wicked. Therefore
Melchizedek will thoroughly prosecute the vengenance required by God`s
statutes. Also, he will deliver all the captives from the power of Belial, and from
the power of all the spirits destined to him. Allied with him will be all the
"righteous divine beings"(Isa. 61;3). (The ...) is that whi(ch ...all) the divine
beings. The visitation is the Day of Salvation that He has decreed through Isaiah
the prophet concerning all the captives, inasmuch as Scripture says, "How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces
peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion "Your
divine being reigns"." (Isa. 52;7) This scriptures interpretation : "the mountains"
are the prophets, they who were sent to proclaim God`s truth and to prophesy to
all Israel. "The messengers" is the Anointed of the spirit, of whom Daniel spoke;
"After the sixty-two weeks, an Anointed shall be cut off"(Dan. 9;26) The
"messenger who brings good news, who announces Salvation" is the one of
whom it is written; "to proclaim the year of the LORD`s favour , the day of the
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn" (Isa. 61;2) This scripture`s
interpretation: he is to instruct them about all the periods of history for eternity
(... and in the statutes) of the truth. (...) (.... dominion) that passes from Belial
and returns to the Sons of Light (....) (...) by the judgment of God, just as t is
written concerning him; "who says to Zion "Your divine being reigns" (Isa. 52;7)
"Zion" is the congregation of all the sons of righteousness, who uphold the
covenant and turn from walking in the way of the people. "Your divine being" is
Melchizedek, who will deliver them from the power of Belial. Concerning what
scripture says, "Then you shall have the trumpet sounded loud; in the seventh
month ..." (Lev. 25;9)

Another important text from Qumran gives deeper insight into the statements
made by Yeshua to the disciples of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:4-6 and Luke
7:22-23) as mentioned above. Here we have a single Messiah who will rule
heaven and earth. The resurrection of the dead during the time of this Messiah is
also key:

4Q521 - [the hea]vens and the earth will listen to His Messiah, and none therein
will stray from the commandments of the holy ones. Seekers of the Lord,
strengthen yourselves in His service! All you hopeful in (your) heart, will you not
find the Lord in this? For the Lord will consider the pious (hasidim) and call the
righteous by name. Over the poor His spirit will hover and will renew the faithful
with His power. And He will glorify the pious on the throne of the eternal
Kingdom. He who liberates the captives, restores sight to the blind, straightens
the b[ent] And f[or] ever I will cleav[ve to the h]opeful and in His mercy ... And
the fr[uit ...] will not be delayed for anyone. And the Lord will accomplish glorious
things which have never been as [He ...] For He will heal the wounded, and
revive the dead and bring good news to the poor ... He will lead the
uprooted and knowledge . . .

What is important to note in the above text is the idea of resurrection of the
dead, being one of the roles of the Messiah. This is not explicitly mentioned in
the Tenakh, yet both the scroll at Qumran and the "New Testament" accounts of
Matthew and Luke, add this to His function. This would show a definite
Qumranian influence in the teachings of Yeshua and His disciples.

MESSIAH AS PRIEST AND KING

A key theme we have discussed throughout this study is the mystery of the
relationship between Yesod and Tipheret. This may be compared to the affinity
between Messiah ben Joseph (the suffering tzaddik type) and Messiah ben David
(the "heavenly" type, who arrives to "crown" the tikkun performed by the former
(and resurrects him), followd by ushering in the Kingdom.

As we have seen, Melchizedek plays the dual role of priestly-tzaddik and

judgmental Messiah. Our analysis of the figure of Metatron also plays an
important role here, as we have seen that he has aspects of both Tipheret and
Yesod in his function. Metatron so closely resembles God Himself that he is even
called "the Lesser YHWH," much as Melchizedek is substituted for God in the
above Qumran text.

As might be expected, there is also an association between Metatron and

Melchizedek in Jewish tradition:

Metatron, legend says, has manifested throughout history as various great

teachers, one of whom may have been Melchizedek, the king without father or
mother, who initiated Abraham into the line. 5

It is in the "New Testament" book of Hebrews (where he is mentioned nine

times), Melchizedek is given a very mysterious countenance. It is said of him that
he has no parental lineage. The priesthood mentioned in Psalm 110 is said to be
the Supernal Priesthood (as discussed earlier).

Speaking of Yeshua, the book of Hebrews says:

Hebrews 5:5-11 - So also Messiah did not glorify Himself to become High
Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten
You." As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever, According to
the order of Melchizedek"; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up
prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to
save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a
Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been
perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called
by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," of whom we have
much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

Note that the understanding of these (kabbalistic) mysteries concerning

Melchizedek had been lost to the recipients of this letter. This results in a rebuke
from the author as seen in the last sentence.

Hebrews associates Melchizedek with aspects of High Priest and the Tzaddik,
who effects the tikkun of the heavenly Holy of Holies and whose characteristics
we have already discussed in detail:

Hebrews 6:19-20 - This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and
steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner
has entered for us, even Yeshua, having become High Priest forever according to
the order of Melchizedek.
In the next series of verse, Hebrews clearly links the ideas of kingly and priestly
Messiah, tying these to "the Son of God" (i.e., Tipheret). Here we also see the
theme of "levels of Torah" (as discussed in an earlier section), whereby the
priesthood of Levi (as part of the historical Torah of Sinai) is subordinate to the
Supernal priesthood of Melchizedek.

The idea of a "change in the Priesthood" as presented in the book of Hebrews,

cannot be viewed as an "abrogation of the Torah." Nothing in Yeshua's work does
away with one jot or tittle of the Torah (Matthew 5:17-21), yet Scripture clearly
presents a radically different priesthood in the Millennial Temple as discussed in
a previous section of our study.

The following text intensely combines Kabbalistic principles with Qumranian

concepts:

Hebrews 7:1-28 - For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High
God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed
him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated "king
of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning "king of peace," without
father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor
end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now
consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a
tenth of the spoils. And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the
priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to
the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of
Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from
Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction
the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he
receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives
tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of
his father when Melchizedek met him. Therefore, if perfection were through the
Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need
was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek,
and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being
changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these
things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at
the altar. For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses
spoke nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident if, in the
likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest who has come, not according
to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless
life. For He testifies: "You are a priest forever According to the order of
Melchizedek." For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former
commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made
nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope,
through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as He was not made priest
without an oath (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an
oath by Him who said to Him: "The LORD has sworn and will not relent, "You are
a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"), by so much more
Yeshua has become a surety of a better covenant. Also there were many priests,
because they were prevented by death from continuing. But He, because He
continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to
save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always
lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who
is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than
the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for
all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who
have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the
Son who has been perfected forever.

SIMEON BEN YOHAI

Another "Messianic figure" in Jewish literature is found in the Zohar. Rabbi

Simeon ben Yohai, along with his associates (who lived about 100 years after
Yeshua), is said to have brought about a tikkun of the world. This process,
stemming from the efforts of benYohai and his companions, effected the highest
realm of the heavenlies (Arikh Anpin) from which then flowed blessings, which
decended throught the Godhead back down to man. (This principle was
discussed in the previous section.)

The idea that a flaw in the "Divine world" could be rectified by a tzaddik such as
Rabbi benYohai, is addressed in the Zohar by associating him with the Sephirah
of Yesod itself, as he is also said to have been called by God from the first day of
creation (i.e., the "foundation" of the world). This would therefore give a measure
of divinity to ben Yohai:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 61b-62a - We have learnt that all
the truly virtuous before they come into the world are prepared above and called
by their names. And R. Simeon ben Yohai from the first day of Creation was
stationed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and God called him by his name,
happy is his portion above and below!’ R. Abba took as his text the verse: "While
the king sat at his table, my spikenard sent forth its fragrance" (S.S. I, 12). ‘This
has been applied by the Companions to the children of Israel when at the giving
of the Law they sent forth a sweet fragrance which will bestead them in all
generations by saying "we will do and we will hear". Or we may translate "my
spikenard forsook its fragrance", applying the words to the making of the calf.
There is, however, also an esoteric allusion in this verse. It says "A river went
forth from Eden to water the garden" (Gen. II, 10). This stream first issues in a
path which none knoweth. Then Eden joins with it in perfect union, and then
fountains and streams issue and crown the holy Son, who thereupon assumes
the inheritance of his Father and Mother, and the supernal King regales himself
with royal delights. Then "my spikenard gives forth its fragrance": this is Yesod,
who sends forth blessings at the union of the Holy King and the Matrona, and so
blessings are dispensed to all worlds and upper and lower are blessed. And now
the Sacred Lamp is crowned with the crowns of that grade, and he and the
Companions send up praises from earth to heaven wherewith She is crowned.
Now blessings must be brought down from heaven on to the Companions
through that grade.

Interestingly, Rabbi Simeon refers to himself as a "first-born" in support of his

role:

For it is written, "With the loss of his first-born he shall lay its foundation, and
with the loss of his youngest son shall he set up its gates." (Joshua 6:26).6

As seen in the above section of this study (re: Pirqe Mashiah, BhM 3:73-74 and
Zohar, Genesis p.126, Amsterdam Edition), the title of "first born" or "first
begotten" is associated with Messiah and/or Metatron.

Yehuda Liebes states that the Zohar goes as far as suggesting that the death of
Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai effected a tikkun upon the Shekinah itself, as his soul
arrived in Paradise (which is the Shekinah), and through a mystical union
(devekut) effected the tikkun. Liebes states that the idea exists in Kabbalistic
teaching, that when there is a "great flaw" in the Godhead, the surrender of the
soul on the part of the tzaddik is not enough, in such as case, his actual death is
necessary to bring tikkun above. He further points out that the "surrender of the
soul" to the Shekinah, atones for man's spiritual sins in the same fashion as his
death does, something Malkut (the Shekinah) "derives pleasure from." This
devotional surrender of the soul to the Shekinah, first brings about tikkun to the
supernal world of the Sephirot, and through this, the terrestrial world.7

This is reminiscent of David's words in Psalm 116, who was servant to the
"handmaid" of God:

Psalm 116:15-16 - Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid:
thou hast loosed my bonds.

The aspect of divinity being present "within a human being" is perhaps the single
biggest issue concerning the Messiah, and specifically Yeshua. Outside of a
Kabbalistic understanding of the Scriptures, such an idea has no valid
justification. However, with the knowledge of God as revealed through the
Sephirot, and the associated Kabbalistic teachings, one can make an argument
(as the Zohar does with Simeon ben Yohai), of a divine presence within a person.

In the book of 2 Chronicles, we see Solomon contemplating the idea of "God

existing" within a the Temple:

2 Chronicles 6:18 - But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold,
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this
temple which I have built!

Solomon's question is a valid one. After all, how could "God" be "contained in any
"structure," especially one made by sinful humans (as opposed to being "built"
by God Himself)?
Yet, Solomon and the people of Israel believed this to be possible and dedicated
the Temple, where indeed "God did reside" in a form that could be "seen and
heard." Jews and others today, believe this to have occured. This is foundational
to their faith.

The decisive question comes to this: If God, (not Eyn Sof, but as we can know
Him through the Sephirot) can "exist" in a physical form in this world within a
structure made my man (the Temple), how possible is it for Him to "exist" in a
structure that He Himself "fashioned," in the form of a "human tabernacle?"

1. The following citations regarding Messiah and resurrection in Jewish literature,

are taken directly from, The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State
University Press, Detroit, 1979.

2. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,

Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 100-101.

3. The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit,
1979, p. 16.

4. Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, Wise, Abegg & Cook,

HarperSanFrancisco, 1996, p. 455.

5 The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach, Maine, 1976, p. 16.

6. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, Albany, 1993, p. 52.

7. ibid, p. 52-54.

MESSIAH - PART 8
THE ROLE OF MAN
(Last updated 9/11/01)

We present this section on the role of man in bringing tikkun, as supplement to

our study on Messiah's work. As we will see man has not only a continual role in
the restoration of the physical realm, but also the heavenly realms.

Rabbi Pinchas Winston, in a recent Parsha commentary, presents the following

understanding of how Creation, including the mineral, vegetable, animal and
human levels of existence, were all affected by the sin of Adam and Eve, and in
need of tikkun:

One of the principle effects of Adam's and Chava's interaction with the snake
was that they became the recipient's of an kind of indelible spiritual impurity
called "zuhama" (Shabbos 146a). Spiritual impurity is a tricky concept to begin
with, since it is of the spiritual realm, though it will eventually manifest itself
physically.
... Now, the first thing to know is that creation consists of four levels of
existence, which, in Hebrew, are: Domaim, Tzomayach, Chai, and, Medabehr --
Silent, Vegetation, Animal, and, Speaking. The middle two of the list are self-
explanatory, whereas the first one refers to the non-animate (mineral) world, as
"Medabehr" refers to the level of man.

... That's what zuhama did, does. It was a spiritual infiltration of the negative
spiritual forces ("Chitzonios" or "K'lipos") that had been embodied in the First
Snake, and which colored the way we related to the spiritual world, and, by
extension, the physical world. It was a partial deadening of our spiritual senses,
and therefore, ability to relate to G-d. Thus, zuhama is the true source of sin.

... the "infection" of zuhama was only on the first three levels of existence.
However, this still affects man, since he, too, possesses all FOUR aspects of
creation within him, either directly in him or through interaction with them (such
as eating vegetables or animals). And, it certainly affects the animals world,
since that is what they are made of and what sustains them. 1

As Rabbi Winston points out later in this same teaching (see below), the
sacrificial system offers a limited effectiveness. The coming of Messiah will
provide a permanent rectification.

The "New Testament" states that Yeshua came to rectify this entry of sin caused
by Adam:

Romans 5:11-17 - And not only so, but we are also boasting in God, through
our Lord Yeshua Messiah, through whom now we did receive the reconciliation;
because of this, even as through one man the sin did enter into the world, and
through the sin the death; and thus to all men the death did pass through, for
that all did sin; for till law sin was in the world: and sin is not reckoned when
there is not law; but the death did reign from Adam till Moses, even upon those
not having sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression, who is a type of him
who is coming. But, not as the offence so also is the free gift; for if by the
offence of the one the many did die, much more did the grace of God, and the
free gift in grace of the one man Yeshua Messiah, abound to the many; and not
as through one who did sin is the free gift, for the judgment indeed is of one to
condemnation, but the gift is of many offences to a declaration of `Righteous,'
for if by the offence of the one the death did reign through the one, much more
those, who the abundance of the grace and of the free gift of the righteousness
are receiving, in life shall reign through the one -- Yeshua Messiah.

THE ROLE OF MAN - THE SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM

Rabbi Winston offers the following insight into the sacrificial system with regard
to the tikkun it provided for creation and man:

Thus, says Kabbalah, when an animal is burned on the altar, tremendous "tikun"
occurs. The wood that is burned is the spiritual representative of the Vegetation
World, while the salt, which is mandatory for all animal sacrifices, is the
"Domaim" stand-in. The animal, of course, is the "Chai," and, when all three are
consumed on the altar, then, the zuhama itself in creation is weakened, along
the way to its eventual and complete obliteration in the time of
Moshiach.

... Thus, a second reason for sacrifices is that they come to "sweeten" (i.e.,
rectify and elevate) the judgment and change it from the "Trait of Judgment" to
that of Mercy. For, Domaim and Tzomayach -- the essence of physical creation --
are the result of the "Strong Judgment" and physicality. That is, the physical
world is a "projection" of the reality of the distancing of the lower spiritual worlds
from the Light of G-d, which is why they are SO physical, and, hide the hand of
G-d SO well. Hence, when they -- the wood, the salt, and the animal -- are
offered to G-d they became "sweetened" and "fragranced" (i.e., pleasing to G-d)
when they are consumed by the fire on the altar, for, they ascend upwards. And,
this does not simply mean that particular animal, wood, and salt, but, the entire
categories of Chai, Tzomayach, and Domaim for all of creation. 2

The Zohar shows how the earthly sacrifices also effected a tikkun of the
heavenly realm. The following passage comments on a particular sacrifice at the
time of the dedication of the Tabernacle (showing how it unified the name of
God), linking this to the meaning behind the Yom Kippur sacrifice.

The passage concludes by associating the Holy One blessed be He (Tipheret),

directly with the "Ineffable Name" of YHWH:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 219b - Similarly do we read:

“Take thee a bull calf for a sin offering” (Lev. IX, 2), an ordinance meant
personally for Aaron to atone for the sin of the golden calf which he brought
upon Israel. So here Moses was bidden “Take unto thee”, that is, “take for thy
benefit and use” the incense (q'toreth), which is potent to bind together (qatar),
to illumine and to remove the evil taint. The Daleth is linked to the He’, the He to
the Vau, the Vau ascends and is adorned with the He, the He, is illumined by the
Yod, and the whole ascends, reaching out to the En-sof (Infinite, Illimitable), so
that there results one organic whole, interrelated under one principle, the most
exalted of all. From thence and upward the whole is adorned as with a crown by
the ineffableness of the En-sof; and the Divine Name in its mysteriousness is
illumined and is adorned on all sides, and the worlds are all wrapt in joy, the
lamps radiate their lights, and sustenance and blessing pour down on all the
worlds. All this follows the hidden virtue of the incense, without which the evil
taint would not be removed. All thus depends on it. Observe that the offering of
the incense used to precede all other services, and hence its recital should be a
prelude to our service of hymns and praises, as these latter do not ascend, nor is
the required readjustment and unity achieved until the evil taint is removed.

So Scripture says: “And he shall make atonement for the holy place... and
because of their transgressions, even all their sins” (Lev. XVI, 16), first
“atonement for the holy place” and then for “their transgressions”. We, too, thus
have first to remove the evil taint and purge the holy place, and then engage in
song and hymn and prayer,’as already said. Happy are Israel in this world and in
the world to come, inasmuch as they know how to effect adjustment on high and
below; to achieve adjustment from the lower world upwards until the whole is
bound together in the most sublime union. The process of adjustment performed
in the lower world is by means of the impressed letters of the Ineffable Name by
which the Holy One, blessed be He, is named.’

The following section illustrates the process by which the sacrifices and prayers
effect tikkun in the heavenly realms. The smoke of the sacrifice is said to reach
the highest levels (Arikh Anpin), which blesses the "other lamps" below it (Ze'er
Anpin), and then the world (Malkut-Shekinah).

The process actually begins by uniting the lower waters to the upper waters,
symbolic of unifying Malkut-Shekinah (the bride) with Tipheret (the groom).
Those involved in this process (i.e., the priests) are in the role of the Tzaddik
(symbolic of Yesod) which, as discussed earlier in this study, makes the
connection between Tipheret and Malkut:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 244a - It is written: “The one

lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the second lamb shalt thou offer at
even” (Num. XXVIII, 4). Prayers have been ordained to correspond to the daily
offerings. Through the impulse from below there is a stirring above, and through
the impulse from above there is a stirring higher up still, until the impulse
reaches the place where the lamp is to be lit and it is lit. Thus by the impulse of
the smoke (of the sacrifice) from below, the lamp is kindled above, and when
this is kindled all the other lamps are kindled and all the worlds are blessed from
it. Thus the impulse of the sacrifice is the mainstay of the world and the blessing
of all worlds.

When the smoke commences to rise, the holy forms in charge of the world
derive satisfaction, and are disposed thereby to stir the grades above them; and
so the impulse rises until the King desires to associate with the Matron. Through
the yearning of the lower world the lower waters flow forth to meet the upper
waters, for the upper waters do not flow save from the impulse of the desire
from below. Thus mutual desire is kindled and the lower waters flow to meet the
upper waters, and worlds are blest, and all lamps are kindled, and upper and
lower are endowed with blessings.

Observe that the function of the priests and Levites is to unite the Left with the
Right. Said R. Hizkiah: ‘That is so, but I have been told that one rouses the Left
and the other the Right, because the union of male and female is only brought
about by Left and Right, as it says: “O that his left hand were under my head,
and his right hand should embrace me” (S. S. II, 6). Then male and female are
united, and there is mutual desire and worlds are blessed and upper and lower
rejoice. Hence we see that the sacrifice is the support and the mainstay of the
world, and the joy of upper and lower.’ Said R. Jose: ‘You are certainly right, and I
had heard this before but had forgotten it. This, too, I have learnt, that nowadays
prayer takes the place of sacrifice, and a man should fittingly pronounce the
praise of his Master, and if not, his prayer is no prayer. The most perfect form of
praising God is to unify the Holy Name in the fitting manner, for through this
upper and lower are set in motion, and blessings flow to all worlds.’
In the following section of the Zohar, the "heave offering" is explained to
represent the "lifting up" of the bride to the groom (Malkut to Tipheret). All
"thoughts and desires" are said to properly be focused on the "Heavenly King,"
which is Tipheret, (i.e., Yeshua in the heavenlies). Thus the Zohar promotes the
idea of sacrifice and prayer being directed to God through "the Son":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - "They shall take Me a

heave offering." Here we have displayed an inclusive union of the above with the
below, for it does not say "They shall take a heave offering", but "They shall take
Me a heave offering", which denotes a fusion of the upper with the lower
spheres. [Tr. note: i.e. Tifereth with Malkuth.] "On the part of everyone
whose heart is willing ye should take my heave offering." The words "on the part
of" seem at first sight to be superfluous, but in reality they contain a deep lesson
for the masters of the esoteric lore. Blessed are the righteous who have learnt
how to centre all their thoughts and desires on the Heavenly King, and whose
aspirations are directed, not towards the vain and foolish toys of this world and
its lusts, but to attaching themselves wholeheartedly to the world above in order
to draw down the favour of the Lord Himself from heaven to earth.

THE ROLE OF MAN - THE FEASTS OF THE LORD

As we have commented earlier in this study, there are many aspects of God that
seem separate and dissimilar to us, due to our relationship with time. Beyond the
restriction of time however, these distinctions vanish. This seeming
disparateness is also true of the Feasts of the Lord. 3

Examining the major feasts of; Rosh haShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Pesakh and
Shavuot, we find that our participation in these is part of restoring harmony to
the Godhead, particularly that of uniting Tipheret and Malkut:

Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 119a - In every ritual action, let your effort
be directed toward uniting the Holy One, Blessed be He, and his Shekinah
through all camps above and below.

This final time of complete harmony is symbolized by the weekly Shabbat, (which
we comment on below). As we saw earlier in our study, the Zohar indicates that
the Feasts all point to the same thing -- the eternal Shabbat, which is associated
with Malkut:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135b - The six [Feast] Days are
but a preparation for her [the great Sabbath]. As they are united above in "One",
so she is unified below in the mystery of "one", to correspond to them above.
The Holy One, blessed be He, who is One above, does not take His seat upon the
Throne of Glory, until She has entered within the mystery of the One in
accordance with His very essence of Oneness, to be the One in One. This, as we
have said, is the significance of the words: "The Lord is One, and His Name is
One." It is the mystery of the Sabbath, which is united with the mystery of the
One so that it may be the organ of this Oneness.

ROSH HASHANA
Rosh haShana is different that the other Feasts, as it is not tied to a specific
event in Jewish history. Rather, it is the "anniversary" of the creation of Adam
and Eve, and the beginning of their realization of mankind's role in God's world.
It is called Yom Harat Olam - the Birthday of the World.

Rosh haShana (literally, "Head of the Year"), is the Hebrew "New Year" according
to the civil calendar. It is also the New year for Sabbatical years, Jubilee years,
planting trees, and for tithing vegetables. Rosh haShana is the beginning of what
is called, Yamin Noraim, the "Days of Awe," or the Aseret Yemai Teshuvah, the
"Ten Days of Repentance." This is a time of judgment, said to be caused by
predominance of the Sefirah of Gevurah-Judgement. Rosh haShana is thus also
called Yom haDin, the Day of Judgment.

Because judgment is "awakened" above, it is imperative that the people seek

repentance (associated with the Sephirah of Binah) in order to restore balance,
by "awakening" the Sephirah of Hesed-Mercy. (Recall that Hesed and Gevurah
are opposite each other in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.) Rosh haShana is also
called Yom Teruah - the day of sounding the Shofar. The shofar blast is a call to
repentance, and, as with prayer, "causes things to happen in the heavenlies." It
is therefore to be taken quite seriously, especially by the person blowing the
horn. (See the Zohar section just below.)

The shofar (which is symbolic of Binah), plays a representative role here. It is

blown one hundred times during the Rosh haShana service. This is reflective of
the ten Sephirot having aspects of all ten within each one. It was for this reason
that Solomon placed ten menorahs in the Temple. (This is a subject we will deal
with later.) The blowing of the Shofar symbolizes the prevalence of Hesed-Mercy
over Gevurah-Judgment. These 100 blasts are divided into four groups:

• Tekiah, a single unbroken note

• Shevarim, three short individual blasts rising in tone

• Teruah, nine short staccato notes

Following these three groups, there comes:

• Tekiah Gedolah - "big tekiah" - is sounded. This is one long sustained blast

A custom at Rosh haShana is Tashlikh (literally: "casting off"), where people

gather around a body of flowing water empty their pockets or thrown stones into
the water, symbolically casting off their sins.

This practice is inspired by the words of the Prophet Micah:

Micah 7:18-20 - Who, O God, is like You? You forgive sins and overlook
transgressions. For the survivors of Your people; He does not retain His anger
forever, for He loves kindness; He will return and show us mercy, and overcome
our sins, And You will cast into the depths of the sea all their sins; You will show
kindness to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, As You did promise to our fathers of
old.
The above passage is associated with a Kabbalistic principle called the Thirteen
Attributes of Mercy, (which are "hidden" in the text of the above verses from
Micah). Note that there are a total of thirteen shofar blasts in either the first
three groups of the blowing of the shofar (1-3-9), or the last three groups (3-9-1),
as shown above.

The Shofar is also said to connect the Akeidah, the binding of Isaac, with Mount
Sinai. Jewish teachings says that the shofar sounded at Sinai (by God) was the
left horn of the ram (supplied by God), offered by Abraham at the Akeidah. The
right horn of that ram will be the shofar that will herald the coming of Messiah.4

The following section of the Zohar offers insight into the relationship between the
Shofar, judgment and Isaac (who is associated with the Sephirah of Gevurah-
Judgment). We present this with minimal commentary in bold type.

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 18a-b - Once as R. Eleazar and R.

Abba were sitting together, the former said: ‘I observe that my father will not
listen to any man reading the prayers on New Year and the Day of Atonement
unless he has watched him three days previously to purify him; for R. Simeon
used to say, "Through the prayer of the man whom I have purified the world
receives atonement." He was still more particular not to accept the shofar [Tr.
note: The ram's horn blown on New Year.] blowing of any man who was not well
acquainted with the rules of the shofar and their inner significance. ‘On this day
(of New Year) Isaac is crowned, and becomes the head of the patriarchs.’

The Sephirah of Gevurah-Judgment is represented by Isaac. As

judgment is dominant on Rosh haShana, Isaac is said to be "head of the
Patriarchs" at that moment.

Said R. Abba: ‘We read the portion of Isaac (Gen. XXI, XXII) on this day, because
on this day he was bound below and was also united to the One above. R.
Eleazar said: ‘On this day Isaac crowned Abraham with glory, as it says, "And the
Lord exalted (nissah, lit. proved) Abraham" (Gen. XXII, 1), because the Right
Hand was completed and perfected.’

Abraham, linked to the Sephirah of Hesed-Mercy, was brought into

balance ("completed and perfected"), by being brought toward the side
of Gevurah-Judgment via Isaac.

... R. Abba said: ‘Had not the judgement of Isaac been passed through the place
where Jacob abides and annulled there, it would have gone ill with the world. But
when it entered into the place of Jacob, and Jacob laid hold on it, then the fire
sank and the heat was cooled. It is as if a man in a great passion seizes his
weapons and goes out to kill someone, but a certain wise man meets him at the
door and detains him, and while they are arguing with one another his anger
cools down, and instead of going out to kill, he only goes out to reprove.

Isaac, on the side of judgment, was in turn brought into balance via
Jacob, who (as discussed earlier), is representative of Tipheret.
Who was it on whom the man vented his passion? Surely the man who stood at
the door! So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: "My sons, fear not, for I
stand at the door; only brace yourselves up on this day and give Me strength.

The Holy One, blessed be He, is Tipheret, who says He is "standing at

the door." This language is similar to that found in Revelation chapter
3, where Yeshua speaks of repentance in the face of judgment.

... And through what? Through the shofar. For if the sound of the shofar is
properly produced and listened to with devotion, then it mounts aloft and the
patriarchs crown themselves with it and stand in the tent of Jacob. Hence strict
attention should be paid to the sound of the shofar. Every sound of the shofar
ascends to a different firmament, all the denizens of which give place to the
sound, saying, "And the Lord uttereth his voice before his army" (Joel II, 11). And
that voice remains in the firmament until another voice comes and joins it, and
then they both ascend together to another firmament. And when all the voices
from below are collected and ascend to the highest firmament where the Holy
King is, they stand before the Holy King and then the thrones are set and
another throne, that of Jacob, is firmly established. In the Book of Rab Hamnuna
the Elder we find: Prayer and the sound of the shofar which are produced by a
virtuous man with his heart and soul mount above, and the accusers above are
thrust away before it and cannot face it. Happy are the righteous who know how
to be truly devout before their Master and to establish the world on this day with
the sound of the shofar; hence it is written, "Blessed is the people that know the
joyful sound (of the shofar)" (Ps. LXXXIX, 15). On this day the congregation must
look out for a man without blame who knows the ways of the King and how to
honour Him, that he may pray for them and transmit the sound of the shofar to
all worlds with concentration of thought, with wisdom, and with devotion, that
through him chastisement may be removed from the world. Alas for those whose
minister is not fitting, for through him their sins will be called to mind.

The above section speaks of a man "without blame," who represents his
people. In the final paragraph (below), this man is said to bring
atonement to them.

... But if he is truly virtuous, then the people are justified through him, and
punishment is removed from them through him.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘For this reason
the priest and Levite were examined as to their character, and if they were not
found satisfactory they were not allowed to minister. And so, too, with the
members of the Sanhedrin before they were allowed to judge.’

(The Zohar offers additional commentary on the Shofar, which we present in

Appendix II.)

YOM KIPPUR

One of the themes of Yom Kippur is that of "afflicting the soul," a means of
achieving reverence and repentance (associated with Binah). Yom Kippur is
closely associated with the events on Mount Sinai. Jewish history says that it is
on Yom Kippur that Moses received the second set of tablets (after smashing the
first set).

The rituals of Yom Kippur are a reenactment of how Moses prepared himself for
Sinai. For instance, only the High Priest was permitted to approach God, having
to remove his sandals beforehand.

Another interesting custom is associated with the Shema which is recited as

such:

Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.

Blessed be His glorious name whose kingdom is forever and ever.

Throughout the year, the second line of the Shema is spoken in a whisper, as the
name of God is not yet unified and His kingdom not yet established. At Yom
Kippur however, this response is said aloud, indicative of this representing the
time when these events will occur. (See the previous section regarding the
names of YHWH and ELOHIM being united within the Shema.)

(The relationship of the "Days of Awe" between Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur
will be discussed in our Revelation text study.)

The Holiday of Yom Kippur concludes with a final shofar blast. This is the "last
trumpet" referred to in the "New Testament," and is associated with the
ingathering of the elect of Israel from the "four corners of the earth." This is the
time of the great wedding between Tipheret and Shekinah-Malkut, the latter of
which includes His elect.

SUKKOT

Sukkot (the feast of booths/tabernacles) is the last of the "fall feasts" and takes
place over seven days in Israel and eight days outside the land. At the end of the
feast, the holiday of Simhat Torah ("Joy of Torah") takes place, where the last
portion of the year's Torah cycle is read, along with the first portion of the
subsequent year's cycle.

Sukkot offers a multitude of insights. For instance:

1. The eight days, and specifically the eighth day, are symbolic of eternity.
For example, the time cycle for the earth being 6,000 years, is followed by
the 1,000 year Shabbat/Kingdom, which is followed by the Olam Haba -
the "eighth day" - eternity with a new heaven and earth.

2. Both the last and first Torah portions are read. This is significant, as it
symbolizes the concept that "the beginning is the end, and the end is the
beginning." (i.e., Keter is in Malkut, and Malkut is in Keter.) See our
previous studies on time and reference to the "Mobius strip."

3. The building of the Sukkah (a temporary outdoor dwelling) has many

meanings. One that is less known regards the making of a thatched roof
for the dwelling, and its association with prophecy. However, rather than
 "looking up and out" through the roof, it is taught that one goes "above
and beyond" the dimension in which we exist (to Binah), in order to "look
back down" through the roof at the realm of Ze'er Anpin/Malkut.

4. The waving of the four species of vegetation is a deeply mystical practice.

In one hand is held a palm branch, three myrtle branches and two willow
branches. The palm branch, a phallic symbol is associated with the
Sephirah of Yesod. (See previous studies on Yesod for more on this
imagery.) The three myrtle branches represent Hesed, Gevurah and
Tipheret. The two willows are Netzah and Hod. In the other hand is held an
etrog (citron), symbolizing the (feminine) Sephirah of Malkut. All of these
are waved in six directions, (east, west, north, south, up and down),
representing the six directions of space, or Ze'er Anpin. (See previous
studies on this subject matter), and symbolizing a union between Ze'er
Anpin and Malkut.

5. Another interesting concept is that of welcoming one of the Patriarchs as

an honored guest, on each of the seven days of the feast. As seen earlier
in our study, each of the seven lower Sephirot is associated with one of
these Biblical persons. Beginning with Abraham on the first day
(representing Hesed-Mercy), through David on the 7th day, (representing
Malkut-Kingdom).

Part of a Sukkot prayer, involving these seven Patriarchs, found in the Siddur
goes as follows:

"Be seated, be seated, exalted guests, be seated, be seated, holy guests, be

seated, be seated, guests of faithfulness, be seated in the shade of the Holy
One, Blessed be He. Worthy is our portion, worthy is the portion of Israel, as it is
written: For Hashem's portion is His people, Jacob the lot of His heritage. For the
sake of the unification of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His Presence, to unify
the Name Yud-Hey with Vav-Hey, in perfect unity through Him Who is hidden and
inscrutable -- I pray in the name of all Israel." 5

The theme of the "eight day" as associated with the rectification of the heavenly
realm (thereby reconnecting Arikh Anpin and Ze'er Anpin), had its "earthly
image" depicted in the dedication and events surrounding both the Tabernacle
and First Temple.

In the Torah, we see a process of seven days, leading up to the establishment of

the Tabernacle:

Leviticus 8:33-36 - And ye shall not go out of the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation in seven days, until the days of your consecration be at an end: for
seven days shall he consecrate you. As he hath done this day, so the LORD hath
commanded to do, to make an atonement for you. Therefore shall ye abide at
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day and night seven days, and
keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not: for so I am commanded. So Aaron
and his sons did all things which the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
Upon the completion of this "seven days" comes the day of completion, the
"eighth day." The eighth day parallels the eighth Sephirah of Binah (starting from
our vantage point at Malkut and ascending). This parallels the "seven thousand
years" of earthly existence which is followed by the descent of heavenly New
Jerusalem, in the "eighth" day.

Leviticus 9:1 - And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron
and his sons, and the elders of Israel.

Turning to the dedication of the First Temple (Solomon's Temple), we see a

number of similarities, including the seven days of preparation leading to the
eighth day:

2 Chronicles 7:8-9 - Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days,
and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of
Hamath unto the river of Egypt. And in the eighth day they made a solemn
assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast
seven days.

PESAKH

As mentioned earlier, Pesakh (Passover) is a time of deliverance, through the

defeat of the evil realm (which have their way in the world due to the separation
of Malkut and Tipheret). The Exodus from Egypt also represents the deliverance
of the Shekinah from exile (and its association with the evil realm), and the
beginning of her reunion with Tipheret. (Consequently, Pesakh must precede
Yom Kippur, the latter being representative of the end of this process of reunion.)

Pesakh and Yom Kippur have a mystical connection, having to do with the
offering of an animal as a substitution that would "take power away from the evil
realm," for a period of time. According to the Zohar, the tenth day of the month
is significant, linking the lamb of Passover with the goat of Yom Kippur:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 39b - ON THE TENTH DAY OF

THIS MONTH THEY SHALL TAKE TO THEM A LAMB. According to R. Abba, the
tenth day was chosen because on this day the Jubilee illumines the Moon (i.e.
Binah communicates light to Malkuth); for of the Jubilee it is written: “On the
tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement” (Lev. XXIII,
27). “They shall take a lamb.” Why a lamb? Because it symbolized the power of
the lowest “crown”, which the Holy One broke, the “crown” to which all the other
inferior “crowns “ cling, forming the unholy triad signified by the phrase, “lambs,
menservants, and womenservants”, sent by Jacob to Esau, as a sop, as it were,
to the evil powers which the latter represented. The Holy One said: “Do ye
perform this act of slaughtering the Passover lamb, and I myself will nullify its
power above. Do ye let it pass through fire (v. 8) here below, and I shall lead the
impure principality which it represents through the fiery Stream.” And why was
the lamb to be tied up on the tenth day and slaughtered on the fourteenth?
Because, according to R. Abba, the four days corresponded to the four hundred
years that Israel was subjected to the power of Egypt.
Kabbalistically, the Passover Seder (festive meal), is a ritual designed to reunite
the Shekinah (Malkut) with Tipheret.

For example, during the meal:

• People lean to the left, the side of freedom. The "left" is the side of Binah,
which is associated with freedom.

• The three matzoh represent Tipheret, Malkut and Yesod, with Malkut (the
"female" Sephirah), in the middle, broken in half to symbolize her being
"divided" between the two "males," until she is finally united with Tipheret.

• The Afikomen is hidden, again, symbolizing Binah, the hidden source of

freedom.

• The four cups of wine consumed during the meal are linked to the Sephirot
of Chokhmah (the father), Binah (the mother), Tipheret (the son/groom),
and Malkut (the bride). The stages of their consumption represent the
process of unifying Tipheret and Malkut.

• The Seder ends with a temporary reunion of Tipheret and Malkut, and a
degree of freedom from the evil realm.

SHAVUOT

Shavuot is one of the three "pilgrimage" feasts, along with Pesakh and Sukkot.
Unlike the other two, which are each seven-day events, Shavuot lasts but one
day. The other two feasts have a sense of leading up to the "eighth day" which
denotes eternity (beyond this physical realm, i.e., Binah). Shavuot however, does
not have the same seven-day period. This is explained as Shavuot being the day
of complete unity, whereas Pesakh and Sukkot anticipate that unity.

Shavuot is associated with the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and in the
"New Testament" with the giving of the Ruach haKodesh (Acts 2). In both of
these cases Shavuot gives the sense of "being there" in one powerful, concise
day of unity with God. Also in common between the two is that the "source" of
the Torah and of the Ruach haKodesh is the same, that being Tipheret.

Shavuot is preceded by a period of seven weeks, (beginning after Pesakh),

known as the counting of the Omer. These days correspond to the cycle of years
culminating in the Jubilee or Yovel year. (See previous study on the Shemita and
Yovel Year.) It was during the seven weeks following the Exodus that Israel
prepared themselves for receiving the Torah and Mount Sinai. Thus, the period of
the Omer is one of spiritual preparation.

Shavuot and Yom Kippur share a mystical connection regarding the Jubilee Year,
as the celebration of that event began on Yom Kippur with the blowing of
trumpets throughout the land.

There is a tradition of reciting the following kabbalistic prayer before the

counting of the Omer begins. Compare the language and intent of this prayer to
the one for Sukkot seen above. Aside from this similarity, is also that of the
"waving" of the branches at Sukkot, and the "wave offering" of Shavuot. Both
represent the unification of Tipheret and Malkut.

"For the sake of the unification of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and His
presence, in fear and love to unify the name Yod-Hey with Vav-Hey in perfect
unity, in the counting of the Omer, as is written in the Torah: You are to count
from the morrow of the rest day, from the day you brought the Omer-offering
that is waved -- they are to be seven complete weeks -- until the morrow of the
seventh week you are to count fifty days, and then offer a new meal-offering to
hashem. May the pleasantless of my Lord, our God, be upon us -- may He
establish our handiwork for us; our handiwork, may He establish." 6

These 50 days of the Omer are also related to something called the "Fifty Gates
of Understanding." This mystical concept is based on the idea that each of the
Sephirot has its own aspect as well as the aspects of the others within it. (The
term "gates" is another designation for the Sephirot as discussed earlier.)

(Click here for additional information on the "Fifty Gates of Understanding.")

Thus, when looking at all ten Sephirot, each one has within it, an aspect of itself
and the other nine. Thus, there would be 100 total "combinations" or "gates" to
consider. (As mentioned, Solomon had ten Menorah in His Temple for this
reason. The Menorah has an aspect of "ten" in its design. This will be shown in a
later study.)

However, when considering only the "lower" seven Sephirot that are connected
to our present existence, there are a total of 49 aspects or "gates" to consider.
(Each of the seven has itself and the other six within it.) These 49 gates lead to
the eighth Sephirah (gate) of Binah-Understanding. Hence, the time of counting
the Omer is associated with the "Fifty Gates of Understanding."

The following text from the Zohar shows how the Sephirah of Chokhmah-Wisdom
has all the other Sephirot "within it." The first Sephirah to emanate from Chokhah
is Binah-Understanding. Within this Sephirah are the "Fifty Gates":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 175b - When Wisdom began to

cause the shaping of Crowns, [Tr. note: * i.e. Sefiroth.] with which Crown did it
commence? With that which is called “Understanding” (Binah), for in
Understanding all is contained; and therefore fifty gates are opened in its name,
and thus it is found that all the letters and all the crowns are engraved in
Wisdom. Therefore it is written: “Thou hast made them all in Wisdom” (Ps. CIV,
24). It is written: “Who hath measured the water in the hollow of his hand, and
meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a
measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” (Isa.
XL, 12). “The water” here symbolizes “Understanding”.’ R. Eleazar referred it to
“Grace”, whereupon R. Simeon said to him: ‘The two views are equivalent.
“Heaven” symbolizes “Beauty” (Tifereth), and “dust” refers to “Power”
(Geburah). “Mountains” refers to the other crowns which are called “Mountains
of pure balsam”, and “hills” alludes to somewhat lower chariots.’

As the fifty gates run from Malkut to Binah, is should not be surprising to find
some interesting connections between the fifty gates and the Sephirot from
Malkut to Binah.

For instance:

• The mystical interpretation of Proverbs 32:23, "Her husband is known in

the gates," is that the husband (Tipheret) of the woman (Malkut) may be
known by means of these gates (Sephirot).

• God posed fifty queries into the nature of Creation to Job, upon which Job
finds repentance (Binah).

• King David bought the site of the threshing floor (associated with Malkut)
from the Jebusites, for a peculiar sum of money: "David bought the
threshing-floor ... for fifty pieces of silver." (II Samuel 24:24) Here the
Temple (representative of Binah) would be built.

In the study of Gemmatria (Hebrew numerology), the "higher wisdom" of the

Godhead is associated with the letter "yud" (with a value of 10, relating to the
entirety of the Godhead), and the "lower wisdom" with the letter "nun" (with a
value of 50, related to the 50 gates associated with the lower seven leading to
Binah). The letter "nun" is also closely associated with the Messiah, as "Heir to
the Throne" 7

THE MYSTERY OF THE TWO CALENDARS

One of the more interesting ideas surrounding the feasts is how they are divided
into the "spring" and "fall." As such, there are two "calendars," in Judaism, one
highlighting a "religious year," beginning/ending in the spring, and the other a
"civil year," beginning/ending in the fall.

Notable is that when we regard Ezekiel's Temple (the Millennial Temple), it is the
religious calendar being followed. Also consider that in Ezekiel's Temple (among
the many other differences to the previous Temples/Tabernacle), is that the feast
of Yom Kippur is no longer carried out as in times past. Rather, the adornment of
the priests and their actions serving in Ezekiel's Temple, show a state of
"perpetual Yom Kippur."

From what we have discussed in our studies, we also see a parallel between the
two sets of feasts. The spring feasts begin with a sacrifice for sin at Passover.
The fall feasts begin with the sacrifice for salvation at Yom Kippur. As we have
shown there is a mystical connection between these two feasts, regarding; the
animals involved, the effect on the evil realm, and the date of the 10th of the
month being significant.

Also, the spring feasts end with a period of time (the Omer) leading up to a "final
day" (Shavuot) representative of the "eighth day" when all becomes united once
again. In the fall, we have a similar concept with the last feast of Sukkot, having
the Days leading up to Simhat Torah. As mentioned however, Shavuot does not
have quite the same "time element" leading to it as Shavuot. The Omer count of
Shavuot is purely one of gaining spiritual insight, whereas the seven days of
Sukkot are physically (as well as spiritually) preparing for the eighth.

What can we deduce from all this?

The spring feasts are representative of what is going on "outside of time" in the
heavenly realm, as effected by Yesod-Tipheret. The fall feasts, being time-
related, relate to events on this earth, as effected by Yesod-Malkut. This
corresponds to the heavenly and earthly aspects of Yeshua's work as Divine
Tzaddik and Messiah.

His first appearance, dealing with sin and effecting tikkun in the heavenlies, is
linked to the spring feasts. (i.e., the timing of His death through the appearance
of the Ruach haKodesh [signifying the heavenly tikkun had been accomplished]
took place in the spring, from Passover to Shavuot.) This tikkun of the heavenlies
must take place before the reuniting of Tipheret and Malkut (son and bride), and
subsequent tikkun to the earth, as discussed earlier in this study.

Yeshua's concluding actions, dealing with salvation, judgment and re-unification

of Tipheret and Malkut, is linked to the fall feasts. The time from Rosh haShana
to Yom Kippur is the period of judgment on the earth, Yom Kippur (the last
trump) being linked to the restoration of Israel to her Messiah, and Sukkot being
the initiation of Olam Haba - the world to come - the "eighth day" of eternity.

SHABBAT

Shabbat is the culmination of what the other annual Feasts point to and is
associated with multiple themes including; the Kingdom, the coming of Messiah,
the wedding between Tipheret and the Shekinah-Malkut. Many of these have
already been discussed in previous sections of this study.

The Zohar speaks of the Sabbath (both the weekly one we now have as well as
the coming Supernal Sabbath), as a time when the blessings of God flow
abundantly:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136b-138b - For upon this day
(Sabbath) the heavens are crowned and ascend in the power of the Holy Name
more than on any other day. "His handiwork" is the supernal Dew which streams
forth from all the hidden regions; it is "the work of His hands", and His self-
fulfilment wherein He completes and perfects Himself on this day more than
upon any other. This dew "streams down" from the Head of the King, with an
abundance of blessing, the "firmament" here signifying the stream issuing from
the Cistern, the "River which went out of Eden", which flows earthwards, as the
stream of the Supernal Dew which gleams and flashes from all sides. This
"firmament" draws it downward upon a current of love and desire, in order that it
may water the field of bliss and joy at the entrance of the Sabbath
This section of the Zohar later goes on to speak of the "Sun" (i.e., Tipheret, the
"Son" as well as the "Sun," as discussed earlier), and the Moon (the Shekinah)
being united, with the latter then compared to the "upper Mother" (Binah) with
mention of the "fifty gates" (of Binah-Understanding).

... When all are thus completed and vivified by the Sun, then the Moon is
crowned in the likeness of the supernal perfect Mother in fifty gates.

(The above reference from the Zohar comes from a larger section of that work,
which we present in Appendix III.)

One of the more mystical songs associated with Shabbat is called Lekhah Dodi
(meaning, "Come My Beloved"). This song transforms the Sabbath into a
heavenly wedding between Tipheret and Malkut (who, by the way, are the two
"lovers" in the Biblical book of Song of Songs [Song of Solomon]).

The language of Lekhah Dodi is drawn from several sources including Isaiah,
Psalms and Song of Songs. The song (in italics below), is full of hidden references
to the Sephirot, which we will offer commentary on:

LEKHAH DODI

Come my Beloved, to meet the Bride, Let us welcome the Sabbath

The greeting is from Song of Songs 7:12. The Beloved is Tipheret, the
Bride and Sabbath are both Shekinah-Malkut.

"Keep" and "Remember" in one divine word. Thus, the unified God to us made
heard.
God is one, His name is one. As is His name, His splendor, and His praise.

The combined commands to "keep" and "remember" from Deuteronomy

5:12 and Exodus 20:8 are considered distinct, with "keep" (shamor)
associated with Malkut, and "remember" (zakhor) with Yesod. The voice
"heard" (at Sinai) is Tipheret. Zechariah 14:9, speaking of a future
unification is mentioned.

Toward the Sabbath, let us now go. For she is the source of blessing,
Appointed since the earliest time, the beginning. Last in creation but first in
thought.

The Sabbath is Malkut (with a close tie to Yesod), drawing blessing

from Binah. Malkut was the last Sephirah emanated, but was appointed
by and conceived in the Sephirah of Chokhmah-Wisdom ("thought").

Shrine of the king, the royal city. Rise up from your ruins,
Too long have you dwelled in the valley of tears. To you He will act mercifully
with compassion
The king is Tipheret, from whom she has for too long been separated.
The "valley of tears" is from Psalm 84:7. Tipheret (also called
"Compassion") will invoke Hesed-Mercy upon her.

Arise and shake off the dust. Dress yourself with your clothes of splendor, My
people.
With the help of the son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite King. Come near to my soul,
redeem it!

The dust is from the exile apart from Tipheret (Isaiah 52:2). The
garments of splendor are those of Tipheret. The son of Jesse is David,
but the reference is Messianic who is from the house of David. Here,
the Shekinah is associated with the redemption of our souls.

Awake, Awake! For your light has come, Arise my light

Wake, wake -- sing out with song. The glory of God upon you is displayed.

The calls to awaken are from Isaiah 51:17 and 52:1. The "light" is from
Tipheret, who is also called God's glory (Isaiah 60:1). The singing is
from the heavenly realm, as seen in the book of Revelation.

Be not ashamed, be not distressed. Why are you bowed, and why do you yearn?
In you shall the poor children of My people be comforted. The city upon its ashes
will be rebuilt.

The command to not be ashamed is from Isaiah 45:15 and Jeremiah

22:22). The query about yearning comes from Psalm 42:12. The
reference about being comforted is from Isaiah 14:32. It is by the
Shekinah are the people restored. Earthly Jerusalem will be rebuilt
(Jeremiah 30:18).

They who destroyed you will themselves be destroyed.Your foes will be routed.
Your God will then rejoice in you, As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride.

The reference to the "foes" is timeless, though can be applied directly

to those who come against Jerusalem in the last days. (See also
Jeremiah 30:16 and Isaiah 49:19.) God is associated with Tipheret, each
compared to rejoicing with the bride (Isaiah 62:5).

Spread out to the right and the left, Revering God.

With the help of a descendant of Peretz, We will rejoice and celebrate.

The right and left is an allusion to the Sephirot of Hesed-Mercy and Din-
Judgment (Isaiah 54:3). The "God" who is revered is Tipheret. The
descendant of Peretz is the Messiah who takes part in this process
(Ruth 4:18; Psalm 118:24).

Come, in peace the crown of her spouse. Come in joy and radiance,
To the faithful of the chosen people. Come, O bride! Come, O bride!
The "crown of the spouse" is Malkut-Shekinah (Proverbs 12:4). The
faithful are those who trust in God/Messiah and His Torah (Revelation
12:17; 14:12; 22:14).

Come, my Beloved to meet the Bride.

Let us welcome the Sabbath.

The "beloved" is Tipheret who unites with Shekinah-Malkut. We

welcome the Shekinah into our midst when we welcome the Shabbat.

THE ROLE OF MAN - PRAYER, REPENTANCE AND WORKS

Beyond the restoration (also referred to as "sanctification"), of our own selves

and creation, man is also involved in the tikkun of heavenly matters. In one
sense, man acts as a type of messiah (anointed one) in God's plan. For example,
King Cyrus was called by this name for his actions on behalf of God (Isaiah 44:28;
45:1).

The idea of man's participation in the process of the reunification of the Name of
God, is found in most prayer books. The following prayer is said in advance of a
mitzvah (commandment), to focus the person on its ultimate purpose:

[I hereby do this mitzvah] for the sake of the unification of The Holy One, Blessed
is He, and His Divine Presence, in fear and in love, to unify the Name of yud-h'eh
with vav h'eh in completion, in the name of the entire Jewish people.

These steps of tikkun effect Arikh Anpin, (the upper Sephirot) and are following
by God bringing repentance and healing (coming from Binah which is in Arikh
Anpin). Note that God even says that proper observance of Torah, will enhance
the coming of His Kingdom:

2 Chronicles 7:14-18 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall

humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend unto the
prayer that is made in this place. For now have I chosen and sanctified this
house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall
be there perpetually. And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy
father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt
observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I establish the throne of thy
kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There
shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

This process of prayer/tikkun thus follows the path of the Tree of Life:

• first humbling themselves (as associated with Malkut)

• followed by prayer (as a Tzaddik is mediator, linking the earthy and

heavenly realms)

• seeking His face (Tipheret)

 • turning from their wicked ways (repentance, coming from Binah)

Contemporary Kabbalist Rabbi Pinchas Winston, states this in a similar fashion,

referring to Torah-learning (seeking God's face), good deeds (acts of humility)
and prayer, all making up the "mirror of the Torah" than enables is to "turn from
wicked ways" in order to serve God, and (according to 2 Chronicles above)
receive forgiveness and blessing.

Says Rabbi Winston:

Conscious life, for a Jew, can be divided up into three basic activities: Torah-
learning, good deeds, and prayer. Aside from the actual technical and practical
knowledge that Torah-learning imparts, Torah is a spiritual mirror to reveal our
inner potential; to reflect back to us our godliness, so that we can live inspired
spiritual lives. 8

Winston's comment on the Torah being our mirror is reminiscent of another

famous Rabbi, who also compared following Torah, humility and charity to a
"mirror" that we are to look into:

James 1:21:27 - Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if
anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his
natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately
forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of
liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work,
this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is
religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's
religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from
the world.

"Prayer" is often misrepresented in the world we live in as being for the purpose
of "getting something from God." Some hold a more accurate view of prayer
being a way for us to "draw closer to God." This is true, but more accurately, the
purpose of prayer, as with the sacrificial system, commandments and
performance of good deeds, is toward unification of the Godhead and bringing us
closer to the time of ultimate tikkun.

As with anything to do with connecting the heavenly and earthly realms, prayer
must be performed in an appropriate manner.

Pinchas Winston states:

If a person prayers with reverence, patience, concentration, and enthusiasm,

then, clearly, he will draw the Presence of G-d into creation. However, if a person
lacks reverence when he prays, perhaps suggested by the way he prays or how
is dressed, then, the Presence of G-d is pushed away. If a person seems
impatient while praying -- before, during, or after -- then what message does he
send to creation -- positive or negative? Or, what if he makes little or no effort to
concentrate while praying? Does he convince us, himself, or Heaven that he
believes in what he is doing, or, cares for that matter? And, certainly, a lack of
enthusiasm to pray does not invite the Divine Presence to descend into our
mundane world. 9

In the "New Testament," Yeshua's brother Jacob (incorrectly called "James" in

Christian Bibles), promotes the concept of prayer as covering both physical and
spiritual areas:

James 5:13-20 - Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone
cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the
elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will
raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your
trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man
with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did
not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and
the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone
among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know
that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death
and cover a multitude of sins.

Both James and Paul also taught that the goal of the tzaddik is to seek to bring
about tikkun, even in unpleasant circumstances:

James 1:2-6 - My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
3knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have
its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of
you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without
reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let
not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-
minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Romans 5:3-4 - And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing
that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and
character, hope.

This idea of constantly glorifying God, even in the difficult portions of life, stems
from the extended verses of the Shema, which read:

Deuteronomy 6:5 - And you shall love G-d your G-d with all of your hearts, with
all of your life, and, with all of your possession.

As taught by Rabbi Pinchas Winston, regarding the Shema:

This is the mitzvah of Yichud: To constantly unify everything in creation with

Him, for, "He fills the entire world with His Glory" (Yeshayahu 6:3), until it is
completely apparent below that "G-d alone will have been exalted" (Tehillim
148:13), and this is the rectification that will occur in the future, when all the
spiritual impurity will disappear, and all of creation will become holy to G-d and
unified with Him. 10

It can thus be said, that the goal of the Tenakh is to direct man to the process of
tikkun, both of the heavenly and earthly realms. As such, when asked what the
greatest commandment was, Yeshua replied as follows:

Matthew 22:37-40 - Yeshua said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and
great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets.

THE ROLE OF MAN - TORAH STUDY

This section concerning the role of man would be incomplete without addressing
the importance of Torah study, especially at the deeper levels. Without an
understanding of what God requires of us, and why He requires it, we are left to
the whims of our own hearts, which as Scripture tells us, is desperately wicked.

Putting it another way:

Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the
way of death.

Proverbs 10:29 - The way of the LORD [Torah] is strength to the upright: but
destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

There is much written in the body of Kabbalistic works regarding the importance
of Torah study. For the purpose of concluding this section of our study, we will
simple say that a sign of the approach of Messiah will be the study and
understanding of the deeper levels of the Torah.

This enlightened will come from the level of Binah-Understanding:

Zohar 124b - Then the Scholars will understand, because they are from the side
of Binah (eighth sefirah), which is the Tree of Life. Of them it says, 'The Scholars
will emanate light like the light of the sky ...' (Daniel 12:3) ... with this book of
yours, the Book of the Zohar, which is from the light of Binah, which is called
repentance ... In the future Israel will taste from the Tree of Life, which is this
Book of the Zohar, they will leave exile in mercy, and "Hashem alone will lead
them, and they will have no foreign god" (Devarim 32:12).

1. Parshas Vayikra, The Supreme Sacrifice, Rabbi Pinchas Winston (torah.org)

2. ibid.
3. For more detail concerning the concepts in this section, see chapter 9 of, The
Mystic Quest - An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason Aronson,
London, 1988.

4. Pirkel d'R' Eliezer, as cited in the Stone Edition Chumash, commentary to

Exodus 19:13.

5. From The Complete Artscroll Siddur, Menorah Publications, ltd., Brooklyn, NY,
1990, p.721.

6. ibid, p. 283.

7. The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters: The Letter Nun, from The
Inner Dimension, Gal Einai Institute. http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/nun.htm

8. Parshas VaEschanan - Nachamu: Pleading In Comfort, Rabbi Pinchas Winston

(torah.org)

9. Parshas Emor - Eighth Parshah and Counting, Rabbi Pinchas Winston

(torah.org)

10. Parshas VaEschanan - Nachamu: Pleading In Comfort, Rabbi Pinchas Winston

(torah.org)

Section VII - Tree of Life / Additional Studies

THE TREE OF LIFE AND FOUR WORLDS

(Last updated 9/1/01)

NOTE: In this section, we will take a deeper look at the Sephirotic Tree of Life
presented in Part V. As any study on the mysteries of God is a subjective
explanation of an objective reality, there is no one "right explanation" or "perfect
system" in Kabbalah study. (As Rav Sha'ul (Paul) said, "We all see darkly, as
through a glass.")

As complex as the material we present on this web site may seem, it only
scratches the surface of these mystical areas of study. We hope to present
enough material to provide a foundation for understanding some of the themes
hidden in the text of the book of Revelation. Please consult our YashaNet
Reading List for suggested study materials. Students are also encouraged to
contact us for recommendations and with any questions.

THE TREE OF LIFE - GOD'S BLUEPRINT

 Although seemingly simple at first
glance, the Tree of Life is highly
complex. The ten Sephirot (plus the
"non-Sephirah" of Da'at), are known
by Hebrew names.
These are based on root words that
describe attributes of God
manifested in the Divine world (see
"Azilut" below).
The term "Sephirot" itself has been
defined in many ways, including;
emanations, powers, crowns,
numbers, degrees, garments, faces
of God, and vessels.
As discussed in an earlier study,
there are multiple names given to
each Sephirah.
The Tree of Life (particularly the
seven lower Sephirot), is also
associated with the "Seven Spirits of
God sent forth into all the earth"
(Revelation 5:6), also known as
God's seven eyes.

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh offers the following connection between the "Tree of
Life" and "eyes":

The word for "tree" in Hebrew, etz, is composed of two letters: ayin and tzadik.
Ayin means "eye"; tzadik means the "righteous one." Each and every Jew is in
essence a tzadik, as it is said: "And your people are all tzadikim, they shall
forever inherit the land, they are the sprout which I have planted, the workings
of My hands in which to take pride." The potential tzadik inherent, though
initially latent, in every Jew becomes activated when the "eye" of the Torah
enters his consciousness and becomes part of him. Just as the Torah is the "tree
of [eternal] life," so does the tzadik, when connected and one with the "eye" of
the Torah, become a "tree of [eternal] life." This is the secret of the word "tree,"
etz--ayin ("eye") tzadik ("righteous one"). And so do we find in Psalms: "The eyes
[einei] of G-d are to the righteous [tzadikim]." To each potential tzadik G-d gives
His "eyes," His ability to look into the Torah (the secret of the insight of His "right
eye") and His ability to thereby create (and rectify) reality (the secret of the
power of His "left eye"). 1

As with DNA in the world of science, the Tree of Life is God’s "blueprint," and is
consistently found in all aspects of understanding Him, in the written Torah, and
all that is found in nature. It is a diagram of the principles working throughout
the universe. As human beings were created in the image of God, we too are
modeled on the Sephirot, and reflect the nature of the cosmos.
Through study of the Tree of Life, we can attain a higher level of understanding
of many Biblical subjects, from the unfolding drama of creation, to the workings
of the worlds of angels and demons, to our own spiritual, psychological and
physical makeup, and most importantly how we can be reconformed to the
image of God that we were created in.

The Universe is based on order; its basic pattern is summed up in the Laws
embodied in the Sephirotic Tree. The Tree at first sight is a rigid structure, but as
study and experience increase, the rigidity of the diagram begins to dissolve as
the subtleties of its dynamics start to emerge. 2

APPROACHES AND VIEWPOINTS

There are essentially two ways of approaching the Tree of Life. To put it simply,
one can study it from the "top-down" or from the "bottom-up." The study of the
Tree from the "top-down" is an analysis of the process of creation, beginning
with what we can know about God, going through the heavenly realms, then
down to earth and man himself. In Kabbalistic tradition, this has been called the
Work of Creation, and stems from the first chapters of Genesis.

Conversely, the "bottom-up" approach begins with man, including his physical,
psychological and spiritual makeup, continuing his spiritual journey "up Jacob's
Ladder," into the spiritual realms, toward God. This method of study has
traditionally been based on an analysis of Ezekiel’s vision, and is called the Work
of the Chariot.

In addition to these two approaches, the Tree of Life may also initially be
examined from several viewpoints:

• Literal - i.e., aspects of God in our lives and the world we live in

• Allegorical - i.e., comparison to the characteristics of the Biblical patriarchs

(as discussed in an earlier study)

• Metaphysical - i.e., analysis of the dynamics of the Tree of life (i.e., letters,
numbers, triads, symbols -- see, "Paths and Triads" below)

These three ways of approaching the Tree of Life are similar to how we relate to
any spiritual concept in Scripture. Take the study of the Temple for instance.

We can view the Temple;

• in a simple, literal way, i.e., as the place people went to meet as a

community and pray

• from an allegorical viewpoint, seeing what it represents in Israel's

relationship to God

• according to the details of the Temple design, looking for deeper

metaphysical meaning

THE THREE PILLARS

As discussed in an earlier study, the Sephirah on the right "pillar" of the Tree of
Life are on the "active" side, and those on the left are on the "passive" side. The
outer pillars are also associated with the ideas of "force" and "fire" (on the right
side) and "form" and "water" (on the left side). The central pillar is that of
equilibrium (balance), and is associated with "air" or "spirit."

All the Sephirot on the passive pillar are receptive and have the qualities of
Form, in the Understanding (Binah) is the formulation of ideas, Judgment
(Gevurah) is exercised in response to something, and Reverberation (Hod) is the
echo to an impulse coming from any one of the other Sephirot. It is the same
with the active pillar. Here the impact of revelation is seen in Wisdom
(Hokhmah), while the power than must be behind Mercy (Hesed) is enormous.
Eternity (Netzah) is the principle of repetition, the incessant input necessary to
make the world go round. The central pillar is concerned with Will and with the
Grace which descends from the Crown (Keter) through Knowledge (Da'at) to
Beauty (Tiferet), which is the Sephirah which reflects the top to the bottom of
the Tree. Foundation (Yesod) and Kingdom (Malkut) are respectively the
manifestation of an image plan and the actualization of it in the Divine material. 3

It should be noted however, that as the Sephirot interact with, and contain
aspects of each other, that any of the ones on the passive side can act forcefully,
and vice-versa. For instance, Gevurah (Judgment) can be "passive" in terms of
mediating between understanding and truth, or it can be "active" in terms of
meeting out punishment in the face of continued evildoing.4

PATHS AND TRIADS

The ten Sephirot are joined by a series of 22 paths, each one corresponding to a
letter of the Hebrew alphabet with a numeric value. Whereas the ten Sephirot
are established in their "roles" throughout Kabbalistic teachings, there are
different systems of lettering/numbering the paths.

The 22 paths and the ten Sephirot form a series of 16 "triads" within the Tree of
Life. As each side of a triad is in turn associated with a Hebrew letter, they form
a series of three-letter roots, the building blocks of the Hebrew language.

The method of study related to the letters associated with the paths and triads is
primarily metaphysical. For instance, in one system, the path from Malkut to
Yesod is associated with the letter Resh, having as its meaning the "head" or
"beginning." Thus, the beginning path is to seek the Kingdom (Malkut) first, in
order to become a righteous Tzaddik (at the level of Yesod). The path continuing
from Yesod to Tipheret is linked to the letter Tzaddi, and is associated with the
Path of the Tzaddik, also called the Path of honesty, as it leads to Tipheret, the
Sephirah of Truth.5

UPPER AND LOWER FACES

 Another aspect of the Tree of Life is the
idea of the upper and lower "Faces." In
this scheme, the "upper Face" of the Tree
(shown in orange) is seen as extending
between Keter, Hokhmah, Binah and
Tipheret, with Da'at lying in the middle.
The "lower Face" (shown in yellow) is
made up of Tipheret, Netzah, Hod and
Malkut with Yesod in the middle. This last
point is important, as Yesod is the
"foundation" of the Tree, through which
things pass upward and flow downward.
As the upper Face of the Tree is
associated with the Supernal Sephirot
(Keter, Hokhmah and Binah), it is said to
represent the "merciful Face." The lower
Face is the "severe Face," and is a
reflection of the upper. The upper Face
imparts grace to the lower Face, which
receives it. Thus, the lower Face is more
complex, with more governing laws, it
being further from Eyn Sof than the upper
Face.
Note in the diagram above, how the central Sephirah of Tipheret plays a pivotal
role between the upper and lower faces. As we will discuss, the Four Worlds (see
below) "overlap" in such a fashion that the "upper Face" of one World
corresponds to the "lower Face" of the World just above it.6

(See also previous notes on "Arikh Anpin" and "Ze'er Anpin.")

THE FOUR WORLDS

Although not directly explained at the P’shat (simple) level in Scripture, the Four
Worlds (also called the "Four Heavens," or "Four Universes"), are found at the
deeper levels of Torah study.

For instance, the books of Ezekiel and Revelation depict different "levels" of the
heavenlies. We also have teachings in the "New Testament" that seem to
distinguish between "Heaven" and "Paradise." In addition, we have the comment
by Paul in one of his epistles, that speaks of a man (possibly Paul himself), going
up to the "third heaven" where he received a view of the heavenly realms. He
may have been referring to the third world of Beriah.7

The Four Worlds are not places such as planets, but rather correspond to four
"stages of removal" from Eyn Sof. These stages are another aspect of the
"creation process" and do not conflict with the "six days" of Creation listed in
Genesis. As the light of Eyn Sof move progressively further away from its source
(from Azilut through Asiyyah), it becomes "more physical" and more laws are
necessary.

The four worlds are:

1. Azilut (Emanation) - the eternal unchanging Divine world

2. Beriah (Creation) - considered "Heaven" proper, it is the first separation

from the Divine, and "location" of the Throne of God and archangels

3. Yezirah (Formation) - the abode of the "lower angels," men's souls and
the Garden of Eden

4. Asiyyah (Action) - the material universe in which we live

The four worlds as they relate to one another in creation, are mentioned in
Isaiah’s book:

Isaiah 43:7 - Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created
him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

A simple way of understanding the four worlds is to compare it to someone

building a house:

1. The person determined that one day they would build their own house
(emantion)

2. They planned the style they would design it to (creation)

3. They drew up the specific blueprints to fulfill this design (formation)

4. They acquired the materials and constructed it according to the above

(making)

Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel, chapter 1), is helpful in gaining an initial insight into the
four worlds from the "bottom up." The prophet is physically present here in the
first world of Asiyyah. His view of the "Chariot" (made up of various heavenly
beings) is one into Yezirah. Above the Chariot is the "likeness of a throne," which
lies in the third world of Beriah. Finally, on the throne there is the "likeness as
the appearance of a man," that being the Divine world of Azilut.

The qualifying terms Ezekiel uses indicate that his vision was only "clear"
through Yezirah. Looking into Beriah (which was one world away from his
prophetic level of Yezirah), he saw only the "likeness of a Throne." His view into
Azilut (two worlds away from Yezirah), was even dimmer, as he saw only the
"likeness as the appearance of a man."

HOW THE WORLDS INTERCONNECT

 The four world of Azilut, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyya,
though having their own specific attributes, are not
totally separate from one another. There is a
systematic order to how each one "flows into the
next." The diagram to the right shows the
interconnection between, any two worlds.
For the sake of instruction, we will view how Azilut
interacts with Beriah. We will begin with "A" which in
our example represents the Keter. Following the
standard layout of the Tree, the Tipheret of Azilut
would be located at "B." As the beginning of a lower
world emanates from the Tipheret of the one above it,
this causes the Tipheret of Azilut to correspond to the
Keter of Beriah, the world below it at "B."
Following suit, the Hod (C) and Netzah (D) of Azilut,
coincide with the Binah (C) and Hokhmah (D) of
Beriah. the world just below Azilut.
At "E" we have the Yesod of Azilut above, being in
alignment with the Da'at (E) of Beriah below. (If this
seems confusing, remember that "B" is also the Keter
of Beriah, and take it from there.) This is important as
through Da'at of a world below (the realm of the Ruach
haKodesh), we have access to the foundation (Yesod)
of a world above. Conversely, Yesod is seen as
"procreative," thus through Yesod above, is
"knowledge" (Da'at) of the world below.
We now come to "F" which is quite interesting as here we have the intersection
of the three upper worlds. In our example, "F" is the Malkut of Azilut, the
Tipheret of Beriah and also the Keter of Yetzirah, the world below Beriah.

Note also at this point that the "lower face" of Azilut (from its Tipheret (B)
through its Malkut (F) corresponds to the "upper face" of Beriah (from its Keter
(B) to its Tipheret (B) and that the "lower face" of Beriah (from its Tipheret (F)
through its Malkut (J), corresponds to the "upper face" of Asiyyah (from its Keter
(F) to its Tipheret (J).

Following suit, "G" is both the Hod of Beriah and Binah of Yetzirah, and "H" is
simultaneously the Netzah of Beriah and Hokhmah of Yetzirah. The Yesod of
Beriah overlays the Da'at of Yetzirah at "I," and at "J" you have the Malkut of
Beriah and Tipheret of Yetzirah. (The astute person will see that "J" would also
be the Keter of the lowest world of Asiyyah, another key point where the three
lowest worlds meet.)

The process of each new world beginning with the Tipheret of the one above it,
continues within each of the Four Worlds. As will see however, although this
method begins at Tipheret, the foundation of each world is established at Yesod,
which, as mentioned, lies in the center of the lower face of the Tree in each
World. This will be further explained later in this study.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE SEPHIROT TO THE FOUR WORLDS

This study follows the idea there the ten Sephirot exist within each of the worlds
of Azilut, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyyah. While the names and positions of the
Sephirot within the Tree of each world stays the same, their inter-relationships
within each tree differs.

The following chart shows, in general terms, some aspects of the Four Worlds,
from both a "downward" and "upward" view:

The Four "Downward View" "Upward View"

Worlds (begin at Azilut)
The Divine unchanging realm,
Azilut the "archetypal" Sephirot and
the "Names of God."
The beginning of the Creation
account, realm of the
Beriah
archangels, and "Throne
room" of God.
The dynamic world of
transition with "lower angels"
Yetzirah
carrying out the will of God
from Beriah to Asiyyah.
Asiyyah Physical man and the Earth.
(An important point to note is that the presence of the Tree of Life in each world
indicates that the same laws operate throughout the Universe, only at different
levels. - i.e., "As above, so below.")
(begin at Asiyyah)
Contact with the Divine.
The level of prophecy
transcending linear time and
space (i.e., Moses in Torah and
John in Revelation).
The level of the soul and
beginning of deeper spiritual
understanding. The realm of
most prophetic revelation.
The "lower face" of Asiyyah is
biological man. The "upper
face" of Asiyyah is the psyche
and holds the opportunity of
man's advancement to the
higher worlds.

It is a preeminent truth of the Bible that "God is One." As we will see, from each
subsequent higher world, the "view" of God, creation and history ("time"), is
much more unified.

The links below provide diagrams without annotation, enabling you to enter your
own references.

Basic Tree of Life diagram | Extended Tree of Life diagram

1. Kabbalah and Modern Life: Living with the Times, A Torah Message for the
Month of Shevat: The Tree of Life, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat58.htm
2. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach,
Maine, 1976, p. 142.

3. A Kabbalistic Universe, Z'ev Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach,
Maine, 1977, p. 16.

4. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach,
Maine, 1976, p. 145.

5. This line of Kabbalah which we incorporate in much of this section, is the

Toledano Tradition which dates back to medieval Spain. For a deeper
understanding of the concepts presented in the subsequent section, we
recommend the works of author Z'ev Shimon Halevi as listed on our YashaNet
Reading List.

6. This system of "overlapping" Four Worlds, is also of the Toledano Tradition.

7. There is also a teaching of "seven heavens" within the world of Beriah. In this
tradition, the "third heaven" is the place where, "... incarnate men can rise
during prayer and be instructed in the mysteries of creation." (See A Kabbalistic
Universe, Z'ev Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach, Maine, 1977, p.
52.

THE WORLD OF AZILUT (EMANATION)

(Last updated 7/27/01)

The beginning of all existence starts with the World of Azilut (Emanation). To be
precise, it begins the Keter (crown) of Azilut, which is associated with the God
name of Ehyeh ("I AM"). This was the name with which God revealed Himself to
Moses in Exodus 3:14 (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh - I AM that I am).

Azilut is the eternal unchanging world symbolized by the "archetypal" Divine

Sephirot. The root of the term Azilut means "to stand near," as Azilut is the
"buffer" or "interchange" between the unknowable Eyn Sof and the three lower
worlds of Beriah, Yezirah and Asiyyah.

Azilut is also called the "World of Divine Light," and the "Glory of God," which
passes through all four worlds (all of which exist within Azilut). It is also called
the "World of Unity," as it is apart from the dimensions of time and space that
exist in the lower worlds. Thus, Azilut is strictly a world of conciousness, and
represents a stage of "pure will." As time and space do not exist in this world,
there is never any type of motion, therefore Azilut is always in perfect balance.
Therefore, evil does not exist at this level.

Azilut was in existence prior to Genesis 1:1, and is said to have begun with ten
utterances of God. These ten utterances are associated with ten Names of God,
which came out of the "Black Fire" of unmanifest existence, into the "White Fire"
of Azilut. As such, Azilut is associated with the aspect of fire and the color white,
symbolizing radiance.1
In each section on the Four Worlds, we present a Tree of Life diagram associated
with that world. Note that each diagram represents but one aspect of the
corresponding world.

The World of Azilut - the Holy Names of God

The world of Azilut is said to have come into

existence through ten sayings of God. These
sayings are each associated with a particular
name of God:
• Keter = Ahyeh ("I AM")

• Hochma = YHWH ("To become")

• Binah = Elohim ("I will be manifested in

many")

• Da'at (Knowledge of God)

• Chesed = El (God the Great or God the

High)

• Gevura = Yah (God the Just or God the

Strong)

• Tipheret = YHWH-Elohim or YAHEL, "The

Holy One, blessed be He," The Divine
Beauty of the Glory of God.

• Netzah = YHWH Zavaot (Hosts of YHWH)

• Hod = Elohim Zavaot (Hosts of Elohim)

• Yesod = El Hai Shaddai (Almighty Living

God)

• Malkhut = Adonai ("My Lord,"),

Shekinah, Kingdom. Also called the "Body
of God" and "Beauty of Creation" (i.e.,
Tipheret of Beriah).

THE WORLD OF BERIAH (CREATION)

(Last updated 7/27/01)

The world of Beriah (Creation) comes forth from the changeless world of Azilut.
With this beginning of Creation, comes the first true separation from the purely
Divine. With this separation from the perfectly Divine world of Azilut, many
concepts come into existence such as; dissimilarity, day and night, past and
future, male and female, and with these the concepts of time, imperfection,
imbalance and change -- and thus, evil.
Isaiah 45:7 - I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create
evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Beriah is considered "Heaven" proper. Thus, the Malkhut of Beriah, is "the

Kingdom of Heaven." The Hebrew term for "heaven" is Shamaim, which is plural.
This plurality is reflected in the idea of the "seven heavens" within Beriah.
Shamaim is also a combination of the root words for fire and water. Beriah lies
between the "fire" of Azilut above, and the "water" of Yezirah below.

As Azilut is a World of pure consciousness; Beriah symbolizes the Spiritual World

apart from God, and includes the elements of time and space. With the
emergence of this world of separation we begin to deal with material which is to
be found in the Bible. Where Genesis 1:1 states, "In the beginning ...", this
implies both separation and time and the world of Beriah/Creation. The Name of
God used in the Hebrew text with regard to creation, is "Elohim," which is a
plural form.

Beriah/Creation contains the essential nature of all those things which are to
come into being. It is also the location of the Divine Throne, Archangels and
various spirits involved in implementing the Will of God. (This is the "third
Heaven" mentioned by Paul in his Corinthian epistle.) Beriah is also called "the
World of Separate Intelligence," as it is a world of essences, principles and ideas.
As it is "heaven," it is associated with the color blue.

Associated with the Sephirah of Keter within Beriah is Metatron, the head of
creation, through whom all three lower worlds (Beriah, Yezirah, Asiyyah), were
made. Metatron, as previously mentioned, bears such a close resemblance to the
image of God, that he is called the "Lesser YHWH."

This is reflected in the book of Hebrews, which states that Yeshua made these
world and is in the image of God:

Hebrews 1:1-3 - God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of
his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

The World of Beriah - the Spiritual Realm / Archangels

 Here we take a "top-down" view of the Tree of
Life in Beriah. The world of Beriah is the Throne
Room of God and inhabited by the Archangels.
• Keter = Metatron, God as Creator, the
"Lesser YHWH," simultaneously the
Tipheret of Azilut, the Beauty of God.

• Hochma = Raziel (Revelation)

• Binah = Zaphkiel (Contemplation)

• Da'at = the Bat Kol (literally "Daughter of

the Voice," also called the "Voice of
Heaven"), the Spirit hovering over the face
of the Waters (Genesis 1:2), also called the
"Spirit of Messiah" (see Tipheret below),
the "Image of God" and "Knowledge of
Creation."

• Chesed = Zadkiel (Good)

• Gevura = Samael (Evil)

• Tipheret = Michael (Chief of Hosts), the

Sephirah of the Messiah and the Four "Holy
Animals" of the books of Ezekiel and
Revelation. Simultaneously the Malkut of
Azilut and the Keter of Yezirah (where the
three upper worlds meet). The "Beauty of
Creation."

• Netzah = Haniel (Grace)

• Hod = Raphael (Healing)

• Yesod = Gabriel (Spiritual Knowledge),

guardian to the foundation of the Spiritual
World of Beriah. Simultaneously the Da'at
of Yezirah and "door" into the Heavenly
Throne Room.

• Malkhut = Sandalphon (Guardian Spirit)

Simultaneously the Tipheret of Yezirah and
the Keter of Asiyya (where the three lower
worlds meet).

THE WORLD OF YEZIRAH (FORMATION)

(Last updated 7/27/01)
The world of Yezirah (Formation) emerges from Beriah. Yezirah symbolizes the
concept within creation of individual existence and space, as opposed to
archetypes or ideas. (Recall the six dimensions of space mentioned in a previous
study.) That which is "called forth" in Azilut, and "created" as Spirit in Beriah, is
given specific qualities in Yezirah.

Yezirah is seen as the world described beginning in Genesis, chapter 2. The

difference between this and the preceding chapter is the operative verb.
Whereas Beriah was "created" (in chapter 1), Yezirah was "formed."

Looking at things from the earthly/human perspective ("bottom-up"), Yezirah is

associated with the soul, which "connects" the physical man of Asiyyah, to the
heavenly realm of Beriah. Due to this "dynamic" aspect, Yezirah is associated
with the aspect of water. It is also associated with the color purple, a blend of the
blue of Beriah and red of Asiyyah.

Yezirah is also the abode of the "lower angels" and is called Paradise. It is
considered to be the location of the Garden of Eden.

The World of Yezirah - the Soul of Man

Here we will take a "bottom-up" view. The world

of Yezirah is the realm of the Soul.
• Keter = Simultaneously the Tipheret of
Beriah and the Malkut of Azilut. This is
where the three upper worlds meet and
thus contact with the Divine. As Adam
and Eve existed in Yezirah, prior to the
fall, they had access to the Malkut of the
Divine world of Azilut from this point,
which is also called the Sephirah of the
Messiah (See the Tree of Life in Beriah)

• Hochma = Revelation

• Binah = Reason

• The triad of Hochma, Binah and Tipheret

= "The Triad of the Spirit" or "Triad of
Faith."

• Da'at = The place of the Ruach haKodesh

in the center of the "Triad of Spirit."
Simultaneously the Yesod (Foundation) of
Beriah, the Spiritual World. Here, one is
born of "water" (Yezirah) and "Spirit"
(Beriah), giving access to the Kingdom of
 God as found in John, chapter 3.

• Chesed - Love of God, Tolerance

• Gevurah - Fear of God, Discrimination

• The triad of Chesed, Gevurah and

Tipheret = "The Triad of the soul."
Through Tipheret, the Soul has access to
the "Triad of the Spirit" (see above).

• Tipheret = The Sephirah of Truth, the

"True Self" having the balance of Chesed
(Tolerance) and Gevurah (Discrimination)
resulting in "Compassion." The Sephirah
giving access to the Da'at above "where
Jacob became Israel," (where one is "Born
Again"). Simultaneously the Malkut of
Beriah and the Keter of Asiyyah, where
the three lower worlds meet. Called the
"Seat of Solomon," who was a man who
"saw three worlds."

• The path between Yesod and Tipheret in

Yezirah is the "Path of the Tzaddik."

• Netzah = Torah Practice

• Hod = Torah Study

• The three paths between Netzah and

Hod, Hod and Malkut, Malkut and Netzah
correspond to the allegorical,
metaphysical and literal methods of
Torah/Kabbalah study.

• Yesod = The level of "seeking."

Simultaneously the Da'at of Asiyyah -
corresponding to the Ego and
"knowledge" of the world below.

• Malkhut = Contact with the level of

natural man and the world,
corresponding to the Tipheret of Asiyya.

THE WORLD OF ASIYYAH (ACTION)

(Last updated 7/27/01)

Asiyyah (Action) is the last of the four worlds and emerges out of Yezirah.
Asiyyah is the world that Adam and Eve entered when they were expelled from
Eden. The "coats of skin" that Scripture says they were given, were physical
bodies (flesh) they needed to live in the world of Asiyyah. (Conversely, we will be
given new bodies one day, such as Adam and Eve originally had, upon our return
to Eden/Yezirah. i.e., 1 Corinthians, chapter 15).

With the emergence of Asiyyah, existence is complete. Everything was brought

into being originally within World of Beriah/Creation, with the exception of Man
who is "made in the Image of God." Man's origin is in accordance with the Divine
Sephirot of Azilut, making him unique within all of Creation.

Man is also the only creature that can transcend his present level and connect to
all four worlds. This is in fact "the meaning of life," as we are told that we are to
be, "conformed to the image of God." (The image as seen in Azilut and reflected
in Yeshua (i.e., Metatron) - i.e., Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians
4:4; Colossians 1:15; Colossians 3:10; Hebrews 1:3).

This image we are to be conformed to, began in the Divine Azilut, then
descended to Beriah where it was given Spirit, then down toYezirah where it
received a Soul, and finally to Asiyyah and given a physical body. Conversely,
our journey to "reconnect," or be "re-conformed," begins by escaping the
physical world, via the soul, into a spiritual connection with God, and one day to
be "one with Him" again (i.e., John, chapter 17).

As Asiyyah is the material universe in which we live, it is associated with the

aspect of earth (and of blood), and therefore the color red (i.e., "Adam," which
means "red.").

The World of Asiyyah - The Makeup of Man

Note: The upper face of Asiyyah (from Keter
through Tipheret), is simutaneously the lower
face of Yezirah (the world of the Soul). However,
to the man not seeking spiritual things, the
upper face of Assiyah is nothing more than the
higher forms of worldly knowledge and Keter
only a "corruptible crown." (i.e., as Paul wrote of
in 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.) The lower face of
Asiyya (from Tipheret through Malkut) is
physical/biological man.
• Keter = To those seeking spiritual
matters, this is the "Seat of Solomon."
For the non-spiritual person this is the
"corruptible crown" of their life (1
Corinthians 9:25). This is a key Sephirah
as it is also the Malkut of Beriah and the
Tipheret of Azilut, and thus the place
where the three lower worlds meet in
man.

• Hochma = Active/Inner Intellect

• Binah = Passive/Outer Intellect

• Chesed = Active/Inner Emotion

• Gevura = Passive/Outer Emotion

• Da'at = Knowledge. The Ego. The place

of choice and purity. To those seeking,
this is also the foundation (Yesod) of the
world of Yezirah. From here man can
proceed up the path of the Tzaddik (from
the Asiyyatic Yesod to Tipheret, the
Sephirah of Truth), which is
simultaneously the Malkut of Beriah - the
Kingdom of Heaven.

• Tipheret = The brain and advanced

physical systems of man

• Netzah = Desires

• Hod = Respsonses

• Yesod = Feelings, Instincts, Thoughts -

forming the three triads shown below:

• The triad of Yesod, Netzah and Hod is the

 Triad of Feeling

• The triad of Yesod, Hod and Malkut is the

Triad of Thinking

• The triad of Yesod, Malkut and Netzah is

the Triad of Instinct

• Malkhut = Base elements of the body

THE WORK OF CREATION

(Last updated 9/1/01)
The diagram to the right represents the
Four Worlds of Azilut (A), Beriah (B),
Yetzirah (C) and Asiyyah (D), seen in an
"extended tree," as they "overlap" one
another. As mentioned earlier, the
"lower face" of a world above overlays
the "upper face" of the world below it.
Out of Azilut (A) emerges the world of
Beriah/Creation (B). Beriah begins at the
Tipheret of Azilut (E). As Tipheret is the
amalgamation of all of the Sephirah and
"essence" of the Tree of Life within each
of the Four Worlds, the emergence of
each new world is said to begin at the
Tipheret of the one above it, though it is
actually "generated" from the point of
Yesod (H) (see below).
Thus, the lower face of Azilut
corresponds to the upper face of Beriah,
the lower face of Beriah to the upper
face of Yetzirah, and the lower face of
Yetzirah to the upper face of Asiyyah.
This overlapping view, as seen in the
extended Tree diagram to the right,
enables us to better understand how
each of these worlds can be both
connected, yet distinct.
With regard to creation, keep in mind
that before any of the worlds came
about, there was Eyn Sof - the infinite
and undefineable idea of God. There is
much to be said of what occured from
Eyn Sof to the first world of Azilut.
However, this is beyond the scope of this
study which is limiting itself to the Divine
Sephirot in Azilut and "forward," and
even then only as a general overview.
(Please contact YashaNet for resource
recommendations if you wish to study
any of these things in detail.)

As mentioned earlier, the first world of Azilut (A) is the unchanging world of the
Divine Sephirot. Adam was first "designed" according to this "Divine Image."
The Sephirot in Azilut are also called "Adam Kadmon." Nothing "exists" yet at
this level as we would normally consider "existence". Everything that would
eventually come into into existence in the three lower worlds, existed
beforehand in Azilut, within the perfect will of God.
Beginning with Genesis 1:1 we come to the world of Beriah (Creation (B), which
as mentioned, emerges out of the Tipheret of Azilut (E). Specifically, the Keter
of Beriah ("crown of Creation"), is at the same place on the extended Tree as
the Tipheret of Azilut (E). Keep in mind that Tipheret is the expression of all of
the Sephirot of the Tree. Here, Tipheret represents "God the Creator."
This is significant, as the Keter of Beriah (E) is associated with Metatron. Recall
that Beriah (B) is also associated with the Throne of God. Thus Metatron is both
the "first-born of Creation," (as Keter of Beriah), as well as "beyond the Throne"
(META-TRONOS in the Greek), found in Beriah (as Tipheret of Azilut (E).
This Sephirah (E) is given the combined name of YHWH-ELOHIM, which is found
several places in the Tenakh, such as where Moses addresses God in
Deuteronomy 3:24, or in Isaiah 50:4; 52:4. It is also God as known by the title,
"the Holy One, blessed be He."
The Hochma (F) and Binah (G) of Beriah are considered the "Father" and
"Mother" of the world of creation. Note that these Sephirot correspond to the
Netzah (F) and Hod (G) of Azilut, which have the function of bringing the
Divine will of God "down" from Azilut (A) to Beriah (B) below. Kabbalistically
this is the point where God divided "day" from "night," the former being the
active right pillar under Hochma (F), and the latter the passive pillar, under
Binah (G). As mentioned in an earlier study, Beriah is also the world of the
archangels. It is also said that the angels of the "70 nations" of the earth exist
in Beriah.
We now come to the Da'at of Beriah/Creation (H), which is associated with the
Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit). This is reflected in Genesis 1:2, which states,
that "the Spirit of God moved across the waters." Note that the Da'at in the
upper face of Beriah corresponds to the Yesod in the lower face of Azilut (H),
known by the God names El Hai or Shaddai.
As mentioned earlier in our studies, Yesod is associated with procreation and
the idea of producing something new. Hence, Yesod being the focal point of the
lower face of Azilut (H), generates the upper face of Beriah at the point of its
Da'at (H). This relationship between the overlapping Yesod and Da'at repeats
throughout the extended Tree, establishing a connection between the
"Foundation" (Yesod ) of an upper world and "Knowledge" of a lower one. (This
terminology is similar to how Adam "knew" Eve and she conceived.)
Although Yesod is metaphorically associated with the male sexual organ (thus
expressing the idea of generating a new life), recall that Yesod has both male
and female elements to it, thus the new world formed is still in the image of
God ("Betzelem Elohim"). We are thus created "male and female" (i.e., Genesis
1:27), though at this stage (Beriah) of the entire creation process, "Adam" was
not yet "divided." This division occurs in Yetzirah - with their placement in the
Garden of Eden. (See below.)
Focusing on the central pillar of the Tree, we next come to a critical Sephirah
(I), as it is simultaneously the Malkhut of Azilut, the Tipheret of Beriah and the
Keter of the next world, Yetzirah. At this point (I) we have the junction of the
three higher worlds. This Sephirah (I) is associated with the Seat of the
Messiah. In Azilut, it is known by the God name of Adonai (My Lord) and is also
associated with the Shekinah.
As mentioned in an earlier study, the Zohar indicates that the upper worlds
(represented by "Y-H-V," the first three letters of the Tetragrammaton), are
brought into unity prior to the final unification (by an angel called "Boel,"
meaning "God is in him"), when God's Name is made one ("Y-H-V-H"). This final
unification takes place when the Shekinah (represented by the final "H" of Y-H-
V-H) is brought back as the "Bride of Tipheret." As the Archtypal Sephirot of
Azilut are never "divided" in any sense, this "reunification" applies to the level
of Beriah, where Tipheret (I) is associated with the Messiah. Note also that as
this Sephirah (I) overlays the Malkhut of the World of Azilut, this gives a
"Divine aspect" to the Messiah.
Moving on below the Sephirah of Tipheret in Beriah (I) (remaining on the
central column), we come to the Yesod, in the lower face of Beriah (J), which is
simultaneously Da'at in the upper face of Yetzirah (J). (Again, out of the
procreative aspect of Yesod is born the next world.) This Sephirah (J) is
associated with the angel Gabriel, who is seen in Scripture as giving deep
knowledge (da'at) to man (i.e., Daniel). As mentioned, Yetzirah (C) contains a
hierarchy of angels who carry out the will of God between Beriah (B) above and
Asiyyah (D) below. (This hierarchy of angels are the "wheels within wheels" of
Ezekiel's vision.)
Below the Da'at of Yetzirah is its Tipheret (K). Here again we are at a critical
junction, this time of the three lower worlds, as this is Sephirah is also the Keter
of the lowest world of Asiyyah, and the Malkhut of Beriah, also called the
"Kingdom of Heaven." Tipheret (K), along with Hesed (L) and Geveurah (M) in
Yetzirah, forms the Triad of the Soul in man.
Yetzirah (C) is also the location of the Garden of Eden, and the Da'at of
Yetzirah (J) is where the Bat Kol, the Voice of God, that spoke to Adam and Eve,
is said to have emanated from.
Adam first "existed" in the world of Beriah (B) (Genesis, chapter 1), in a
spiritual realm quite apart from where we are now. Scripture shows that Adam
was initially "one being," thus consisting of the combined male and female
aspects of God.
"Adam" became the separate "Adam and Eve" in the world of Yetzirah (C), and
was placed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis, chapter 2). This existence is also
different than what we experience as they did not have "physical" bodies as we
do. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were expelled from Yetzirah into the
physical world of Asiyyah (D) and given "flesh" ("coats of skin" - Genesis 3:21),
as this is required for life in Asiyyah. This is where we all "start out" today.
As the Tree continues through Yetzirah into Asiyyah, we come to the makeup of
physical man, in emotion, mind and body. We will reserve this analysis for the
next section of the study.
The links below provide diagrams without annotation, enabling you to enter
your own references.
Basic Tree of Life diagram | Extended Tree of Life diagram
THE WORK OF THE CHARIOT
(Last updated 9/1/01)
In the last section, "The Work of
Creation," we examined the extended
Tree of Life from the "top down,"
beginning with the unchanging world of
Azilut, being the "buffer" between Eyn
Sof and Creation, down to the bottom of
the Tree. In this section, we take a
"reverse approach," beginning in the
physical world of man in Asiyyah, and
journeying upward.
The term "Work of the Chariot" is
associated with the prophet Ezekiel, who
had a vision of the heavenly realm, often
described as a "Chariot." As mentioned,
Ezekiel's experience gave him a "view"
of all four Worlds, although not nearly as
clear as some other prophets,
particularly Moses in the Torah, and John
in the book of Revelation.
To review (from the "bottom up")
Ezekiel:
• was existing in the physical world
of Asiyyah (A)

• saw the angelic realm supporting

the Throne in Yetzirah (B)

• saw the "likeness of a throne" in

Beriah (C)

• saw the "likeness as the

appearance of a man" in Azilut
(D)

The "Work of the Chariot" has come to

mean more than Ezekiel's vision. It is a
term used for man's spiritual re-
connection with God, ascending through
the four worlds.
This journey is metaphorically
comparable to "Jacob's Ladder" in the
Torah, and the "Path of Righteousness"
as taught in the "New Testament."

In this approach to the extended Tree of Life, we begin at the bottom, in the
lower face of Asiyyah. This is associated with the physical world of mankind. As
this lower face does not underlay any of the three higher worlds, it is the part
of man that withers out of existence.
The majority of people on the planet exist in this realm. This includes those
who neither rise to positions of great knowledge or leadership, nor are
concerned with issues of the soul, spirit and divine. The main functions at this
level are those associated with the physical needs and desires of the body.
A certain percentage of human beings excel within the world of Asiyyah. They
become great leaders, teachers, businessmen, etc. Such people have a higher
knowledge of the world of this physical world, which is associated with the
Sephirah of Da'at (knowledge) in Asiyyah (E). This Sephirah is associated with
our ego and as seen on the extended Tree, underlays the Yesod (foundation)
(E) of the next world of Yetzirah.
From here, people can reason concerning the things of God (Isaiah 1:18). If a
person chooses to ignore spiritual things, then the Keter of Asiyyah (F) remains
the pinnacle for their life. As Asiyyah is the physical realm, none of what such a
person learns or creates in this world can follow their soul upon death (i.e.,
Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:15-21).
However, if a person seeks God's truth, then the Da'at of Asiyyah (E) becomes
converted to the Yesod of Yetzirah, (E) giving that person a "foundation"
(Yesod) in the world of the soul (Yetzirah). Now the Keter of Assiyah (F)
becomes for them the Tipheret of Yetzirah (F), which is called, the Sephirah of
Truth.
Recall that the Keter of Assiyah (F) is also the Malkhut of Beriah (F) - the
"Kingdom of Heaven." Such a person has taken the advice of Yeshua, who said
to, "seek first the Kingdom of Heaven." The journey up Jacob's Ladder has
begun.
This method of "heading up the tree" (toward God), by converting the "upper
face" of one world to the "lower face" of the next, is seen as "returning" to God.
The Hebrew word for this process is "teshuvah," commonly called
"repentance." (Recall how Daniel did teshuvah for his people and was rewarded
with the visitation of the angel and prophetic vision.)
Once a person is established in the Yesod of Yetzirah (E), he is on the "Path of
the Tzaddik" (marked by the "G" in the diagram), discussed several places
earlier in this study, including our section on the World of Yetzirah, as well as
Methods of Study. The goal of this path is to attain Tipheret above (F) (which is
also the Malkhut of Beriah - the Kingdom of God). Specifically the tzaddik seeks
to remain in "balance" on this path, not straying too far to the left or the right.
(i.e., Deuteronomy 5:32; 17:20).
The left side is often associated with obedience to the Torah's commands, and
the right with the desire to do things for God. An example of a person who is
"out of balance" to the left side, might be someone who studies the commands
of Torah but is complacent about transforming what they learn to their life.
(i.e., Matthew 23:23; 1 Corinthians, 13:1-3). Someone out of balance to the
right side may be "fanatical" for God in their own mind, but not according to
what God wants as shown in His Torah.
A concrete example of balance is seen in the Torah schools of Rabbi's Hillel and
Shammai, around the time of Yeshua.Traditionally, those of Hillel are
associated with teaching more from the "lenient" (merciful) right side, and
Shammai with the "strict" left side. As long as the argument between these
groups was "for the sake of Hashem," this was a healthy situation (as "iron
sharpens iron"). Historically however, animosity developed between the two
groups, the result of which was not to anyone's benefit.
(The above situation also gives some background insight behind Yeshua's
insistence that His disciples "love one another." We must realize that we all,
"see darkly as through a glass.")
When someone on the path of the Tzaddik (G) keeps themself "in balance,"
and properly applies God's Torah to all aspects of their life (physical, emotional,
mental, i.e., Deuteronomy 6:5 as discussed earlier), they will come to attain the
level of Tipheret in Yetzirah (F) - the beginning point of the Kingdom of God
(Malkhut of Beriah). This Sephirah is also called the Seat of Solomon, due to its
critical location, connecting the three worlds of Asiyya, Yetzirah and Beriah.
Solomon himself was called, "a man who knew three worlds."
This person is now at the Triad of the soul, found between Tipheret (F), Hesed
(H) and Gevurah (I) in Yetzirah. From Tipheret in Yetzirah, they now have
access to the Da'at (knowledge) of Yetzirah (J), which is in turn the Yesod
(foundation) of the spiritual realm of Beriah (J). This is a critical Sephirah in the
journey up Jacob's ladder. One must first establish a firm foundation (Yesod) in
Beriah (J) in order to "enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Malkhut of Beriah) (F).
(Note: The Zohar considers this to be the granting of a "higher soul" called the
Neshemah, placing the Neshemah above the Ruach (spirit) and Nefesh (soul) of
man. Other Kabbalistic traditions place the Neshemah and Nefesh below the
Ruach. This is a matter of phraseology, the concepts are quite the same (i.e.,
man has a "basic soul" similar to animals, a human soul/spirit that enables him
to seek God, and is granted a higher soul/spirit [or "higher level" of soul/spirit],
when he makes this connection). See also the firstpart of our study on Tipheret.
This Sefirah (the Yesod of Beriah (J) is a critical junction point for several
reasons:
• As the Yesod of Beriah (the world of Spirit), this is where a person
establishes a "spiritual foundation."

• As it is simultaneously the "Da'at of Yetzirah," this Sephirah receives

directly from Hokhma (K) and Binah (L) of Yetzirah, which in turn are
overlayed by the Beriatic Sephirot of Netzah (K) and Hod (L), thus
giving a person insight from the Heavenly realm.

• It is exactly midway up/down the extended Tree. Here a person goes

from a stage of "approaching" God, to one of deveikut
(communion/clinging) with God (i.e., Deuteronomy 4:4 and also John
15:14-15).

• It links the lower face of Beriah (B) to the upper face of Yetzirah (C). As
discussed, the former is associated with Spirit, the latter with Water.
Thus, someone firmly established in these two worlds is "born again" and
has entry into the Kingdom. i.e., "Yeshua answered, "Most assuredly, I
say to you, unless one is born of Water (Yetzirah) and the Spirit (Beriah),
 he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (the Malkhut of Beriah) - John 3:5

• As we will discuss in a later section on the Temple, this Sephirah is also

associated with the Incense Altar - another representation of connecting
with God.

From the point of the Yesod in Beriah (J), the next Sephirah along the central
pillar is Tipheret in Beriah (M), which as mentioned earlier, is where the three
upper worlds of Azilut, Beriah and Yetzirah meet. This Sephirah (M) is known as
the Seat of Messiah, and is also associated with the Throne of Heaven. Few
people in history have ascended to this level, as it is accessible only to those of
great spiritual merit.
From this point, one has contact with the Divine Realm (the Malkhut of Azilut
(M) similar to that of Adam and Eve before the fall, when they existed in the
Garden of Eden.
AZILUT AND THE TORAH
In one of our earlier studies on Messiah, we discussed the concept of a "higher
level" of the Torah, which we referred to as the Supernal Torah. Rabbi Pinchas
Winston, a modern Orthodox Kabbalist, speaks of the Supernal Torah as the
"Torah of Azilut."
The goal of Torah IS perspective, and must remain so. For, even Torah can
become a distraction from the true goal of life, albeit one of the safer and
holier ones. However, even people who learn Torah can remain on spiritually
low levels, relatively speaking, and become terrible representatives for G-d's
holiest gift to mankind after life itself.
This happens when the study of Torah remains on the level of "Asiyah," the
World of Action, which Toras Beriyah, the level of Torah within our possession
ever since the Jewish people sinned with the golden calf, deals with primarily.
Usually out of ignorance, sometimes out of fear, people can forget that Torah
Beriyah is only meant to be a threshold to Toras Atzilus, the much higher, more
sublime level of Torah understanding - the ULTIMATE big picture.
All right, not everyone, and even most people are not prepared to make the
jump to such a higher level of Torah understanding. In fact, doing so
prematurely can lead to even greater ills than not trying at all. Therefore, like
all of Judaism, Torah-understanding is a spiritual and intellectual tight-rope
balancing act. But, walk the rope we must, if we are to gain and maintain the
necessary perspective to not become "servants" to our yetzer haras - the
ultimate form of idol worship.1
1. Perceptions On The Parsha, Parshas Vayeilech - Shabbos Shuva, "Going" In
The Direction of TeSHUVAH, Rabbi Pinchas Winston -
http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/vayeilech.html

METHODS OF STUDY:
LITERAL, ALLEGORICAL, METAPHYSCIAL
(Last updated 9/1/01)

In the Torah, we are told:

Deuteronomy 6:5 - And you will love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy might.

We are commanded to love God in these three "ways," as man is made up of

emotions, mind and a physical body. The above verse applies to these three
components of man, with "soul" corresponding to one's mind, and "might" to
one's physical ability.

Thus, man may show love of God;

• emotionally, through prayer and devotion

• mentally, through study of Torah

• physically, by following the Torah's commands and performing acts of

kindness toward others

Balance between these aspects of our selves (emotional, mental and physical), is
key to properly serving God and neighbor in our daily lives. When this occurs, our
physical activities are focused, our thinking is reflective, and our emotions are
kept under control. The result of neglecting one or more of these aspects is
never good.

Within the deeper levels of Torah study, we also see all three aspects of man
taking part:

• The physical part of man is associated with a Literal approach

• The Allegorical view has to do with one's emotion

• The mind is linked to the Metaphysical method

Not only can Scripture as a whole be approached in these three ways, any
particular subject may be analyzed using these methods.

An example is the study of the Temple, which can be viewed:

• in a literal way, (i.e., as the place people went to meet as a community

and pray)

• from an allegorical viewpoint, seeing what it represents in Israel's

relationship to God

• according to the details of the Temple design, looking for deeper

metaphysical meaning

Below, we give an example of each method as it applies to the Tree of Life.

Again, we state that these examples are meant to show but one application of
each method and are by no means exhaustive, and we refer the student to our
YashaNet Reading List for additional materials.

THE TRIADS AROUND THE YESOD OF YETZIRAH

(As we are talking about study of Torah, we are primarily concerned with the
Tree of Life at the Soul-level of man, that being the World of Yetzirah.)

The Sephirah of Yesod is associated with the idea of "foundation." At the level of
Yetzirah within human beings, it is the center of awareness of our actions,
feelings and thoughts. (Recall that the Yesod ("foundation") of Yezirah
corresponds to the Da'at of Asiyyah in man, the latter being associated with our
ego, and the "path" from the physical level, to the level of the soul.)

With regard to study of Torah, we are concerned with the three Sephirot
surrounding Yesod, the triads they form with Yesod, and their associated traits.

The three Sephirot and their traits (within Yetzirah), are:

• Netzah, associated with physical action

• Hod, associated with reflective thinking

• Malkut, associated with emotion, being both active and passive

With Yesod at the center, three triads as related to study of Torah, are formed:

• Yesod-Netzah-Malkut is the triad of Literal approach

• Yesod-Hod-Netzah is the triad of Allegorical approach

• Yesod-Hod-Malkut is the triad of Metaphysical approach

Yesod at the level of Yetzirah in man is both physical and psychological. As it

corresponds to our ego (at the level of Da'at in Asiyyah), it is associated with
"how we see oursleves" - which of course is not always an accurate picture.
There is a big "step" in going from Yesod to Tipheret, as the latter is the
"Sephirah of Truth," and the reality of our "Self."

As mentioned, a key part of the process in being "conformed to the image of

God," is to ascend from Yesod to Tipheret. The path between Yesod and Tipheret
is the "Path of the Tzaddik." As with "walking" any path, "balance" is important to
staying on this course. If we handle Torah properly, it will reveal many things
about us that our Yesod did not see (or wish to see). This is the process of
sanctification leading to the Beauty and Harmony of Tipheret.

Note: Parshat Vaeschana (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11) is a Divine discourse on this

subject.

To attain the Tipheret of Yetzirah, is to also identify with the Malkut of Beriah
(Kingdom of Heaven), as these "overlay" each other at the same location on the
extended Tree of Life. To make this connection is to be "born again" of "Water"
(Yetzirah), and "Spirit" (Beriah), and thus attain the Kingdom of Heaven (the
Malkut of Beriah), as taught by Yeshua.

This Sephirah is where the three lower worlds meet (i.e., the Malkut of Beriah,
Tipheret of Yetzirah and Keter of Asiyyah). The triad above the Tipheret of
Yetzirah is the realm of the soul. This will become more clear when we study
aspects of the heavenly Temple, especially in light of verses such as Revelation
6:9, which speaks of the "location of souls under the altar."

LITERAL APPROACH

In this example, we are concerned with basic

characteristics and functions of the Sephirot
and the three pillars within the world of Yetzirah
- the realm of the psyche and soul.
• Keter in Yetzirah is the crown of the Soul,
where man is in contact with the Divine
Malkut of Azilut.

• Hochma, as Wisdom, is Revelation from

above, as it underlies the Netzah of
Heavenly Beriah.

• Binah, as Understanding, is learning

through Tradition. It underlies the Hod of
Heavenly Beriah.

• Da'at, as the location of the Ruach

haKodesh, is the access point to higher
spiritual realms. It is simultaneously the
Yesod (Foundation) of Beriah.

• Chesed, as expansive Mercy, is

associated with Love of Torah study.

• Gevurah, as Strictness, is associated with

Discipline in Torah study.

• Tipheret, as Harmony, is the Sephirah of

Truth and balance between Love and
Discipline. Through Tipheret, one is
granted a "higher soul" and given access
to the Ruach (via Da'at) and thus,
Wisdom and Understanding from above.
This Sephirah underlies the Malkut of
Beriah (the Kingdom of Heaven).

• Netzah, as the active Impulse, is Practice

of Torah.

• Hod, as Reverberation, is Theory of

Torah.
 • Yesod, as Foundation, is where the Path
of the Tzaddik begins, with the goal of
reaching Tipheret, the Sephirah of Truth
and access to the Ruach haKodesh.

• Malkut corresponds to the Tipheret in

physical man.

The left pillar is associated with strictness, and

thus the Fear of God. The right pillar with
mercy, and the Love of God. Proper study and
spiritual growth requires balance between these
two in order to ascend the central pillar of
equilibrium, which is associated with holiness of
God. This is reflected historically in the rabbinic
schools of Rabbis Shammai (strictness) and
Hillel (leniency) around the time of Yeshua.

ALLEGORICAL APPROACH

Allegorically, the Sephirot can be associated

with the characteristics of people, places or
things in the Torah.
Traditionally, the lower seven Sephirot are
linked to various patriarchs of Israel.
• Chesed, as Abraham, was full of mercy
and unyielding love for God, to the point
of being willing to sacrifice his only son.

• Gevurah, as Isaac, was from the side of

strictness, as he was never allowed by
God to leave the land of Israel in his
lifetime.

• Tipheret, as Jacob, is the balance

between mercy and strictness, who fully
attaining this level, went from being
called Jacob ("below") to Israel ("above").

• Netzah, as Moses, is the Prophet

continually bringing in new insight into
the community.

• Hod, as Aaron, is the Priesthood

overseeing the Torah commandments.

• Malkhut, as David, is associated with the

 earthly realm, as he was a man of the
earth. (He was even said to be "ruddy"
like Esau.)

By studying the behaviors and sitations of these

Patriarchs in the Torah we can learn more the
characteristics of their associated Sephirot, and
therefore about God and how to become
conformed to His image.

METAPHYSICAL APPROACH

This approach deals with the Hebrew letters and

their relationship with the paths between the
Sephirot. This includes the Triads and three-
letter roots words formed, as well as the
numerical values of those letters. (Note that
there are several schools of thought regarding
the paths and letters.)
For instance, the path between Malkhut and
Yesod, is associated with the letter Resh, which
has to do with the head or beginning of
something. Hence, the start of one journey into
Torah begins on this path. Between Yesod and
Tipheret is the letter Tzade, having to do with
the Path of the Tzaddik.
The Metaphysical approach can reveal some
peculiar things. Once such analysis concerns
the fall of haSatan and his attempt to usurp
God's authority. Tracing his "decent" down the
left side of the Tree (recall the left is the side
from where evil emanates), we follow the three
paths from Binah (the high heavens) down to
Malkhut (the earth). The path from Binah to
Gevurah is linked to the letter Vau. From
Gevurah to Hod, the letter Samekh, From Hod
to Malkut, the letter Tov.
Once decended to the actual earth (Revelation
12:12), he misleads the world as the "false
Tzaddik," elevating himself to the place of
Yesod, coming between the heavenly "bride and
groom" (Malkhut and Tipheret). This path is
represented by the letter Resh.
Adding the numerical values of the letters
associated with these paths (Vau, Samekh, Tov
and Resh), we arrive at a sum that students of
 the book of Revelation might actually find
interesting. (See Gematria chart to do the
calculation!)
MYSTERIES OF THE TEMPLE
(Last updated 9/1/01)

This section presents a brief metaphysical study of the Temple of God on earth,
including the Tabernacle of Moses' time, the First Temple (Solomon's), the
Second Temple (at Yeshua's time), and the coming Millennial Temple as written
of in the books of Ezekiel and Revelation.

The Tabernacle/Temple, is our "Meeting Place" with God within the physical
realm. It is also a key given to help us in understanding various aspects of God,
creation, time and space. Upon examining these four structures, we find a
progressively greater revelation with each "Meeting Place" and historical time
period.

THE FIVE GARDENS

We will begin our study by taking a look at the layout of the original Tabernacle
of Moses' as placed over the extended Tree of Life diagram, seen below. Our
study will begin at the bottom of the Tree (the Malkhut of Asiyyah (J), and work
its way to the top.

At this time we will also introduce a new Kabbalistic concept, that of the "Five
Gardens" (also called "Five Faces") of the Tree of Life. These Gardens have a
relationship to the Four Worlds of Asiyya (A), Yetzirah (B), Beriah (C) and Azilut
(D), as follows.
 The first Garden (E) is the
lower face of Asiyya, which
does not overlap any other
world. With relationship to the
Tabernacle, this represent the
lower (strictly physical) earth,
and the area outside of the
courtyard.
The second Garden (F)
consists of the upper face of
Asiyya, which (as discussed in
our earlier studies), is
simultaneously the lower face
of Yetzirah. This corresponds
to the "upper earth" and also
the "lower Eden." It is seen as
the area of the courtyard
around the Tabernacle proper.
The third Garden (G) is the
upper face of Yetzirah, which
is simultaneously the lower
face of Beriah. This is
associated with the "upper
Eden" and "lower Heaven,"
and the Sanctuary of the
Tabernacle.
The fourth Garden (H) is the
upper face of Beriah, which is
simultaneously the lower face
of Azilut. Here we have the
"upper Heaven" and "lower
Divine," and the Holy of Holies
within the Tabernacle.
The fifth Garden (I) is the
upper face of Azilut, which
does not overlap any other
world and represents pure
Divinity "beyond" the
Tabernacle itself.
THE TABERNACLE

As we know from Scripture, the original Tabernacle was "portable," and thus was
not as established as the coming Temples, which are fixed in Jerusalem.
Although the Shekinah was present in the Tabernacle, the journey leading to the
Promised Land is not always spoken of in the highest terms.
For instance, the Zohar depicts the Shekinah as "complaining" about this 40-year
trek:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:41 - MY MOTHER'S SONS, the sons of
my nation, namely the spies, WERE INCENSED AGAINST ME: they attacked me,
they filled the Judge with wrath against me. THEY MADE ME KEEPER OF THE
VINEYARDS: because I stayed in the wilderness journeying forty-two stages, I
was not able to enter the land of Israel. Hence, MY OWN VINEYARD I DID NOT
KEEP.

Looking at the Tree diagram above, beginning in the first Garden (E), we have
the location of the camps of the people and the Levites. This area is outside the
courtyard and represents the world. The camps lie below the Tipheret of Asiyya
(K), which marks the entrance to the courtyard. As will be shown, Tipheret is
commonly associated with being a "gate" that one must pass through.

Beyond the Tipheret of Asiyyah (K) we enter the second Garden (F),
corresponding to the lower face of Yetzirah and the courtyard of the Tabernacle.
Here, between Tipheret (K) and Da'at (L) is placed the Altar. Aligned with Da'at
itself (L), is the Laver.

Between the Da'at (L) and Keter (M) of Asiyyah is the location of the Levites
within the courtyard. Recall that here, the Keter of Asiyyah (M) corresponds to
the Tipheret of the next world, Yetzirah. Hence we find another "gate" at this
Tipheret (M), this time in the form of the screen leading into the sanctuary, the
third Garden (G) and lower face of Beriah.

In the center of the sanctuary is the Incense Altar. We are now in the the midst
of the third Garden, at the Da'at of Yetzirah (N) (which is the Yesod of Beriah),
directly midway up/down the Tree. As mentioned earlier, this is a critical juncture
as it is here (N) that a person goes from a stage of "approaching" God, to one of
deveikut (communion/cleaving) with God. (This is in fact commanded by God in
Deuteronomy 4:4; 10:20; 11:22; 13:4; 30:20.)

The extended Tree diagram depicts this well, as this was the function of the
incense in the Temple, which ascended to the heavenlies (the upper face of
Beriah where Metatron is situated at Keter (W), which is also the Tipheret of the
Divine world of Azilut), creating the bond between man below and God above.

As mentioned earlier, the triad formed by the Tipheret (M), Hesed (O) and
Gevurah (P) in Yetzirah is the Triad of the Soul. The soul is what connects man in
the physical world and God in the Spiritual world. From here emerge the prayers
of man toward God (which are as "incense" to Him). Note that the "souls of the
saints," in the book of Revelation (whose prayers are mixed with incense), are
seen as located "under the altar," corresponding to the Tree diagram.
(Revelation 6:9; 8:3-4).

Above the Sephirah of Da'at in Yetzirah (N) (Yesod in Beriah), is the area of the
Priests. Just beyond the priests (still below the Tipheret of Beriah (S) is the
location of the High Priests.
Moving to the outer pillars, we have the Bread of the Face located at the Hokmah
of Yetzirah (Q) and the Menorah located at the Binah of Yetzirah (R). Recall from
our previous study that these two Sephirot underlie the Netzah (Q) and Hod (R)
of Beriah, which function as the agencies of God from the Heaven of Beriah,
establishing the Wisdom and Understanding of Yetzirah below, which in turn
nourish the Triad of the Soul (M-O-P) below them.

At the Tipheret of Beriah (S) (which is also the Malkhut of Azilut, thus giving
"contact" with the Divine), is the location of Moses and Aaron. Once again, we
are at Tipheret and have another "gate" -- this time the veil, beyond which lay
the Holy of Holies. As discussed in a previous study, the Tipheret of Beriah (S),
where Moses and Aaron (Chief Prophet and High Priest) are located, is the Seat
of the Messiah. This corresponds to Yeshua who held both offices of Prophet and
High Priest in one person.

The veil beyond the Tipheret of Beriah is the heavenly counterpart to the veil
torn in two upon the death of Yeshua as mentioned in the "New Testament"
accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke. As the earthly High Priest would go beyond
this veil at Yom Kippur, Yeshua has effected a permanent Yom Kippur by
"tearing" this heavenly veil. (See also prior analysis on Hebrews chapter 9.)

Beyond the veil, is the Ark of the Covenant, located at the Da'at of Beriah (T),
which is also the Yesod of Azilut (the "Foundation" of the Divine Fourth World).
Above this Sephirah, along the horizontal path connecting the Hokmah (U) and
Binah (V) of Beriah, is the location of the Mercy Seat. The two cherubs (upon the
Ark), are situated at the Hokmah (U) and Binah (V) of Beriah themselves. Again,
these two Sephirot are in turn the Netzah (U) and Hod (V) of Azilut, which as
mentioned, act to "bring down" divine light from above.

Just above this, in the Keter of Beriah (W) (which is also the Tipheret of the
Divine World of Azilut), is the presence of Hashem ("The Name"). As mentioned,
this is also the location of Metatron, who is called "Head of Creation," and "the
lesser YHWH." This Sephirah (W) is the "gate" to the Divine upper face of Azilut.

Note that Tipheret in Azilut (W) (and therefore Metatron), corresponds to the
aspect of the "Divine Son" of Hokhmah (X) (Father) and Binah (Y) (Mother) of
Azilut. As mentioned in an earlier study, the Zohar states that all prayers and
petition are said to have to "go through" Metatron to get to the Father. Hence, no
one goes to the "Father" unless he goes through "the Divine Son." This
corresponds to Yeshua's words about Himself.

SOLOMON'S TEMPLE

In contrast to the Tabernacle, "Solomon's Temple" was stationed in its

predestined place, in the city of Jerusalem. As with the Tabernacle, it too had the
presence of the Shekinah appear in it, and reflected a high point in Jewish
history, largely based on the merit of David and Solomon.
Solomon's Temple gave an even
clearer revelation of the mysteries of
God than did the Tabernacle, as it
was designed from the higher
"Wisdom" (Hokhmah) that Solomon
asked for and received.
One of the more interesting aspects
of Solomon's Temple is the placement
of ten Menorot in the Sanctuary.
The Menorah itself is a representation
of the Tree of Life, depicting all ten
Sephirot.

Beginning at the base we have the "middle pillar" of the tree with Malkut at "A,"
Yesod at "B," Tipheret at "C," Da'at at "D," and Keter at "E."

The candles on the left of Keter (E) correspond to the left side of the Tree, with
Binah located at "F," Gevurah at "H" and Hod at "J." The candles on the right of
Keter correspond to the right side of the Tree, with Hokhmah at "G," Hesed at
"I" and Netzah at "K."

Further, the areas between the stems represent the four worlds, with Azilut
found in the area above/between F, D, and G (Binah, Da'at and Hokhmah),
Beriah found below this in the area above/between H, C and I (Gevurah, Tipheret
and Hesed, Yetzirah above/between J, B, and K (Hod, Yesod and Netzah) and
Asiyyah below the area of J, B and K.

Scripture tells us that, though the Menorah was said to have different "parts to
it," it was hammered out from a single piece of gold. This depicts the unity of the
Godhead as seen in the Tree of Life.

As mentioned in an earlier study, each Sephirah has an aspect of itself and all of
the others within it. Thus, each of the ten Menorot in the Temple of Solomon
depicted one of the ten Sephirot, containing all ten within itself. Solomon thus
have a very "complete" picture of the Godhead in place.

THE SECOND TEMPLE

The Second Temple, which was in existence at the time of Yeshua, came about
from a less glorious epoch in Israel's history. It did not contain an ark, and it
never saw the Shekinah's presence, as the Tabernacle and First Temple did.
However, the Second Temple was clearly sanctioned by God, and did host the
visitation of Yeshua, who is an even more perfect image of the presence of God
among us, one not "clothed by the Shekinah" (i.e., the Sephirah of Malkut as
discussed in earlier studies). In this sense the Second Temple "held" an even
higher revelation than the previous two structures.

The eastern entrance to this Temple has significance, as this gate was called the
"Beautiful" (Tipheret) gate in the Second Temple period (Acts 3:2,10). It also
featured, the "Porch of Solomon" (also called the "Couch of Solomon"), which is a
representation of the Shekinah and community of Israel. Note how the people of
Israel were gathered within this Porch to hear Peter and John.

(As can be seen, there is a great deal of hidden meaning in even the most
innocuous texts of the Bible, if you know what to look for.)

THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE

Even greater spiritual insight comes from the study of the Millennial Temple (as
described in the book of Ezekiel). In fact, study of the design and ordinances of
this future Temple was a command given by God to His people in exile. In times
when there was no physical Temple standing in Jerusalem, study of this future
Temple was considered by God, the same as actually having the Temple present
and performing its ordinances.

This remarkable concept is found in the book of Ezekiel, and further elaborated
on in a Hebrew commentary:

Ezekiel 43:10-12 - Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that
they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And
if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design
of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design
and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so
that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them.
This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is
most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

Midrash Tanchuma, Tzav 14 - Ezekiel said to the Holy One blessed be He:
"Master of the World: We are now in exile, and You tell me to go and inform the
Jewish people about the plan of the Temple? 'Write it before their eyes, and they
will guard all its forms and all its laws and do them'? How can they 'do them'?
Leave them until they go out of exile, and then I will tell them." The Holy One
blessed by He said to Ezekiel: "Just because my children are in exile, does that
mean the building of My House should be halted? Studying the plan of the
Temple in the Torah is as great as actually building it. Go and tell them to male it
their business to study the form of the Temple as explained in the Torah. As their
reward for this study, I will give them credit as if they are actually building the
Temple."

In both the books of Ezekiel and Revelation, the idea of measuring different
aspects of this Temple is mentioned. These measurements in turn reveal aspects
of the Temple that point to deeper realities about God and creation. By learning
these hidden truths, we become more able to "sanctify the Name of God."
Kabbalistically, this means to "unify the Name of God" (Yichud Hashem). As we
learn what these measurements represent, we "connect together" the various
aspects of the Temple. This is how we can "build the Temple" by studying it.

GEMATRIA LETTER VALUE

As we know, the letters of the Hebrew Aleph 1
alphabet correspond to various Beth 2
numbers. This line of study is called Gimel 3
Gematria, a word with Greek origins, Daleth 4
similar to "Geometry." He 5
The individual letters also have other Vau 6
allegorical and metaphysical meanings.
Zayin 7
They also combine to form both words
Cheth 8
which carry additional meaning - such
Teth 9
as the various Names of God, as well as
mathematical formulas. Yod 10
(Interestingly, the top physicists in the Caph 20 (final = 500)
world today tell us that everything in Lamed 30
the cosmos can be explained in terms Mem 40 (final = 600)
of mathematical equations.) Nun 50 (final = 700)
There is more to Gematria than just Samekh 60
letters equaling numbers however. Ayin 70
It is common knowledge that Gematria Pe 80 (final = 800)
is the study of the numerical value of Tzaddi 90 (final = 900)
the letters and words of the Hebrew Qoph 100
Torah. What is not generally realized is
Resh 200
that Gematria, like geometry, is also
Shin 300
the mathematics of space. 1
Tau 400
THE GATE TO THE HOLY OF HOLIES

There are many aspects of the Millennial Temple that can be measured. For the
purpose of this study, we will focus on the gate to the Holy of Holies. As
mentioned earlier, the Sephirah of Tipheret is often associated with the concept
of "gate," particularly on the side of the east as is the entrance to the Holy of
Holies.

The dimensions of this gate are given as six cubits by seven cubits:

Ezekiel 41:3 - Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two
cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits.

As discussed in our previous studies, the number "6" is closely associated with
the Sephirah of Tipheret. i.e., Tipheret represents the Vav ("V") in YHVH, which
has a numerical value of six. Tipheret is also sixth Sephirah and represents the
synthesis of the six Sephirah of Ze'er Anpin (Chesed, Gevurah, Tipheret, Netzah,
Hod, Yesod), when they are not united with Malkhut, the last of the "lower seven"
Sephirot.

The number "7" in Gematria is associated with "completion," This occurs when
Ze'er Anpin (specifically Tipheret), is joined with its bride, Malkut, thus
completing the unity of the lower seven Sephirot.
Thus, the gate to the Holy of Holies in the Millennial Temple is representative of
the final union between the groom (Tipheret) and bride (Malkhut). This is
reflected in the dimensions of the gate, which are 6 cubits (representing Ze'er
Anpin, the incomplete arrangement), by 7 cubits, (representing the completed
arrangement that includes the bride, Malkhut/Shekinah).

Besides their association with the union of Tipheret and Malkhut, the numbers 6
and 7 are also important in term of their product. The product of 6 and 7 (6
multiplied by 7) is 42, a number which we have already discussed the
importance of in an earlier study, as Tipheret is linked to the "Forty-two letter
name of God."

(Recall the "frustration" of the Shekinah mention above in, Midrash Rabbah - The
Song of Songs I:41, which depicts the "42" legs of the journey outside of the
land.)

As mentioned earlier, the Sephirah of Tipheret is associated with the idea of a

"gate" one must pass through to move upward spiritually. Recall also, that
Tipheret is the Sephirah of Truth. (i.e., You can fool yourself as to who you think
you are at the ego-level of Yesod, but you won't fool God at Tipheret!)

The Talmud and Zohar pulls these themes together in these passages:

Talmud - Mas. Kiddushin 71a - The forty-two lettered Name is entrusted only
to him who is pious, meek, middle-aged, free from bad temper, sober, and not
insistent on his rights. And he who knows it, is heedful thereof, and observes it in
purity, is beloved above and popular below, feared by man, and inherits two
worlds, this world and the future world.

Zohar 3:256b - This is the gate to Hashem, the righteous walk through it.

As Tipheret in Azilut is also the Head of Creation (the Keter of Beriah) in

Metatron, the Forty-two letter name is directly tied to creation and to Metatron:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 30a - AND THE EARTH WAS
VOID AND WITHOUT FORM. This describes the original state-as it were, the dregs
of ink clinging to the point of the pen-in which there was no subsistence, until
the world was graven with forty-two letters, all of which are the ornamentation of
the Holy Name.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 16a - Up to this point only

extend the allusions to the Most Mysterious who carves out and builds and
vivifies in mysterious ways, through the esoteric explanation of one verse. From
this point onwards bara shith, “he created six”, from the end of heaven to the
end thereof, six sides which extend from the supernal mystic essence, through
the expansion of creative force from a primal point. Here has been inscribed the
mystery of the name of forty-two letters.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 8b - “And in the Egyptian's hand

was a spear like a weaver's beam” (I Chr. XI, 23). This alludes to the divine rod
which was in Moses’ hand, and on which there was engraved the divine ineffable
Name radiating in various combinations of letters. These same letters were in
possession of Bezalel, who was called “weaver”, and his school, as it is written:
“Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart... of the craftsman and the skilled
workman, and the weaver, etc.” (Exod. XXXV, 35). So that rod had engraved on
it the ineffable Name on every side, in forty-two various combinations, which
were illumined in different colours.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 27a - Similarly, the study of the
Talmud is bitter compared with that of the esoteric wisdom, of which it is said,
“And God showed him a tree” (Ibid.); this is a tree of life, and through it “the
waters were sweetened”. Similarly of Moses it is written, “And the staff of God
was in his hand.” This rod is Metatron, from one side of whom comes life and
from the other death.

In summation, this gate to the Holy of Holies in the Millennial Temple, is equated
with the forty-two letter Name of God and with Metatron, who is the Divine Son.
Those who walk through this gate (Zohar 3:256b - above) enter eternity with
God.

Again, Yeshua spoke of Himself in these kabbalistic terms:

John 10:7-9 - Therefore Yeshua said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate
for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the
sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me
will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

As the forty-two letter Name is also associated with advent of creation (which
"groans" for tikkun/restoration - Romans 8:22), the "completed gate" of Ezekiel's
Temple reflects this state of restored creation.

1. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), by Rabbi Moshe Chaim

Luzzatto, translated by Avraham Yehoshua ben Yakov Greenbaum, The Temple
Institute and Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 2000, p. 41.
INTRODUCTION TO THE TEXT ANALYSIS

A proper understanding of this text analysis of the book of Revelation is

dependent on knowledge of the material presented in the previous background
studies. If you have not read through all of these background studies, the text
analysis will not make sense. Please turn back to the main index and begin with
Section I of the background information.

To look into the "future" as presented in the book of Revelation, we begin by

going into the past. Revelation is a fulfillment of a prophecy found in the book of
Daniel. The prophet depicts a period of time that will end with the establishment
of the Kingdom of God:

Daniel 9:24 - `Seventy weeks are determined for your people, and for your holy
city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and
to bring in righteousness age-during, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to
anoint the holy of holies.

There is a very deep, mystical, reference in the book of Daniel that has been
overlooked in Bible commentaries. The following verses are well recognized as
relating to the end times, particularly the "great tribulation" of the book of
Revelation. The angel making this revelation to Daniel (which in fact started in
the previous chapter), ends his statement by commenting that at the time of the
end, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased:

Daniel 12:1-4 - And at that time stand up does Michael, the great head, who is
standing up for the sons of your people, and there has been a time of distress,
such as has not been since there hath been a nation till that time, and at that
time do your people escape, every one who is found written in the book. `And
the multitude of those sleeping in the dust of the ground do awake, some to life
age-during, and some to reproaches -- to abhorrence age-during. And those
teaching do shine as the brightness of the expanse, and those justifying the
multitude as stars to the age and for ever. And you, O Daniel, hide the things,
and seal the book till the time of the end, many do go to and fro, and
knowledge is multiplied.'

Typically, Bible commentaries and articles discussing the phrase, "many shall
run to and fro," will point to the increase in global travel in the days we live in.
They will state that never before have so many people taken airplanes and other
modes of transport to move about all over the world.

But what does an increase in physical travel have to do with anything the angel
is talking about to Daniel? The context of this passage is both spiritual and
mystical. The key to understanding the phrase, "many do go to and fro," is at the
end of the verse, where it says; knowledge is multiplied (shall be increased).
Again, many commentaries, remarking on these words, will point to what
technology is doing for us these days, and refer to facts such as how knowledge
is doubling every two years, etc. All true and perhaps interesting - but again, this
has nothing to do with what the angel is saying and how this verse should be
understood.

Daniel's passage must be understood at the Sod (mystical) level of interpretation

as that is where the meaning lies. The knowledge that the angel is speaking of is
"spiritual knowledge." Just as God bestowed great insight at key times in history
such as in the days of Abraham, Moses and Yeshua, He promises to do the same,
in an even greater degree when the time of final redemption and atonement
approaches.

Earlier in this study, we discussed the concept of "movement" in the spiritual

realm. This is important in understanding the message the angel is conveying.
The "going to and fro" has nothing to do with the physical realm. Rather, this
"going" (or "running") is of the spiritual type, and can mean both, a) angels
carrying out the will of God (descent), and, b) people "connecting" with God
(ascent) in terms of gaining insight into the mysteries of Torah.

An understanding of the book of Revelation will illuminate the texts of the

gospels, as well as much of what is found in the epistles. Revelation is not only a
fulfillment of Daniel (as seen above), but also of: the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4);
of Yeshua's example of prayer (as found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, in what is
called "the Lord's Prayer"); and of His own personal prayer to the Father, as seen
in John, chapter 17. All of these Scriptures point to the establishment of God's
Kingdom, the main lesson of the Bible and fulfillment of history, as shown in the
book of Revelation.

With this study we tread on new ground, presenting an interpretation of the book
of Revelation that views it as a Jewish mystical text, drawing from the many
works of Torat ha-Sod, to assist us in learning its intended meaning.

These works, including the Zohar, the Bahir, Sefer Yetzirah, the book of Enoch,
parts of the Talmud and Midrash Rabbah, along with the writings of such famous
teachers as Nachmanides, are the first witness. They present evidence, made up
of elements such as; Metatron, Tipheret, Melchizadek and the forty-two letter
name of God, that point distinctly to an individual. The characteristics of this
person fulfill the role of; Messiah, "Son of Yah," "sun of righteousness," the
"middle pillar" (Jacob's ladder), enemy of haSatan, atonement of Israel, "living
waters," bridegroom, High Priest, and above all -- the image of the invisible God.
The second witness is the historical testimony of the Talmud, which recognizes
that something signficant occured 40 years prior to the destruction of the second
Temple. From that date, for forty consecutive years, the Yom Kippur sacrifice
was rejected by God:

Talmud - Mas. Yoma 39b- During the last forty years before the destruction of
the Temple the lot [‘For the Lord’] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the
crimson-coloured strap become white; nor did the westernmost light shine; and
the doors of the Hekal would open by themselves

These two witnesses testify to someone, and to something occuring a certain

time in history. When the book of Revelation, and the other texts of the "New
Testament" are interpreted in light of Torat ha-Sod, there is one figure who
emerges to "fill the mold" made by Jewish writers who lived both before and after
he died -- forty years before the Temple was destroyed.

Hashem has marked the path for those who wish to be found by Him in these last
days. May He guide us as we go forward with this study.

Lastly, I wish to dedicate this work to my daughter, Shoshana. Her arrival into
this world was foretold to us on Sukkot in 1999. She arrived just in time for
Sukkot 2000, as HaShem had revealed.

Revelation 1:1-6
Last update: October 22, 2001

It is suggested that the student have copies of the basic Tree of Life and the
extended Tree, present during the text analysis. The links below provide
diagrams without annotation, enabling you to enter your own references.

Basic Tree of Life diagram

Extended Tree of Life diagram

1
A revelation of Messiah Yeshua, that God gave to him, to show to his servants
what things it must soon come to pass quickly; and he did signify [it], having
sent through his messenger to his servant John

John's opening statement holds a great many details, which we will analyze
individually.

A revelation ...

The book of Revelation sets John's vision from Messiah at two levels. Through
chapter 3, we are concerned with Messianic assemblies and events primarily in
the physical world in linear time. That would place this part of John's vision at the
level of the Da'at (knowledge) of Yetzirah, similar to the other prophets, with the
exception of Moses (and perhaps Enoch, as depicted in that extra-Biblical book).
This Sephirah is also the Yesod (foundation) of Beriah, and is said to be the
location of the archangel Gabriel, who "guides the person" from the "upper face"
of Yetzirah to the "lower face" of Beriah, where he can experience prophetic
vision (i.e., Daniel 8:16; 9:21). (See previous study on upper and lower faces in
the Tree of Life.)

Beginning in chapter 4, (i.e., "Come up hither ..."), John receives an even higher
level of perception. This portion of the vision is at the level of Beriah, where
John's view is not limited to linear time and earthly events. This level of prophecy
stems from the Da'at (knowledge) of Beriah, which is simultaneously the Yesod
(foundation) of the Divine world of Azilut. As discussed earlier, Da'at is the realm
of the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit), to which access is granted through Tipheret,
which acts as a "gate," namely, a gate of truth.

The Da'at of Beriah, from which John receives the latter, more mystical, part of
his vision, is just below (or if you will), directly in the presence of, the Tipheret of
Azilut. This Sephirah is associated with Metatron, who is "Head of Creation" and
"Divine Son" of the Father (Hokhmah) and Mother (Binah) aspects of God.

(See previous background notes, as well as additional comments on Metatron

and Tipheret below.)

... of Messiah Yeshua

As was also mentioned in our background studies, Tipheret is both a barrier and
gate to the Da'at (knowledge) beyond it, the latter of which itself is the
foundation (Yesod) of the world above it.

To review:

• The Tipheret of Yetzirah is also the Malkhut of Beriah - the "Kingdom of

God), and is the step one must take to being "born again" by acquiring a
foundation (Yesod) in the world of Spirit (Beriah), along with that of Water
(Yetzirah) as Yeshua taught in John 3:5.

• The Tipheret of Beriah, which is also the Malkhut of the Divine world of
Azilut (i.e., the Shekinah - "the presence of the Lord"), is called the seat of
Messiah, known as the "perfect man" and "incarnate link with the Divine,"
in kabbalistic literature.1

• The Tipheret of Azilut is the level of Metatron, the "Divine Son" through
whom all was created (as Keter of Beriah/Creation), and through whom all
petitions to the King (the "Father") must pass. (See comments below from
Zohar, Exodus, Vol. ii; Page 51.)

Tipheret (which as we discuseed, is the "synthesis" of all the Sephirot),

represents God's salvation throughout the worlds -- "His Yeshua." (i.e., Matthew
1:21: "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Yeshua, for
he shall save his people from their sins.")

This salvation extends down the central pillar of "Jacob's Ladder," the Sephirotic
Tree of Life, and becomes Derech Hashem, "the Path of God," for man to follow
"back to God." Recall that Yeshua referred to Himself as this ladder in John 1:51.
The perfect revelation of God, decends "down Jacob's ladder," as the earthly
tzaddik spiritually "climbs up Jacob's ladder."

This is similar to Mount Sinai, where God "came down" and the people "went up."
Note that Moses was able to "go up higher" than the elders, who in turn, could
ascend higher than the people. This is indicative of the "spiritual level" of each.
Those at a lower level were warned not to come any "closer" to God, as they did
not (yet) merit this.

Click here for more information on Yeshua, Torah and the Tree of Life

... that God gave to him

This instruction "from God to Messiah" was not something the latter received in
the physical realm while walking the earth among us, some 2000 years ago.
Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and existed
beyond the physical world of Asiyyah since the "foundation of the world."
(Various aspects of this are presented in: Matthew 13:35; 25:34; John 17:24;
Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; 9:26; 1 Peter 1:20, and Revelation 13:8; 17:8).

The Talmud also speaks of the name of Messiah (His teachings, authority,
function, etc.), pre-existing the created world:

Talmud - Mas. Pesachim 54a - Surely it was taught: Seven things were
created before the world was created, and these are they: The Torah,
repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and
the name of the Messiah.

As mentioned in our earlier background study on the Divine Aspects of Messiah,

Kabbalistic literature links God as Creator to the Messiah and the Divine Tzaddik:

"... the seven voices correspond to the seven lower emanations, and the seventh
one is the Shekinah. Having correlated the seventh voice with the Shekinah, it is
reasonable to posit that the sixth voice corresponds to Yesod, the divine phallus
that overflows to the Shekinah. If the sixth emanation is indeed Yesod, it is
significant that the Messiah is mentioned precisely in conjunction with this
gradation: the traditional savior (mashiah) is identified as the Righteous (Saddiq)
in the divine pleroma, the cosmic pillar or axis mundi. Not only is the redeemer a
nationalist, religious, and political hero, he is the element of God that
sustains all existence." 2

"... the Righteous One [Divine Tzaddik] who is the foundation of the world is in
the middle (i.e., between Netsah and Hod), and it emerges from the South of the
world (i.e., apparently the direction of Hesed, God's grace), and he is the prince
(i.e., ruler) of both. And in his hand he holds the souls of all living things, for he is
the Life of the World, and every term of Creation spoken about (in Scripture),
takes place through him. And of him it is written, "and he ceased from
work and rested" (Exod. 31:17), for he is the principle of the Sabbath. 3

John states that the message from God comes though Yeshua, an intermediary.
As seen in our background studies, the Zohar applies this same role to the
Messianic figure Metatron, through whom all our prayers pass, and through
whom passes everything coming from heaven to earth (as with Yeshua, in 1 John
2:1-2, 1 Timothy 2:5):

Amsterdam Edition Zohar, Exodus, Vol. ii; Page 51 - "To keep the way of
the tree of life." (Gen. 3:24) Who is the way to the tree of life? It is the great
Metatron, for he is the way to that great tree, to that mighty tree of life. Thus it
is written, "The Angel of G-d, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and
went behind them." (Ex. 14:19) And Metatron is called the Angel of G-d. Come
and see, thus says R. Simeon. The holy One, blessed Be He, has prepared for
Himself a holy Temple above in the heavens, a holy city, a city in the heavens,
and called it Jerusalem, the holy city. Every petition sent to the King, must be
through Metatron. Every message and petition from here below, must first go to
Metatron, and from thence to the king. Metatron is the Mediator of all that comes
from heaven down to the earth, or from the earth up to heaven. And because he
is the mediator of all, it is written "And the Angel of G-d, which went before the
camp of Israel, removed; that is, before Israel which is above." (Ex. 14:19) This
Angel of G-d is the same of whom it is written "And YHWH went before them…"
(Ex. 13:21) to go by day and by night as the ancients have expounded it.
Whoever will speak to me [says G-d] shall not be able to do so, till he has made
it known to Metatron. thus the holy One, blessed be He, on account of the great
love to and mercy with which He has over the Assembly of Israel, commits her
(the Assembly) to Metatron's care. What shall I do for Him (Metatron)? I will
commit my Whole house into His hand, etc. Henceforth be you a Keeper As it is
written "The Keeper of Israel" (Ps. 121:4)

As seen in the diagrams of the extended Tree of Life, the path from Metatron, at
the Tipheret of Azilut, going to John, passes through the Sephirah of Messiah,
which is at the Tipheret of Beriah. This is reflected in the idea that the 42-letter
Name of God, which is associated with Metatron, was inscribed on the Rod of
Aaron/Moses (as discussed in our background studies). This rod had had a
"heavenly connection" and would transmit the power of God when it touched
something in the physical realm. It can be viewed as a physical representation of
the "central path" of salvation of the Tree of Life, from the Keter of Azilut ("I AM
THAT I AM"), through Tipheret at each level, to the Malkut of Asiyyah.

As previously discussed, both the figure of Metatron and the Sephirah of Tipheret
are seen as holding characteristics fulfilled in Yeshua. An interesting link can be
found between the two, having to do with the subject of Tefillin. These are the
ornaments worn on the arm and forehead in literal fulfillment of the
commandment found in Deuteronomy chapter 6. In Kabbalistic literature, the
Tefillah of the hand represents Malkut (Kingdom), and that of the head, Tipheret.
Binding the two parts to your body is symbolic of unifying Malkut to Tipheret -
unifying the Name of God.

There is a recorded dispute between two prominent Kabbalists, Rabbi Avrohom

ben David (Rabad) and Rabbi Moses Nachmanides (Ramban). Rabad taught that
it was Metatron, a created being (and the inner "angel" of Ezekiel's prophecy),
who wore the Tefillin. Ramban believed that the donner of Tefillin was the
Tipheret of the Divine world of Azilut ("the Holy One Blessed be He").4

The tension between these two positions is resolved when one recognizes that
Metatron is both the first-born and head of Creation (at the Keter of Beriah) as
well as the Tipheret of Azilut.

... to show His servants

Why does God show this to His servants? A similar question is, Why did He
command the study of Ezekiel's Temple? (See notes on the Mysteries of the
Temple.) God is not interested in us becoming more proficient at "Bible Trivia."
There is a purpose for such understanding, namely for us to apply what we learn,
thus enabling us to conformed to His image and bring tikkun (restoration) to the
world. Both Ezekiel's instruction on study of the Temple, and John's vision in this
book, hold the promise of great blessing to the tzaddik who seeks to learn the
deeper (i.e., kabbalistic) aspects of God.

... what things it must soon come to pass quickly

That which will "come to pass" leads to the Supernal Sabbath (the seventh
Millennium). This is the beginning of an age of righteousness, where all is again
brought into harmony in God.

Daniel, (whose book is significantly linked to John's vision), spoke of this time:

Daniel 9:24 - Seventy weeks are determined for thy people, and for thy holy
city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and
to bring in righteousness age-during, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to
anoint the holy of holies.

The harmony ("tipheret") of the Supernal Sabbath was mentioned earlier in our
study of spiritual time and space:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 88a - Therefore the Sabbath is

more precious than all other times and seasons and festivals, because it
contains and unites all in itself, whereas no other festival or holy day does so.’
Said R. Hiya: ‘Because all things are found in the Sabbath it is mentioned three
times in the story of Creation: "And on the seventh day God ended his work";
"and he rested on the seventh day"; "and God blessed the seventh day" (Gen. II,
2, 3).’

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 88b - The unique character of the
Sabbath is expressed in the words: "Between Me and the children of Israel." And
because the Faith is centred in the Sabbath, man is given on this day an
additional, a supernal soul, a soul in which is all perfection, according to the
pattern of the world to come. What does the word "Sabbath" mean? The Name of
the Holy One, the Name which is in perfect harmony at all sides.’ [Tr. Note: This
idea is based upon the mystic significance of the three letters of the word
Sabbath, shin, beth, tau.]

This work of God is opposed by the efforts of haSatan, who desires to put into
place his own unholy unification. (This is an important theme of the book of
Revelation.) As haSatan in the past did not succeed using men (Babel, ancient
Babylon), he will try at the end of days to accomplish this himself in the form of a
single man, the anti-Messiah. HaSatan imitates God in this fashion, (in both the
physical and spiritual realms), as God also first "tried" to do this through men,
(His first "messiah" was the nation of Israel - and those who maintain Torah
remain a messiah to Him to this day), before He Himself came as the Sephirot in
a tabernacle of flesh, in the form of Yeshua, to accomplish this.

God promised to bring salvation Himself, Isaiah speaks of this in terms of

someone coming from Bozrah whose garements are washed in wine/blood:

Isaiah 63:1-6 - Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from
Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his
strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red
in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have
trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will
tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be
sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of
vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked,
and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold:
therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.
And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my
fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

The Zohar tells us that this person is the Messiah, whose work has been done
since the time of creation:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 239b, 240a - "He hath washed
his garments in wine", even from the time of the Creation the reference being to
the coming of the Messiah on earth. "Wine" indicates the left side, and "the
blood of grapes" the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule above over
all the forces of the idolatrous nations and to break their power above and
below. We may also explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet typifies
judgement, so the Messiah will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to the
Gentiles. The "spirit of God which hovered over the face of the waters" (Gen. I, 2)
is the spirit of the Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he "washed his
garments in celestial wine."

The Supernal Sabbath is spoken of in many ways, an important one of which is

the unification of the Name of God, specifically in the reunion of the bride (the
Shekinah with faithful Israel, as represented by Malkut/Kingdom) with the
bridegroom (the Messiah, as represented by Tipheret, who brings "harmony.")
Our study on the Shekinah offers additional information on the subject of the
Shekinah as bride to the Messiah.

The Supernal Sabbath is also seen as a unification of the "male" and "female"
aspects of God – Malkut (kingdom) representing the bride/feminine and Tipheret
(beauty) being the groom/masculine:

Genesis 1:27 - And God prepared the man in His image; in the image of God He
prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 138a - In fact, whenever

"Sabbath" is mentioned it refers to the "eve of the Sabbath" (i.e. the Shekinah),
but when it says "the Sabbath day", it denotes the Supernal Sabbath (i.e.
Tifereth). The former is symbolized by the Female, the latter by the Male. Thus
"And the children of Israel should keep the Sabbath" (Ex. XXXI, I6) alludes to the
Female, which is the night (layla), and "remember the Sabbath day" (Ibtd. xx, 8)
alludes to the Male. Thus the sabbath here below sings a hymn to the Sabbath
above.

... through his messenger

"Angel" and "messenger" are equivalent terms. It is not unusual in Hebrew

literature to have one of the Divine Sephirot referred to as angel/messenger. For
instance, the Sephirot of Hod and Netzah are referred to as the Hosts of Elohim
and Hosts of YHWH respectively.

Another example is found in Nachmanides' exegesis of Exodus, where he refers

to the Sephirah of Malkhut (the Shekinah) as,
5
"... part of the Creator, she is also called Angel."

See our background study on the Realm of Angels as messengers of God's

perfect will.
2
who did testify the word of God, and the testimony of Messiah Yeshua, as many
things also as he did see.
3
Happy is he who is reading, and those hearing, the words of the prophecy and
keeping the things written in it -- for the time is near!

The word of God, and the Testimony of Messiah Yeshua ...

John's revelation is grounded in the existing Torah (the Word of God), as well as
the "testimony of Yeshua." This is important, as other Jewish writings teach many
of the same "end time" concepts as John does. We will be referring to these
sources throughout this study.

"Hearing" and "Keeping"

The Hebrew meaning of "hearing" and "keeping" gives deeper insight into what
is being said here:

hearing – shema, to hear with understanding of obedience

6
keeping – shamar, to guard, protect, attend, take heed, observe, and preserve

The book of Revelation begins with a promise of a blessing to those who hear
and obey. It ends with a curse (Rev. 22:18-19) to those who do not adhere to its
teachings. Between these "bookends" is the message that those who obey God's
Torah are the ones that will acquire the blessings of God:

Revelation 3:10 - Because thou did keep the word of my endurance, I also will
keep thee from the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to
try those dwelling upon the earth.

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.

Revelation 19:15 - Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He
should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He
Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Revelation mirrors God’s word in Deuteronomy, where He promises blessings to

those who obey His Torah (in faith – Hebrews 4:2), and curses to those who do
not heed it.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 - And it hath been, if thou does hearken diligently to the
voice of YHWH thy God, to observe to do all His commands which I am
commanding thee to-day, that YHWH thy God hath made thee uppermost above
all the nations of the earth, and all these blessings have come upon thee, and
overtaken thee, because thou does hearken to the voice of YHWH thy God:

Deuteronomy 28:15-16a - And it hath been, if thou does not hearken unto the
voice of YHWH thy God to observe to do all His commands, and His statutes,
which I am commanding thee to-day, that all these revilings have come upon
thee, and overtaken thee: `Cursed art thou ...

Note that Moses calls upon two witnesses to this revelation, those being heaven
and earth:

Deuteronomy 30:19 - I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose
life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

According to Torah, witnesses to a capital offense would initiate the punishment

of a person meriting judgment (i.e., witnesses cast the first rocks at a stoning.) In
Revelation, we can see judgment being meted out by Moses’ witnesses – heaven
and earth unleash horrific plagues upon mankind for rebelling against God.

(A comparison of the judgments in Revelation to the books of Matthew, Leviticus

and Deuteronomy, was mentioned earlier in our background study of Yom Kippur
and the New Covenant.)

Messiah, (trusting in whom is a part of Torah), is central to God’s blessings. As

such, we find that the Zohar designates blessings to those who concern
themselves with God’s Torah, finding themselves linked to Tipheret (which as we
have shown is linked to Messiah):

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Section 2, Page 35a - What, now, is the
difference between those who study the Torah and faithful prophets? The former
are ever superior, since they stand on a higher level. Those who study the Torah
stand in a place called Tifereth (Beauty), which is the pillar of all faith, whereas
the prophets stand lower in the place called Nezah (Victory) and Hod (Majesty);
and those who merely speak in the spirit of holiness stand lower still. He who
studies the Torah needs neither peace offerings nor burnt offerings, since the
Torah is superior to all and the bond of faith; wherefore it is written "Her ways
are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace" (Prov. III, 17), and also,
"Great peace have they which love thy law and they have no occasion for
stumbling" (Ps. CXIX, 165).’

The above is a midrash on these words of King David, who made the same claim
concerning Torah:

Psalm 119:99-100 - I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy
testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I
keep thy precepts.
4
John to the seven assemblies that [are] in Asia: Grace to you, and peace, from
Him who is, and who was, and who is coming, and from the Seven Spirits that
are before His throne,

The Number "Seven"

The number seven is significant in Hebrew culture and faith, having come to
symbolize both a number of completion, as well as an incomplete structure that
is representative of a greater truth. The number seven as it appears in the Bible
is connected with every aspect of religious life in almost every time frame.7

Examples of the use of the number seven include:

• The seven "lower" Sephirot as taught throughout this study

• Seven days of creation (Genesis 2)

• Seven Feasts of the Lord (Leviticus 23:8)

• Seven pair of clean animals went on the ark with Noah (Genesis 7)
 • Abraham made a covenant with Avimelech using seven ewes (Genesis
21:28-30

• The time period to be made clean from tzarat, was seven days (Leviticus
14:9)

• Seven pipes on the Menorah (Zechariah 4:2)

• Sprinkling of blood seven times (Leviticus 4:6)

• The Omer is counted for seven weeks (from First Fruits to Shavuot)

• The bride and groom rejoice for seven days according to Jewish law

• The bride circles her husband seven times and says seven blessings at
their wedding

• Tefillin are wrapped seven times around the arm

Examples of the importance of the number seven, from Hebraic literature,

include:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 230b-232a - R. Jose discoursed

on the verse: Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened ? (Job XXXVIII,
6). He said: ‘When God created the world, He established it on seven pillars.

Talmud - Mas. Pesachim 54a - Surely it was taught: Seven things were
created before the world was created, and these are they: The Torah,
repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and
the name of the Messiah.

Talmud - Mas. Sotah 22b - Our Rabbis have taught: There are seven types of
Pharisees.

The number seven is also associated with a complete measure of punishment,

which is significant in the book of Revelation.

Examples of this are:

Reference to Cain and Lamech being avenged sevenfold (Genesis 4:24)

• Disobedience resulting in a sevenfold increase in discipline (Leviticus

26:18)

• Nebuchenezzar losing his mind for seven years due to sin (Daniel 4:13)

• God sending a famine for seven years (2 Kings 8:1)

• Seven priests, with seven horns, marching on the seventh day at Jericho
(Joshua 6:4-13)

Seven is also associated with the demonic realm:

 • Balaam told Balak to build him seven altars and have seven bulls and
seven rams brought to him (Numbers 23)

"Assemblies"

In Revelation 1:4, seven assemblies are written to, which are not only the seven
physical assemblies of that time, but representative of "types" of assemblies
(including future ones), particularly those living in the days where the prophecies
of Revelation would come into play.

Both Moses and Yeshua taught in this fashion, speaking to their generations with
future ones in mind, particularly the one to come at the end of the age. (i.e., in
Deuteronomy chapters 29 and 30, Moses speaks to those in front of him as the
generation that will see the final salvation of the Lord.)

The Greek word, ekklesia, found throughout Revelation does not mean "church"
as seen in most Bibles. The word "church" does not exist in Scripture and was
added in more recent times by the Christian church in order to strengthen its
claim that it has replaced Israel as the people of God. Young's Literal Translation
uses the term "assemblies." The Jewish New Testament uses "Messianic
Communities." Both of these properly retain the original Hebrew meaning of the
text.

The idea found in some teachings, that the seven assemblies represent
consecutive time periods in "church history," also has no basis. This teaching is
derived from the concept that we are living in the current "enlightened church
age" of Philadelphia, and that the Laodicean age will be the "apostate church" of
the Tribulation period. The record of history however, does not show any periods
that align themselves with five assemblies previous to Philadelphia. Such
interpretations are the result of stripping the text from its original Hebraic
meaning.

... Him who is, and who was, and who is coming
... Seven Spirits that are before His throne
... and from Yeshua Messiah (verse 5)

John's "trifold" greeting comes from various expressions of the Sephirot. The first
is in the form of "Him who is, and who was, and who is coming," which would
refer to the heavenly Yeshua (i.e., Revelation 22:20), i.e, "Tipheret."

As mentioned earlier in this study, Tipheret is the embodiment of all Sephirot, as

well as the coming "bridegroom":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136a -138b - … because the

holy sun [Tr. note: ‘ Tifereth.] is as a tabernacle of all those supreme grades, and
is as a light which has taken into itself all the hidden lights and the whole current
of their extension, whereby Faith is manifested in the whole world. To grasp the
Sun is equivalent to grasping all grades, because the sun is a "tent" including all
and absorbing all; and he in turn lights up all the shining colours below. Hence
"He is a bridegroom coming forth from his canopy (covering)"
The next part of John's greeting is from the "Seven Spirits," which are the lower
seven Sephirot, before the throne. (Refer to our background study on the
arrangement of the Sephirot.) John's statement is an affirmation of the unity of
God, as expressed in the Shema.

(Click here for an example of the Sephirot as found hidden in the text of the book
of Romans.)

Lastly, John greets his readers from Messiah Yeshua, the Divine Tzaddik, who
lived among us, was resurrected (i.e., verse 5 below), and will return as He left
(Acts 1:11).
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and from Messiah Yeshua, the faithful witness, the first-born out of the dead,
and the sovereign of the earth (the ruler of the kings of the earth) to him who did
love us, and did bathe us from our sins in his blood,

... Sovereign of the Earth

The Zohar (below) portrays Tipheret as the one who will be sovereign of the
earth. The allusion to "right and left" is to the merciful and judgmental sides of
God, which (as seen in our background material) are placed in harmony with
Tipheret:

Zohar Appendix III - The Designations and The Categories, 3b - "A second
use of the terms ‘right and left’ is based on the identification of the grade
Tifereth with the Holy King, the Ruler and Judge of the world. The Holy King as
judge can exercise either clemency or rigour, and it is a not unnatural figure to
say that He exercises clemency with His right hand and rigour with His left"

... bathe us from our sins in his blood

(See previous study on the blood of the Tzaddik atoning for others.)

The concept of being "bathed in blood," (and making us into a priesthood - re:
verse 6) is also an allusion to the sealing of the Torah covenant with blood, and
to the priesthood:

Exodus 24:1-11 - And unto Moses He said, `Come up unto YHWH, thou, and
Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and ye have bowed
yourselves afar off;' and Moses hath drawn nigh by himself unto YHWH; and they
draw not nigh, and the people go not up with him. And Moses cometh in, and
recounteth to the people all the words of YHWH, and all the judgments, [Torah]
and all the people answer -- one voice, and say, `All the words which YHWH hath
spoken [Torah] we do.' And Moses writeth all the words of YHWH, [Torah] and
riseth early in the morning, and buildeth an altar under the hill, and twelve
standing pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel; and he sendeth the youths of the
sons of Israel, and they cause burnt-offerings to ascend, and sacrifice sacrifices
of peace-offerings to YHWH -- calves. And Moses taketh half of the blood, and
putteth in basins, and half of the blood hath he sprinkled on the altar; and he
taketh the Book of the Covenant [Torah] and proclaimeth in the ears of the
people, and they say, `All that which YHWH hath spoken [Torah] we do, and
obey.' And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said,
Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you
concerning all these words. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu,
and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there
was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were
the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel
he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

Leviticus 8:22-24 - And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration:
and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. And he slew
it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear,
and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.
And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their
right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of
their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about.

Leviticus 8:30 - And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was
upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon
his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his
garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him.

Just as the original covenant was sealed with blood, so is the renewed covenant,
with the blood of Messiah, which does not negate the original. The covenant at
Sinai was based on the blood of animals and promise of Israel, God's earthly
messiah (i.e., "All the words which YHWH has spoken we do.") The renewed
covenant was based on Messiah's shed blood and His "better promise," and is
grounded in God's Torah, just as the original was.

(See our comments to Hebrews chapter 8 and Hebrews chapter 9 [also written to
Jewish believers as the primary audience], which offer explanation as to the
sacrificial work of Yeshua as our Yom Kippur sacrifice.)

"Seeing God"

As mentioned in our background study on the Names of God, concerning the

verse in Exodus 24 (see above quotation), that says "they saw the God of
Israel," -- without an understanding of the Sephirot, there would be a clear
contradition in the Bible, as we are told that no man has ever seen "God." The
voice (Tipheret) of God was projected to Moses (giving him the Torah), in a
similar fashion as the sword (Torah) comes from the mouth of Yeshua. (See
comments on verse 16.)

Peter supports the idea of God redeeming Israel with blood, and the words of
Isaiah 49, that Messiah existed "hidden" since before the foundation of the world,
yet "manifested" in the days they lived in, and that He would be despised by His
people (the "builders"):

1 Peter 1:18b-20 - ...were ye redeemed from your foolish behaviour delivered

by fathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and unspotted --
Messiah's -- foreknown, indeed, before the foundation of the world, and
manifested in the last times because of you,

1 Peter 2:4 - to you, then, who are believing [is] the preciousness; and to the
unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for
the head of a corner,

Isaiah 49 is an important passage for understanding the physical manifestation

of Messiah in Yeshua (sovereign of the earth / "King of kings"). Isaiah speaks of
one "called from the womb" whose mouth is like a "sharp sword." This person
was "hidden in the shadow of God’s hand" and in His "quiver." The latter
reference can be understood as that emanation of God "hidden" within the
Sephirot. The person is also called "Israel," in whom God will be glorified, yet this
person is also the one who returns Jacob (the nation of Israel) to God, as well as
bringing salvation to the gentiles. This "Israel" is the Supernal Israel, which again
is associated with the sephirah of Tipheret.

This same person in Isaiah 49, is "despised by the nation" (Israel). He will arise to
be "worshipped by kings and princes." God "hears" this person and "preserves"
him to be a (new/renewed) covenant to the people at some point in time. This
person will establish the earth (bring harmony/tipheret) and preach to "the
prisoners," who will in turn find God’s salvation through "springs of water." (See
teaching on River of Eden) God then reminds the nation of Israel, that He will
never abandon them, as they are "engraved in the palms of His hand."

The final verses reveal who the prisoners in darkness are – the "lost children" of
the bride – the Jews among the nations ("Ephraim," also called the "fullness of
the gentiles") who will return to their Torah and Messiah, through the work of
Messiah. Those who oppose Israel (and thus God), are said to be made drunk
with their own blood – an allusion that will be important later in this study.
6
and did make us a kingdom of priests (kings and priests) to his God and Father,
to him [is] the glory and the power to the ages of the ages! Amen.

... a Kingdom of Priests

Isaiah, speaking of the end times, says this of Israel’s destiny:

Isaiah 61:6 - But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, they shall call you
the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their
glory you shall boast.

Peter makes reference to this "kingdom of priests" in his epistle:

1 Peter 2:4-5 - Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but
chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a
spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God through Messiah Yeshua.

1 Peter 2:7-10 - Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those

who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the
chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense." They
stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But
you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special
people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of
God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

It is important to note to whom Peter is speaking. His letter is addresses to the

Jewish believers in the diaspora – NOT to a gentile "church":

1 Peter 1:1 - Peter, an apostle of Yeshua Messiah, to the choice sojourners of

the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Peter later addresses his audience as those who were, "once not a people" of
God, but now are:

1 Peter 2:10-12 - who [were] once not a people, and [are] now the people of
God; who had not found kindness, and now have found kindness.

Again, this is not a reference to a gentile "church." Hosea shows us who Peter is
referring to. Hosea was a prophet to the northern tribes, known collectively as
Ephraim. God specifically calls this group, "Not a people." Those who are the
Israelites of the northern tribes who went away from God into spiritual adultery.
Their sin was spiritual adultery, the replacement of God’s Torah with a false
torah (something that will be addressed in the next chapter studies.)

Click here for the full text of Hosea, chapters 1 and 2.

The people "who now have obtained mercy" are the faithful remnant of
Ephraim/Israel, scattered among the nations – this is Peter’s audience. (See also
Isaiah 49 [above] for God reaching out to the diaspora.)

Isaiah spoke of God's promise to Israel in these terms:

Isaiah 62 - For Zion's sake I am not silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I do not
rest, Till her righteousness go out as brightness, And her salvation, as a torch
that burneth. And nations have seen thy righteousness, And all kings thine
honour, And He is giving to thee a new name, That the mouth of YHVH doth
define. And thou hast been a crown of beauty in the hand of YHVH, And a
diadem of royalty in the hand of thy God, It is not said of thee any more,
`Forsaken!' And of thy land it is not said any more, `Desolate,' For to thee is
cried, `My delight [is] in her,' And to thy land, `Married,' For YHVH hath delighted
in thee, And thy land is married. For a young man doth marry a virgin, Thy
Builders do marry thee, With the joy of a bridegroom over a bride, Rejoice over
thee doth thy God. `On thy walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen, All
the day, and all the night, Continually, they are not silent.' O ye remembrancers
of YHVH, Keep not silence for yourselves, And give not silence to Him, Till He
establish, and till He make Jerusalem A praise in the earth. Sworn hath YHVH by
His right hand, Even by the arm of His strength: `I give not thy corn any more
[as] food for thine enemies, Nor do sons of a stranger drink thy new wine, For
which thou hast laboured. For, those gathering it do eat it, and have praised
YHVH, And those collecting it do drink it in My holy courts.' Pass ye on, pass on
through the gates, Prepare ye the way of the people, Raise up, raise up the
highway, clear it from stones, Lift up an ensign over the peoples. Lo, YHVH hath
proclaimed unto the end of the earth: `Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Lo, thy
salvation hath come,' Lo, his hire [is] with him, and his wage before him. And
they have cried to them, `People of the Holy One, Redeemed of YHVH,' Yea, to
thee is called, `Sought out one, a city not forsaken!'

It is important to note that God promises that even those who cannot become
priests in the (previous) earthly Temple, will one day be allowed to do so in the
Millennial Temple. These are those gentiles who become part of the covenant of
Israel:

Isaiah 66: 21 - And I will also take some of them [gentiles] for priests and
Levites," says YHWH.

Isaiah 56:4-8 - For thus said YHVH of the eunuchs, Who do keep My sabbaths,
And have fixed on that which I desired, And are keeping hold on My covenant: I
have given to them in My house, And within My walls a station and a name,
Better than sons and than daughters, A name age-during I give to him That is
not cut off. And sons of the stranger [gentiles], who are joined to YHWH, To
serve Him, and to love the name of YHVH, To be to Him for servants, Every
keeper of the sabbath from polluting it, And those keeping hold on My covenant.
I have brought them unto My holy mountain, And caused them to rejoice in My
house of prayer, Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices [Are] for a pleasing
thing on Mine altar, For My house, `A house of prayer,' Is called for all the
peoples. An affirmation of the Lord YHVH, Who is gathering the outcasts of Israel:
`Again I gather to him -- to his gathered ones.'

Paul supports what the Torah (above) says, making it clear that a gentile coming
to faith in Yeshua, goes from being apart from the faith of Israel, to being
included in it (and not having some "new" faith to follow):

Ephesians 2:11-13 - Wherefore, remember, that you [gentiles] were once the
nations in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in
the flesh made by hands, that you were at that time apart from Messiah, having
been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants
of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world; and now, in
Messiah Yeshua, you being once afar off became nigh in the blood of the
Messiah.

The above is significant with regard to the "enmity" the Torah creates between
certain groups, i.e., Jew and gentile, eunuch and whole, male and female. (Note
the Torah itself is not the enmity which was removed.) This enmity was done
away with at the death of Yeshua, as it was only after this that He instructed His
disciples to "go out to the gentiles" (preaching Torah!) The enmity will be fully
dissolved in the Millennium, the time of the Supernal Sabbath. (See our Romans
study for more on this topic.)
The Supernal Temple and Priesthood (of the order of Melchisedek) are of a
different (heavenly) order -- one that predates the earthly Temple and Levitical
priesthood. Thus, this is not a "change" to the Torah, but a "renewal," that was
already part of Torah, as neither Torah or God changes. (In a similar fashion, the
"New Covenant" in the book of Jeremiah is also a "Renewed Covenant.")

A newly published Hebraic Roots translation of the New Testament, correctly

reflects this:

Hebrews 7:12 - But as a renewal took place in the Cohen-hood, so a renewal

also took place in the Torah.. 8

As mentioned in our background study, Midrash Rabbah has references to

Tipheret as being associated with the office of High Priest, thus supporting
Revelation’s claim to believers being a kingdom of priests, under Messiah
Yeshua, the High Priest:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus IX:7 - And the honour of his excellent (tifereth)
majesty, and elsewhere we read: And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron
thy brother, for splendour and for beauty-tifereth (Ex. XXVIII, 2). Just as the word
'tifereth' in this connection refers to the robes of the High Priest, so does the
word 'tifereth' mentioned in the story of Ahasuerus refer to the robes of the High
Priest. ’

Midrash Rabbah - Esther II:1 - A fool spendeth all his spirit (Prov. XXIX, 11):
this applies to Ahasuerus. But a wise man stilleth it within him (ib.): this applies
to God who calmed Ahasuerus, in the same way as it says, Who stillest the
roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples (Ps.
LXV, 8.). 1. WHEN HE SHOWED THE RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS KINGDOM (I, 4).
The School of Jannai and Hezekiah both said: He used every day to open six
treasuries and show them the contents. R. Hiyya b. Abba said: He showed them
the accounts of his expenditure. R. Judah b. Simon said: He showed them the
dishes of the Land of Israel. R. Levi said He showed them the priestly robes. It
says here, HIS GLORIOUS (TIFERETH) KINGDOM, and it says elsewhere, And
thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for splendour and for
beauty-le-tifereth (Ex. XXVIII, 2). Just as the word 'tifereth' there refers to the
garments of the high priest, so here it refers to the garments of the high priest.

(See notes to verse 13 in the next section, regarding Metatron as the High Priest
depicted in Ephesians 6:11-17.)

1. The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach Maine, 1976, p. 213.

2. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 83.
3. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah,
Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 96.

4. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,

London 1998, pp. 280-281.

5. ibid, p. 281

6. A recommended resource for understanding the linguistic Hebrew roots of

Revelation is A Semitic Approach to the Text of Revelation, edited by James Scott
Trimm, available from sanj@nazarene.net.

7. The Jewish Book of Numbers, Ronald H. Isaacs, Jason Aronson, Inc., London,
1996, p.64.

8. Hebraic Roots Version New Testament, Society for the Advancement of

Nazarene Judaism, 2001, Hurst Texas, http://www.nazarene.net/hrv/index.htm.
The footnote states: Aramaic: SHUKLAFA from the Semitic root KHALAF "Change,
transform, renew or revive". The word SHUKLAFA appears only five times in the
entire Peshita NT. Of these, all but one (Ya'akov 1:17) are in Hebrews. Of those
four usages, three of them are right here in our section (7:11-12, 18-19), the
other is in 12:27 where it implies a renewal or repair and seems to refer back in
summary to the three usages in Chapter 7 which we are dealing with. The
Hebrew form of this same root is Strong's word # 2498. This Hebrew cognate of
the word appears in Is. 40:31 & 41:1 ". . . let the people renew their
strength . . .". The verb is used to mean "renew" or "revive" in the Hebrew Tanak
in Is. 40:31; 41:1; Job 14:7, 13 & 29:20. The Peshitta Tanak agrees and uses the
KHALAF verb in Is. 40:31; 41:1; Job 14:7 & 29:20 to mean "renew". The Greek
translator misunderstood the word here to mean "change" however there can be
no change of the Torah (Deut. 4:2; 12:32 & Mt. 5:17).

Revelation 1:7-20
Last update: October 21, 2004

7
Behold, he comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see him whom they have
pierced (every eye shall see him, even those who did pierce him), and all the
tribes of the land [shall] wail because of him shall. Yes! Amen!

Clouds

The Clouds of Glory are associated with the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles), which
holds enormous Messianic significance. For instance, in Matthew 17:4, Peter
wanted to build "tabernacles" when he saw Yeshua, Moses and Elijah. Also, in
Matthew 21:8, the people laid down "branches" in front of Yeshua, welcoming
Him as Messiah. (Branches called "the Lulav" are a key part of Sukkot.) The
Tenakh tells us that Sukkot will be celebrated by all of the nations in the
Millennial Kingdom (Zechariah 14:16-19).
The 18th century kabbalist, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, wrote the following
about the link between the Heavenly Clouds and Sukkot:

Sukkos observances in general are related to the Clouds of Glory. Besides the
physical benefit of providing shelter and protection, these Clouds also provided
an important spiritual benefit. Just as these Clouds caused Israel to be set apart,
and elevated physically, they likewise were responsible for the transmission of
the Essence of illumination that made them unique. As a result, they were
differentiated from all peoples and literally elevated and removed from the
physical world itself ... This is the Light of holiness, transmitted by God which
surrounds every righteous man of Israel, distinguishing him from all other
individuals, and raising and elevating him above them all. This is the concept
that is renewed every Sukkos through the sukkah itself .1

See previous teachings on Messiah and Sukkot for additional information. Also
note comments to verse 13 below, regarding Nachmanides analysis of Exodus.
See notes to verse 12, for allusions to the Feast of Shavuot as well. (As discussed
earlier, both Shavuot, with its seven previous weeks in the spring, and Sukkot,
with its seven days in the fall, relate to the coming Kingdom and World to Come.)

The idea of Messiah coming on the clouds is found in the; Tenakh, the "New
Testament," Apocryphal writings, the Talmud and the Zohar.

We find the following in Scripture:

Daniel 7:13 - I was seeing in the visions of the night, and lo, with the clouds of
the heavens as a son of man was [one] coming, and unto the Ancient of Days he
hath come, and before Him they have brought him near.

Matthew 24:30 - Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 26:64 - Yeshua said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to
you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power,
and coming on the clouds of heaven."

Acts 1:9- 11 - Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He
was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in
white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into
heaven? This same Yeshua, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so
come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

The Apocryphal book of 4 Ezra was written before Yeshua's time. It contains
reference to a "sea," which is understood to be the Supernal Sea, which is
associated with the spiritual realm. The language in 4 Ezra is reminiscent of the
"New Testament," with likeness to Armageddon, and someone called "My Son,"
who was hidden away for a while by God (i.e., Isaiah 49), slaying those who
come against him with the word of his mouth. This man flies with the clouds of
heaven:

4 Ezra 13:1-9; 25,26,35,36 - And it came to pass after seven days that I
dreamed a dream by night: and I beheld, and lo! there arose a violent wind from
the sea, and stirred all its waves. And the wind caused the likeness of a form of a
man to come out of the heart of the seas. And this Man flew with the clouds
of heaven. And wherever he turned his countenance to look, everything seen
by him trembled; and whithersoever the voice went out of his mouth, all that
heard his voice melted away, as the wax melts when it feels the fire. And after
this I beheld that there were gathered from the four winds of heaven an
innumerable multitude of men to make war against that Man who came up out
of the sea ... And I saw that he cut out for himself a great mountain and flew
upon it ... And when he saw the assult of the multitude as they came, he neither
lifted his hand, nor held spear nor any warlike weapon; but I saw only how he
sent out of his mouth as it were a fiery stream, and out of his lips a flaming
breath, and out of his tongue he shot forth a storm of sparks ... And these fell
upon the assault of the multitude ... and burned them all up ...

These are the interpretations of the vision: Whereas you did see a man coming
up from the heart of the sea: this is he whom the Most High is keeping many
ages and through whom He will deliver His creation, and the same shall order
the survivors ...

But he shall stand upon the summit of Mount Zion. And Zion shall come and shall
be made manifest to all men, prepared and built, even as you did see the
mountain cut out without hands. But he, My Son, shall reprove the nations that
are come for their ungodliness ...

The Talmudic references to the "son of the clouds" (Bar Nafle), states that this
person is the Messiah. The following text includes references to their being very
few people studying Torah upon his return (i.e., Luke 18:8) and that this will be
preceded by times of great tribulation (i.e., Matthew 24). Mention is also made of
Messiah coming at the end of a seven year cycle, which would be the 70th
shemita cycle of Daniel's prophecy:

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 96b - R. Nahman said to R. Isaac: ‘Have you heard
when Bar Nafle [son of the clouds] will come?’ ‘Who is Bar Nafle?’ he asked.
‘Messiah,’ he answered, ‘Do you call Messiah Bar Nafle?’ — ‘Even so,’ he
rejoined, ‘as it is written, in that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David ha-
nofeleth [that is fallen].’ He replied, ‘Thus hath R. Johanan said: in the generation
when the son of David [i.e., Messiah] will come, scholars will be few in number,
and as for the rest, their eyes will fail through sorrow and grief. Multitudes of
trouble and evil decrees will be promulgated anew, each new evil coming with
haste before the other has ended.’ Our Rabbis taught: in the seven year cycle at
the end of which the son of David will come-in the first year, this verse will be
fulfilled: And I will cause it to rain upon one city and cause it not to rain upon
another city; in the second, the arrows of hunger will be sent forth; in the third, a
great famine, in the course of which men, women, and children, pious men and
saints will die, and the Torah will be forgotten by its students; in the fourth,
partial plenty; in the fifth, great plenty, when men will eat, drink and rejoice, and
the Torah will return to its disciples; in the sixth, [Heavenly] sounds; in the
seventh, wars; and at the conclusion of the septennate the son of David will
come.

In the following passage from Talmud, the sages saw that the Tenakh contained
what appeared to be a contradiction. One the one hand, Messiah would arrive
triumphantly on the clouds, on the other hand, lowly on a donkey. The conclusion
was that if Israel merited it, he would come on the clouds, but if they failed, he
would come on a donkey:

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 98a - R. Alexandri said: R. Joshua b. Levi pointed out
a contradiction. it is written, in its time [will the Messiah come], whilst it is also
written, I [the Lord] will hasten it! — if they are worthy, I will hasten it: if not, [he
will come] at the due time. R. Alexandri said: R. Joshua opposed two verses: it is
written, And behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven
whilst [elsewhere] it is written, [behold, thy king cometh unto thee . . .] lowly,
and riding upon an ass! — if they are meritorious, [he will come] with the clouds
of heaven; if not, lowly and riding upon an ass.

Messiah will come regardless of whether His people merit it or not. However, a
far less desirable scenario comes about if it is the latter.

As stated by Rabbi Pinchas Winston:

Hence, if the Jewish people do not warrant the arrival of Moshiach and
redemption in a positive way, they will be forced to cross a historical threshold to
Yemos HaMoshiach of a far more destructive nature. In Biblical terms, it is called
the "War of Gog and Magog." 2

The Zohar directly associates Daniel 7:13 with the Messiah who will establish the
Kingdom of God:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 145b - R. Hiya then followed

with a discourse on the verse: I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out
knowledge of devices (Prov. VIII, 12). ‘ "Wisdom" here’, he said, ‘alludes to the
Community of Israel; "prudence" signifies Jacob, the prudent man; and
"knowledge of devices" alludes to Isaac, who used devices for the purpose of
blessing Esau. But since wisdom allied itself with Jacob, who was possessed of
prudence, it was he who was blessed by his father, so that all those blessings
rested on him and are fulfilled in him and in his descendants to all eternity.
Some have been fulfilled in this world, and the rest will be fulfilled on the advent
of the Messiah, when Israel will be one nation on earth and one people of the
Holy One, blessed be He. So Scripture says: "And I will make them one nation on
earth" (Ez. XXXVII, 22). And they will exercise dominion both on high and here
below, as it is written: "And, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one
like unto a son of man" (Dan. VII, 13), alluding to the Messiah, concerning whom
it is also written: "And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, etc." (Ibid. II, 44). Hence Jacob desired that the blessings should be
reserved for that future time, and did not take them up immediately.’

Tribes of the Land

The reference to being pierced is a quote from Zechariah. The translation "tribes
of the land" (often mistranslated, "tribes of the earth"), is a direct reference to
the tribes of the Land of Israel, as these are the tribes shown in the book of
Zechariah, from which John is quoting:

Zechariah 12:10-14 - "And I will pour on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look
on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his
only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall
be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the
plain of Megiddo. And the land shall mourn, every family by itself: the family of
the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the
house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house
of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself,
and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by
itself, and their wives by themselves.
8
`I am the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and end, says the Lord, who is, and
who was, and who is coming -- the Almighty.'

The first mystical reference to "beginning and end," is found in Genesis 1:1. The
fourth "word" (in the Hebrew) of that verse is not translated. This "word" is made
up of the letters Aleph and Tav, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet,
which in Hebraic literature, when found together, represent the beginning and
end.

The word-for-word of Genesis 1:1 reads:

Bereshit bara Elohim [aleph-tav] hashamayim ve-et ha-eretz.

In the beginning created god(s) [aleph-tav] heaven and the earth.

The kabbalistic teaching from Genesis 1:1, is that God not only fills all of physical
space (He is everywhere), but also all of time. (Thus explaining how John's vision
encompasses past, present and future - see verse 19.) The term aleph-tav
implies all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (that lie between the aleph and the
tav.

Note that when the middle letter of the alphabet, the Mem, is placed in between
these two letters ("aleph-mem-tav"), you have the word Emet, meaning "truth."
The Mem derives its name from mayim, the Hebrew word for "water," and thus
represents the fluid transition of history from the beginning to the end.3

The Mem also has a numerical value of forty, a number symbolic of a time of
testing, proving, development and judgment.

For instance:
 • Forty Sa'ah of water in a mikvah (immersion tank)

• Forty days of the flood of Noah's time

• Forty days on the mountain for Moses

• Forty years in the desert for the Israelites

• Forty days for a human embryo to take on a recognizable human form

• Forty days of Yeshua being in the Wilderness

• "Forty less one" being the number of the punishment of stripes; categories
of work forbidden on the Sabbath, and weeks of a pregnancy

• Forty cubits being the height of the entrance to the Sanctuary of the
Temple

• Forty Sephirot when one counts all ten in each of the "four worlds"

The role of Hebrew letters in the creation process was briefly mentioned in the
second part of our background study of Spiritual Dimensions. Once thought of by
many as fanciful thought, the idea of that the mysteries of the universe can be
explained by mathematical equations (i.e., the Hebrew letters have numerical
values), is now a fundamental precept of modern physics. Everything that exists
in our physical world comes from the divine world (Azilut) of the Sephirot:

"Creation is portrayed as the unfolding of divine language from the Sefirot into
ideal letters of the spiritual realm which were then impressed upon the physical
world. ... whatever exists in the world must first exist, in divine form, in the
divine realm. Nothing can exist unless it has its "root" in the Sefirot." 4
9
I, John, who also [am] your brother, and fellow-partner in the tribulation, and in
the reign and endurance, of Messiah Yeshua, was in the isle that is called
Patmos, because of the word of God, and because of the testimony of Messiah
Yeshua;
10
a I was in the Spirit on the Lord's-day ...

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan offers the following regarding the connection between the
Ruach (Spirit) and prophecy:

The individual must be in a pure state, not tainted by the Evil Urge (Yetzer Hara),
and beyond the grasp of everything pertaining to the physical. He must be
completely free of any sin that would blemish any of the roots of his soul. Only
then, if he prepares himself properly, can he attach himself to the highest root.
Even though an individual is worthy for it, however, he must still divest his soul
from all mundane things, separating it from all physical concepts. Only then can
it be attached to its spiritual Root. This is the concept of "divestment," discussed
in all the texts with regard to Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) and Prophecy. It does
not refer to actual divestment, where the soul would actually leave the body, as
when one sleeps. If this were the case, the person owuld not experience
prophecy, but it would be like any other dream. But Ruach HaKodesh is
experienced when the individual's soul is in his body, when he is awake, and
when his soul has not left him. 5
10
b and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying,

Trumpet

The reference to "trumpet" could very well be to a shofar. In Hebrew literature,

the sound of the shofar is also associated with; Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Kippur,
Mount Sinai, the Shekinah, Tipheret, Malkut, judgment, and the unification of the
Name of God. (See comments on verse 15 below.)

One modern mystical teaching explains the impact of the blowing of the Shofar
on New Year's, ultimately announcing the "marriage" of divine groom (Tipheret)
and bride (Malkut/Shekinah):

The ram's horn (shofar) also symbolizes the predominance of Hesed (Mercy)
over Din (Gevurah/Judgment), The horn is blown one hundred times during the
Rosh ha-Shanah service. The ram's horn activates the various Sefirot and
creates a configuration of the Sefirot in which Hesed predominates. The horn
itself symbolizes Binah [Understanding] and emphasizes Hesed since it is the
Sefirah that precedes Hesed. ... Confession and repentance on Rosh ha-Shanah
moderate Din with Hesed and ultimately bring about the union of Tiferet and
Malkhut on Yom ha-Kippurim [the Feast of Yom Kippur]. ... Yom ha-Kippurim is a
vivid and symbolic recreation of the events leading up to the revelation of the
Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai ... The Bible recounts that when the laws were
given, "all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the
horn." The holiday concludes its reenactment of Sinai with one final shofar blast.
Yom ha-Kippurim is, therefore, a symbolic reenactment of the revelation of Sinai
and atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf. ... Yom ha-Kippurim is the next
stage of the process of reuniting Tiferet and Malkhut, which began on Rosh ha-
Shanah through softening the power of Din. On Yom ha-Kippurim the Sefirah
Binah, the source of Hesed, prevails and uplifts the Shekinah in preparation for
reunion with Tiferet. 6
11
`I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last;' and, `What you do see,
write in a scroll, and send to the seven assemblies that [are] in Asia; to Ephesus,
and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to
Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.'

The reminder of His being the First and the Last with regard to what is being sent
to the assemblies, is connected to verse 19, where the message is one
transcending time. See also comments to verse 17, on Yeshua being "the First
and the Last."
12
And I did turn to see the voice that did speak with me, and having turned, I
saw seven golden lamp-stands,

"See the Voice"

Note that John does not say he turned to see who spoke, or from where voice
came. Rather, he says he turns to see the voice. How does one see a voice? The
same question may be asked regarding the events of Mt. Sinai, as read about in
the Torah:

Exodus 20:18-19 - And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames,
and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and the people see, and
move, and stand afar off, and say unto Moses, `Speak thou with us, and we hear,
and let not God speak with us, lest we die.'

The connection between John's vision and that at Mount Sinai will be elaborated
on in this study. In both cases there is an experience that transcends the senses
as we understand them in the physical world of Asiyyah. Our separate senses are
linked to our "divided" view of God, as is experienced in the physical world of
Asiyyah. In the upper worlds, our senses as well as what we "sense" are in a
more unified state.

Lampstands

The seven golden lampstands are seven Menorahs. The King James text has
"candlesticks" in place of lampstands. Some Christian studies erroneously teach
that these are single candles and therefore not Menorah's. They go as far as
saying that this is "proof" that Christianity has replaced Judaism, as the single
candlestick represents the single Christian believer of the "New Testament," as
opposed to the seven-branch Menorah, which represents the community
relationship God had with Israel in the "Old Testament."

There is no basis for this claim other than replacement theology. The term
"candlestick," in the singular, is used to represent the Menorah throughout
Jewish literature. Within the Soncino version of the following books, there are 197
references to "candlestick" in the Talmud, 71 in Midrash Rabbah, and 21 in the
Zohar.

The presence of the Shekinah, represented by the Menorah, is said to exist

within the presence of people, now that the Temple is no longer. Compare the
reference to the Shekinah (the presence of God) being present when three or
more study, to Yeshua saying He is present when two or three are gathered in
His name (Matthew 18:20). Recall that in the Tree of Life, the "Sephirah of
Messiah" corresponds to that of Malkut (Shekinah) in Azilut:

The Soncino Zohar in Appendix III - If we ask, how does God manifest His
presence in Israel, the answer is, through the Divine Light, the Shekinah. This
light is the connecting link between the divine and the non-divine. For, according
to the Zohar, God, the protector of Israel, is borne along by four Hayyoth or Holy
Beasts, constituting His throne, and these are borne on other angelic beings,
which again rest on higher firmaments, under which is the lowest heaven, to
which belongs the earth and all its creatures. ... Through this hierarchy an
emanation of the Divine Presence is conveyed to earth, just as, on the other
hand, the prayer of human beings is conveyed up to heaven. The Shekinah
originally rested on the Tabernacle and Temple, but even now it accompanies
the wise, especially when three study together. The ‘throne of God’, consisting of
the Hayyoth, is the instrument of God's providence on earth. For the Hayyoth are
pictured as having each a human face, but with the aspect respectively of a
man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. According, therefore, to the aspect through
which he is looked upon from on high will be the providential care which a man
receives here on earth.

The Menorah represents both the Shekinah and the people themselves, who
have the Shekinah dwelling among them, while in exile. As the Shekinah can be
withdrawn from the people (due to sin - the violation of God's Torah), it can be
said that the Menorah can be withdrawn from them. (re: Revelation 2:5).

The fact that there are seven Menorahs, each with seven branches is also
significant. This is a full representation of the seven "lower" Sephirot, as each of
them contains within itself, aspects of all seven. These 49 lights, leading to and
including Yeshua, correspond to, "The Fifty Gates of Understanding." This
concept is linked to the Feast of Shavuot, which in turn is associated with the
Jubilee, representing the coming Kingdom.

As mentioned in our previous study on Shavuot and the Fifty Gates of

Understanding, the Feast of Shavuot is associated with the Sephirah of Binah,
the source of all things that we can understand. Binah is also the great river from
which all streams of provision flow out, and is linked to the third world of
Beriah/Creation and the Sanctuary in Ezekiel's Temple, from which this great
river finds its "source" (Ezekiel 47). Paul refers to her as "Jerusalem above, being
free, and Mother to us all," in his Galatians epistle. Binah is also the head of the
pillar of judgment, as reflected in the Millennium being a time of strict obedience
and judgment.

(See background notes on Binah among the Sephirot.)

The Zohar links the concept of the Fifty Gates of Understanding to the Shema
and to the Holy One, blessed be (Tipheret), in the following way:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 139b - Corresponding to these

twenty-five, Moses chiselled twenty-five letters in writing the mystery of the
Shema (the twenty-five Hebrew letters contained in the verse, "hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is one"). Jacob wished to express the unity below and
did so in the twenty-four letters of the response to the Shema: "Blessed be the
Name of His glorious Kingdom for ever and ever." He did not bring it up to
twenty-five because the Tabernacle was not yet. But as soon as the Tabernacle
was completed and the first Divine utterance was pronounced there, it contained
twenty-five letters, to show that the Tabernacle was after the supernal pattern,
as it is written, "And the Lord spake to him out of the tabernacle of the
congregation" (Lev. 1, 1-twenty-five letters in Hebrew). Thus the twenty- five
things for the Tabernacle show forth the Sanctuary as a perfect and harmonious
whole in accordance with the mystery of the twenty-five letters, as thou, our
Master, hast taught us. This is the mystery of the whole Tabernacle and of
everything appertaining to its construction. The number twenty-five corresponds
with the twenty-two letters of the Alphabet, along with the Law, the Prophets
and the Writings, which all form one whole sum and one mystery. When the
Israelites proclaim the Unity, expressed in the mystery of the twenty-five letters
of the Shema and in the twenty-four letters of the response, and each person in
the congregations is doing this with devoutness, then all those letters unite as
one and ascend as one unity. Then the forty-nine gates are opened which signify
the mystery of the Jubilee. And when the gates are opened, the Holy One,
blessed be He, regards each of such persons as though he had fulfilled the whole
Torah-the Torah which can be viewed from forty-nine aspects. So it is necessary
to concentrate heart and mind on both the twenty-five and the twenty-four
letters and to raise them with the whole force of intention to the forty-nine
gates, as we have said. Through concentration on this, one will concentrate on
the Unity, for our Master has taught us that the "Hear, O Israel" and the "Blessed
be the Name" are the summary of the whole Torah.
13
and in the midst of the seven lamp-stands, [one] like to a son of man, clothed
to the foot, and girt round at the breast with a golden girdle,

John's vision includes the image of "a son of man" with the characteristics of
God, similar to that of Ezekiel's (only with far greater detail and information).

As author Rabbi J. Henoch states in his book about Nachmanides:

"... the decent unto the celestial Merkabah (chariot) was not restricted to the
viewing of the Merkabah and the holy throne of God, but included at its pinnacle
the vision of God Himself, so to speak, in the image of man." 7

As mentioned in our study on the Names of God, there is much in Hebrew

literature to support the idea of the Messiah being in the "midst of the Shekinah."
Recall what was said in Rabbi Henoch's book concerning Tipheret (Messiah)
resting in the "garment" of Malkut (the Shekinah):

... In slightly different words, all Torah prophecy derives from the Great [Unique]
Name, the sefirah of Tifereth. Moses, because of his greatness, received Torah
prophecy from it directly, whereas Israel, could receive such prophecy only via
the Honorable Name, the sefirah of Atarah (Malkut), which serves as a garment
to the Sefirah of Tifereth, which so to speak, rests in her." 8

The above comment is another way of stating that Moses' level of prophecy was
of Da'at of Beriah (just beneath the Tipheret of Azilut), and that of the Children of
Israel was at the Da'at of Yetzirah, (which is beneath the Malkut of Azilut).

The same book refers to the great teacher Nachmanides' final comments on the
book of Exodus:

"And it is plausible that the verse mentions another time 'And the Glory of God
fills His tabernacle.' alluding to (the mystery) of 'The Glory of God dwells in His
midst,'" referring to the inner union between the two major sefiroth of the seven
lower sefiroth of the Divine Atziluth: Tifereth (Beauty/Mercy) and Malkhuth
(Kingdom/Justice), and as explained by R. Bahya ben Asher: "And parallel to
revelation on Mount Sinai, the Torah mentions here twice 'The Glory of God.'
alluding to (the sefirah) Tifereth, which dwells in the midst of the Sefirah) Glory
(Malkhuth). Understand that, for the Rav (Ramban) had this in mind." 9

As we have seen throughout the background material to this study, the Zohar
supports this statement of Messiah being in the midst of the Shekinah. (Recall
that the Malkut of Azilut [Shekinah] is also the Sephirah of the Messiah.) It makes
reference to a "celestial living being" called "Israel" (that resembled Jacob),
which accompanied the Shekinah with Israel. As mentioned in our background
notes, this being was accompanied by 42 attendants, each with a relationship to
the 42-letter Holy Name of God.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 5a - Said R. Simeon: ‘When the

Shekinah went down to Egypt, a celestial "living being" (Hayah, cf.Ezek. 1, 5),
called "Israel", in form like the patriarch Jacob, went down with Her,
accompanied by forty-two heavenly attendants, each of whom bore a letter
belonging to the Holy Name. ... When R. Isaac was once studying with R. Eleazar,
the son of R. Simeon, he asked him: ‘Did the Shekinah go down to Egypt with
Jacob?’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘Surely! Did not God say to Jacob, "I will go down with
thee into Egypt" (Gen. XLVI, 4)?’

The relationship between the Shekinah, Messiah and Metatron, is found in

numerous passages of the Zohar, including these, where both the Shekinah and
Messiah are seen as coming from Edom to judge:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 52a - And in the future all of
them shall be delivered up, as it says: "Who is this that cometh from Edom...?"
(Isa. LXIII, 1). And this indeed is the significance of the words: "And he went
behind them"- that the Shekinah will uproot them all at the end of days.’

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 238a - HE HATH WASHED HIS

GARMENT IN WINE . With this may be compared the verse: "Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?" (IS. LXIII, 1); and also: "I
have trodden the winepress alone, etc." (Ibid. 3). "Wine" here alludes to the side
of Geburah, of stern justice which will be visited on the idolatrous nations. AND
HIS VESTURE IN THE BLOOD OF GRAPE . This is the lower-world tree, the
judgement court which is called "grapes", in which the "wine" is kept. Thus the
Messiah will be clothed in both to crush beneath him all the idolatrous peoples
and kings.

Metatron (i.e., Messiah) is also said to be an embodiment of the Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 94b - "I am the Lord, that is my
name, and my glory will I not give to another" (Isa. XLII, 8). Nor is it to be
thought that the body which harbours the daughter of the king shall be sold into
the power of earthly crowns of defilement. Against this the Scripture says: "And
the land shall not be sold in perpetuity" (Lev. xxv, 23). Which is the body of the
King's daughter? Metatron; and this same body is identical with the handmaid of
the Shekinah.

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 60 - R. Simeon then discoursed on

the verse: "Behold it is the litter of Solomon, threescore mighty men are round
about it", etc. (S.S. III, 7). He said: ‘The "litter" here is the throne of glory of the
King, Solomon, the "king to whom all peace belongs". Threescore mighty men
are round about it, clinging to its sides as emissaries from stern judgement; they
are called the sixty rods of fire wherewith that Youth [Tr. note: Metatron.] is girt.

Zohar I (Vayechi) 223a - One youth, whose measure is from the height of the
world to the end of the world, emerges between her legs. He is clothed in sixty
whips of fire [the Shekinah]. This is his appearance when he is appointed over
those below on (all) four sides. This is the lad who holds six hundred and thirteen
exalted keys from the domain of Mother (Binah), and all these exalted keys hang
on the point of the sword girded to his belt. (i.e., the 613 commands of the Word
(the Torah), making up the "sword of the Spirit" as found in Ephesians 6:17 and
Isaiah 59:17.)

This same portion of the Zohar refers to Metatron as "holy Israel." This
understanding impacts the "Servant Song" verses in Isaiah, where the subject is
disputed to be either Israel or Messiah):

Zohar I (Vayechi) 223a - Come and see: holy Israel on high is called the son of
his mother, as it is written, "For I am a son to my father, the dear only one of my
mother", and it is written, "Israel is my firstborn son". So too below, this one is
called his mother's lad, as it is written, "Israel is a lad and I love him".

The "angel of the Lord," whom God sent to guide the Israelites in the book of
Exodus (which is also said to be Metatron 10), is associated with the Shekinah:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXXII:9 - BEHOLD, I SEND AN ANGEL. Wherever

the angel appeared, the Shechinah appeared, as it says, And the angel of the
Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire (Ex. III, 2), and immediately after, it
says, God called unto him. Moreover, salvation cometh to Israel wherever they
cry unto Him1; at the thorn-bush--Behold, the cry of the children of Israel is
come unto me; in the case of Gideon--And the angel of the Lord came... and the
angel of the Lord appeared... and the Lord... said: Go in this thy might, and save
Israel (Judg. VI, 11-14). In the millennium, likewise, when he will reveal himself,
salvation will come to Israel, as it says, Behold, I send My messenger, and he
shall clear the way before Me (Mal. III, 1).

Note in the above passage, that the angel of the Lord appears in the flame,
similar to how Yeshua appears among the seven Menorah. This angel of the Lord
is identified as Metatron, and is said to have God's Name in him, as shown in the
Talmud:

Talmud, Sanhedrin 38b - A heretic challenged Rabbi Idit: It is written, "(God)

said to Moses, 'Go up to YHVH'" {Exodus 24:1}. (Since God was speaking), it
should say 'Go up to Me!' Rabbi Idit answered: (YHVH) here means Metatron,
whose name is the same as the name of his Lord. As it is written, "Behold, I am
sending an angel before you to guard you on the way... My name is in him"
{Exodus 23:20-21}.

As we have discussed earlier in this study, at the present time, Messiah and
Shekinah are not united, and the Shekinah is with Israel and those gentiles who
join themselves to the faith of Israel.

The Zohar has an interesting commentary on God "allowing" for this separation
to occur:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - The Holy One, blessed be
He, unlike a human husband, who would protest violently should anyone take
from him the wife whom he so dearly loves, is greatly pleased when the
Shekinah, whom He so loves, is "taken" from the supernal sphere, the abode of
Love, to dwell below in the midst of Israel. Happy is the lot of Israel and happy
that of all those who are worthy of this. ... However, although they "take" Her
(the Shekinah), they may do so only when her Spouse specially grants
permission, and only in accordance with His will, in order that He may be
worshipped in love.

As we will see later in this study, the Shekinah's fury is unleashed upon the earth
in the "Tribulation" when haSatan, in the form of the anti-Messiah (and false
Tzaddik), puts himself in the place of the true bridegroom.
14
and his head and hairs white, as if white wool -- as snow, and his eyes as a
flame of fire;

The book of Enoch associates a head of white wool with the Ancient of Days, who
has the Son of man standing with him:

Enoch 46:1 - There I beheld the Ancient of days, whose head was like white
wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of a man.

Daniel also spoke of God in this fashion:

Daniel 7:9 - I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days
did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure
wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

Midrash views a hair of wool as a sign of total superiority above all and pending
judgment:

Midrash Rabbah - Esther I:6 - R. Levi said in the name of R. Samuel b.

Nahman: It is written, And the hair of His head like pure wool (Dan. VII, 9),
indicating that no creature has the least claim upon Him.4 R. Judan said in the
name of R. Aibu: It is written, I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the
peoples there was no man with Me (Isa. LXIII, 3). Does God require the
assistance of the nations that He says, ' And of the peoples there was no man
with Me’? What the Holy One, blessed be He, really said was this: ' When I shall
examine the records of the nations and they shall be found to have no merit
before Me, then I shall tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury.’
R. Phinehas and R. Hilkiah in the name of R. Simon said: It is written, And it shall
come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations, etc. (Zech. XII
9). ’I will seek!’ Who can prevent Him? In fact what God meant was this: When I
shall examine the records of the nations and they will not be found to have any
merit before Me, then ’I will seek to destroy all nations’.

The reference to eyes as flames of fire is also one of judgment, tied directly to
feet of brass (below).
15
and his feet [were] like fine brass, as in a furnace having been fired, and his
voice as a sound of many waters,

Brass is another symbol of judgment, in this case related to "powers and

principalities" that lie behind the nations, whom Messiah is coming to judge (see
comments on verse 16). Note also the Messianic reference to Sukkot:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135a - Brass is symbolic of the

days of the Sacrifices of the Feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot], which alluded to the
powers and principalities of the heathen nations, who are designated "mountains
of brass".

Note the above description of the "powers and principalities of the heathen
nations," as "mountains." This will be important later in the text of this letter.

The reference to "many waters" in verse 15, is yet another link to Sukkot, as
seen in John's gospel:

John 7:2 - and the feast of the Jews was nigh -- that of tabernacles

John 7:37-38 - And in the last, the great day of the feast, Yeshua stood and
cried, saying, `If any one doth thirst, let him come unto me and drink; he who is
believing in me, according as the Writing said, Rivers out of his belly shall flow of
living water;'

Kabbalistically, judgment belongs to the Sephirah of Tipheret, (the "Son"),

though it is seen as being carried out by Gevurah (the Sephirah of the 'evil
realm") and Malkut (the Shekinah).11

The reference to the voice of many waters alludes to the will of God (blessings
and cursings), as seen in the waters of Eden. The voice heard by Moses at Mount
Sinai, was also said to be one of many voices:

Bahir 45 - This teaches us that the Torah was given (at Sinai) with seven voices.
In each of them the Master of the Universe revealed Himself to them, and they
saw Him. It is thus written, "And all the people saw the voices."

The following passage from the Zohar, strongly resembles the text of Revelation,
as it links the seven voices with the Holy One blessed be He (Tipheret), who is
sitting on the throne, amidst the fire (i.e., "candlesticks") and speaking as a
trumpet:
Soncino Zohar, Devarim, Section 3, Page 261a - GO THOU NEAR AND
HEAR, ETC. When the Law was given to Israel, all the Voices were present and
the Holy One, blessed be He, was sitting on His throne, and one was seen within
another, and the utterance of each came forth from the one above it, wherefore
it is said, "The Lord spake to you face to face in the mount out of the midst of
the fire" (Deut. v, 4), which means that the utterance came forth from the midst
of fire and flame, which thrust it forth by the force of spirit and water; and
fire, spirit and water all issued from the trumpet which contained them all.

The voice emanating from the fire and flame, mentioned in the above Zohar
passage, has a direct connection to Moses, who also "saw" God in the form of a
voice, which is called "the messenger (angel) of YHVH":

Exodus 3:2-4 - and there appeareth unto him a messenger of YHVH in a flame
of fire, out of the midst of the bush, and he seeth, and lo, the bush is burning
with fire, and the bush is not consumed. And Moses saith, `Let me turn aside, I
pray thee, and I see this great appearance; wherefore is the bush not burned?'
and YHVH seeth that he hath turned aside to see, and God calleth unto him out
of the midst of the bush, and saith, `Moses, Moses;' and he saith, `Here [am] I.'

"Spirit, water and fire," (mentioned in the above Zohar verse), also are
associated with the letters in the name Moses (Mem-Shin-Heh). The Mem is
associated with water, the Shin with fire, and the Heh with spirit. These parallel
the three pillars of the Godhead, as discussed in an earlier study.

Midrash Rabbah tells us that the voice of waters, is the Torah:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:19 - Just as water is from heaven, as
it says, At the sound of His giving, a multitude of waters in the heavens (Jer. X,
13), so the Torah is from heaven, as it says, I have talked with you from heaven
(Ex. XX, 19). Just as [the downpour of] water is accompanied by loud
thunderings, as it says, the voice of the Lord is upon the waters (Ps. XXIX, 3), so
the Torah was given with loud thunderings, as it says, And it came to pass on the
third day when it was morning that there were thunders and lightnings (Ex. XIX,
16).
16
and having in his right hand seven stars, and projecting [from] (out of) his
mouth a sharp two-edged sword is proceeding, and his countenance [is] as the
sun shining in its might.

The seven stars are explained in the comments to verse 20 (see below).

The sword is said to be "projecting" from the mouth of the Lord. This is an
allusion to the "giving" of the Torah. Those who did not "hear" (i.e., Shema
Israel) would be condemned. Judgment comes from the word of God – the Torah.
Following God’s Torah (which includes Messiah) in faith, brings salvation.
Disobedience to God’s Torah brings condemnation:

Deuteronomy 8:3 - So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you
with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might
make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every
word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.

Psalm 7:11 - God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If
he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes
it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows
into fiery shafts.

Hebrews 4:11-13 - Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone
fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the
division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight,
but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give
account.

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua.

Revelation 19:15 - Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He
should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He
Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

The sword as representing Torah, is found in Hebrew commentaries as well:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXI:9 - Our Rabbis said: SWORD refers to the
Torah, as it is written, And a two-edged sword in their hand (Ps. CXLIX, 6).

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus LI:8 - And the children of Israel stripped

themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward (ib. 6). (By three
names is this mount known: The mountain of God, ‘Mount Horeb’ and Mount
Sinai.2 Why ’ The mountain of God ' ? (ib. XVIII, 5). Because it was there that God
manifested His Godhead. And Sinai? use [it was on that mount] that God showed
that He hates (sane) the angels and loves mankind. And why was it called
’Horeb’? (ib. XXXIII, 6)--Because thereon was the Torah, called ‘a sword’ (hereb),
given, as it says, Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged
sword in their hand (Ps. CXLIX, 6).

Soncino Zohar, Devarim, Section 3, Page 269a - A man should sharpen the
intellect of his son on the words of the Torah like a two-edged sword, so that he
should not be dull.

Conversely, Scripture uses the "sword" metaphor to represent lies opposed to

God's Torah as well:

Psalm 57:4 - My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set
on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be
exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 85b - Happy are those who know
the ways of the Torah and study it in the proper manner, for they plant trees of
life which are superior to all healing medicines. Therefore it says, "The law of
truth was in his mouth" (Mal. II, 6). For there is a law which is not of truth,
namely, of him who gives decisions without being qualified, and one who learns
from him learns something which is not truth.
17
And when I saw him, I did fall at his feet as dead, and he placed his right hand
upon me, saying to me, `Be not afraid; I am the First and the Last,

Yeshua calls Himself in the same manner that John refers to God in verse 4. In
the book of Isaiah, God refers to Himself in this same way, as being both "King of
Israel" (a title for Tipheret, as discussed earlier), and "the First and the Last":

Isaiah 44:6 - "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the
LORD of hosts: "I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God."

Isaiah 48:12 - "Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the
First, I am also the Last."

Isaiah holds yet another interesting verse regarding the "first and the last." Here
again the "sword" (Torah) of God comes to judge:

Isaiah 41:1-4 - Keep silent towards Me, O isles, And the peoples pass on [to]
power, They come nigh, then they speak, `Together -- to judgment we draw
near.' Who stirred up from the east a righteous one? He calleth him to His foot,
He giveth before him nations, And kings He causeth him to rule, He giveth
[them] as dust [to] his sword, As driven stubble [to] his bow. He pursueth them,
he passeth over in safety A path with his feet he entereth not. Who hath wrought
and done, Calling the generations from the first? I, YHWH, the first, and with the
last I [am] He.

The above reference of a righteous one being stirred from the "east." may be
understood kabbalistically as from the "right side" of the Tree of Life (the side of
mercy), or in a more literal sense, referring to the wilderness of the east (Isaiah
40:3).
18
and the living one (he who is living), and though I was (did become) dead, and,
behold, I am alive forevermore (living to the ages of the ages). Amen! and I have
the keys of the hades and of the death.

The above reference to death is a description of the fulfillment of Daniel’s

prophecy that the Messiah would die:

Daniel 9:24-27 - Seventy weeks are determined for thy people, and for thy holy
city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and
to bring in righteousness age-during, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to
anoint the holy of holies. And thou dost know, and dost consider wisely, from the
going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem till Messiah the Leader
[is] seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks: the broad place hath been built
again, and the rampart, even in the distress of the times. And after the sixty and
two weeks, cut off is Messiah, and the city and the holy place are not his, the
Leader who hath come doth destroy the people; and its end [is] with a flood, and
till the end [is] war, determined [are] desolations. And he hath strengthened a
covenant with many -- one week, and [in] the midst of the week he causeth
sacrifice and present to cease, and by the wing of abominations he is making
desolate, even till the consummation, and that which is determined is poured on
the desolate one.'
19
`Write the things that you have seen, and the things that are, and the things
that are about to come after these things;

See comments to verse 8 above. This is another hint to the high level of John's
vision. Of course, this is what makes Revelation such a difficult and intriguing
study, as we are so used to thinking in terms of linear time.
20
the secret of the seven stars that have seen upon my right hand, and the
seven golden lamp-stands: the seven stars are messengers of the seven
assemblies, and the seven lamp-stands that have seen are seven assemblies.

As mentioned in the comments to verse 12, the Menorah (lamp-stand)

represents both the Shekinah and the people among whom the Shekinah is
present, here being represented by the seven "types" of groups.

The term "stars" is a common euphemism for angels ("good" and "bad" ones), in
Jewish mystical literature. This will be elaborated on as we move forward into the
text study.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 230b - ... and then the angels of
the third watch commenced to sing, and also all the stars and constellations of
the heaven, as it is written: "When the morning stars sung together and all the
sons of God shouted for joy" (Job XXXVIII, 7), and also, "Praise him, all ye stars of
light" (Ps. CXLVIII, 3), these being the radiant stars which are appointed to sing
at dawn.

1. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Feldheim
Publishers, 1997, p. 343, citing Zohar 3:103a, Tikkunei Zohar 21 (55a).

2. Approaching the Threshold: Current Events in Light of the Past, Rabbi Pinchas
Winston, http://www.thirtysix.org/video.htm#APPROACHING.

3. For an expounded teaching, see Waters of Eden, Aryeh Kaplan, NCSY

Orthodox Union, 1976, pp. 62-73.

4. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson, London, 1988, p.115, 129.

5. Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach
Maine, 1978, p. 49.
6. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason
Aronson, London, 1988, p.152.

7. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,

London 1998, p.181.

8. ibid, p.148.

9. ibid, p. 93.

10. Kabbalah and Exodus, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach Maine, 1980, p. 129.

11. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,
London 1998, p.205.

Revelation 2:1-7
Last update: October 29, 2001

In chapters 2 and 3, John's vision is a communique from the heavenlies to seven

Messianic assemblies. This can be interpreted as words from the Groom
(Tipheret, the heavenly Yeshua) to His bride (Malkut), the community of Israel in
exile, with the Shekinah among them. The bride is to be chaste and the criteria
for determining this is her following the Torah (i.e., Ephesians 5:26-27).

In this part of the study (2:1-7), we devote a considerable amount of attention to

the first of the seven assemblies, the one at Ephesus. There are a number of
themes discussed in this complex section, including:

1. Additional insight into the number "seven," in this case representing an

incomplete structure

2. Angels used by God to carry out His will, (as well as groups of angels being
under the authority of a "higher ranking" angel)

3. The punishment of kareth, (meaning to be cut off), equivalent to

premature death

4. The relationship of the Shekinah to faith and to the body of Messiah

5. The relationship of the Messiah (the Sephirah of Tipheret) to the Shekinah

6. The concept of midah k'neged midah, "measured punishment"

7. Seriousness of sinning against the Shekinah and/or Ruach haKodesh (Holy

Spirit)

The Seven Assemblies

As we will see in the next two chapters, Yeshua has separate messages for seven
congregations. These seven messages are sent through seven angelic
messengers. This can be interpreted to mean that the messages have a more
universal significance, as the number "seven" is often used in Hebrew literature
to be an incomplete structure that represents a greater number or deeper
meaning.1

For example, the following verse from the Midrash Rabbah (concerning the
Mount Sinai experience in the book of Exodus), shows that the Lord's voice was
actually seven voices, which in turn went to seven heavenly messengers, or
"archangels" (similar to what we have in this chapter of Revelation). The
message then goes to the "the seventy nations" of the world. This is similar to
what is seen in Acts, chapter 2.

This teaching does not limit God to "only" having seven voices. The number
seven acts as a representation:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXVIII:6 - These words the Lord spoke unto all
your assembly... with a great voice, and it went on no more (Deut.V, 19). R.
Johanan said: It was one voice that divided itself into seven voices, and these
into seventy languages. R. Simeon b. Lakish said: [It was the voice] from which
all the subsequent prophets received their prophecy. The Sages said: It had no
echo. R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan: How is it possible
to say, The voice of the Lord is with power (Ps. XXIX, 4)? Do we not know that no
creature can withstand the voice of an angel, as it says, His body also was like
the beryl... and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude (Dan.X, 6).
Was it then necessary for the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it says, Do not I
fill heaven and earth? (Jer. XXIII, 24) to speak with power? The meaning,
however, of ’ The voice of the Lord is with power’ is that it was with the power of
all voices.

The number seven is also associated with the number of people called to read
from the Torah on Shabbat, they being representative of the total body. The
people who read, represent the "seven voices of God":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 206a - The celestial holiness is

thus diffused through the whole, especially on the day of Sabbath. On that day
seven persons are called up to take part in the public reading of the Law,
corresponding to the seven voices.

The Zohar denotes a similar concept, referring to "seven zones of earth," each
having ten divisions within it, (thus creating the "seventy nations"), presided
over by seventy angels.2

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 30b - Observe that whatever is

engendered on earth grows through the stimulus of a celestial Chieftain who has
charge over it, and that all on earth is shaped after a celestial pattern. There are
on high seven firmaments, and seven zones of earth. Correspondingly, in the
lower world there are seven graded firmaments and seven zones of earth.
These, as the Companions have expounded, are arranged like the rungs of a
ladder, rising one above the other, and each zone has ten divisions, so that there
are seventy in all. Each one of these is presided over by a Chieftain, and these
seventy Chieftains have under their charge the seventy nations of the earth.
These seventy earth-divisions, again, border on and surround the Holy Land, as
Scripture says: “Behold, it is the couch of Solomon; threescore mighty men are
about, of the mighty men of Israel” (S.S. III, 7), there being, in addition to the
threescore mentioned, ten concealed among their number. All these surround
the Holy Land. This alludes to the upper world, and the same is reproduced in
the lower world.

The number "seven" as a representation of a larger body (in similar fashion to

these seven assemblies) can also be seen in the Talmud, which speaks of "seven
types of Pharisees," (not all of them being good, as is also true of these seven
Messianic assemblies):

Talmud - Mas. Sotah 22b - Our Rabbis have taught: There are seven types of
Pharisees: the shikmi Pharisee, the nikpi Pharisee, the kizai Pharisee, the ‘pestle’
Pharisee, the Pharisee [who constantly exclaims] ‘What is my duty that I may
perform it?’, the Pharisee from love [of God] and the Pharisee from fear. The
shikmi Pharisee — he is one who performs the action of Shechem. The nikpi
Pharisee — he is one who knocks his feet together. The kizai Pharisee — R.
Nahman b. Isaac said: He is one who makes his blood to flow against walls. The
‘pestle’ Pharisee — Rabbah b. Shila said: [His head] is bowed like [a pestle in] a
mortar. The Pharisee [who constantly exclaims] ‘What is my duty that I may
perform it?’ — but that is a virtue! — Nay, what he says is, ‘What further duty is
for me that I may perform it?’ The Pharisee from love and the Pharisee from fear
— Abaye and Raba said to the tanna [who was reciting this passage], Do not
mention ‘the Pharisee from love and the Pharisee from fear’; for Rab Judah has
said in the name of Rab: A man should always engage himself in Torah and the
commandments even though it be not for their own sake, because from
[engaging in them] not for their own sake, he will come [to engage in them] for
their own sake. R. Nahman b. Isaac said: What is hidden is hidden, and what is
revealed is revealed; the Great Tribunal will exact punishment from those who
rub themselves against the walls. King Jannai said to his wife’, ‘Fear not the
Pharisees and the non-Pharisees but the hypocrites who ape the Pharisees;
because their deeds are the deeds of Zimri but they expect a reward like
Phineas’.

Character of the Seven Assemblies

These seven messianic assemblies in chapters 2 and 3 (erroneously called

"churches" - see previous comments in notes to 1:1-6), would likely have been
congregations started by some of the original disciples. The pattern followed
would have been similar to that we see of Paul's, going first to the Jews at the
city's synagogue (as well as gentiles who were pursuing the faith of Israel). Our
Romans study deals with this topic in detail.

Typically, the disciples encountered a combination of acceptance and rejection of

the message of Messiah Yeshua, from the local Jews, whereupon the message
would then go out to the gentiles. As the congregations in Revelation chapters 2
and 3 are a fair distance from Jerusalem, they were probably a mix of Jewish and
gentile believers, some quite possibly with a high percentage of gentiles.

With the foresight of what is written in chapters 4-20 (having to do with the
seven year Tribulation of the end times), it can be suggested that the "advice"
being dispensed to the seven congregations is meant not only for them, but for a
future time period. As ,mentioned earlier, this is similar to the last words of
Moses, who addressed the people before him, but spoke of them as being in the
last days.

Salutations, Rebukes, Praises and Promises

Each of the seven assemblies receives some combination of either; salutation,

rebuke, praise or promise. As might be expected, there are reasons for these
distinctions made between these. We will explore these as we examine each
individual assembly.

There is an important concept to introduce here (that will be elaborated upon as

we move forward), that being, midah k'neged midah. (Literally "measure for
measure" - e.g., the [God's] punishment is properly suited to the "crime.") As
these congregations are guilty of varying offenses, we can expect to see
different types of warnings and punishments.

As stated in Talmud:

Mishna, Sotah 1:7 - According to one's behavior, they (Heaven) behave with
him.
1
To the messenger of the Ephesian assembly write:

This is the only one of the seven assemblies that we have additional reference to
in Scripture, namely the book of Ephesians. Naturally, this is a good place to look
for help in interpreting some of what Yeshua is saying here in Revelation,
especially with regard to the rebuke of verses 4 and 5.
2
These things saith he who is holding the seven stars in his right hand, who is
walking in the midst of the seven lamp-stands -- the golden

Yeshua refers to Himself specifically in the same terms seen earlier in Revelation
1:12-19. In that previous section, the one with the seven stars in the midst of the
seven menorahs, was also the one coming in harsh judgment for those in
opposition to God. His description of being in the midst of the Menorahs,
reinforces the theme of groom and bride, as the Menorah is symbolic of the
Shekinah and faithful remnant of Israel. This detail will be important as we
analyze this section.
4
But I have against thee: That thy first love thou didst leave!
5
remember, then, whence thou hast fallen, and reform, and the first works do;
and if not, I come to thee quickly, and will remove thy lamp-stand from its place
-- if thou mayest not reform;
The warning against the assembly at Ephesus is a very stern one -- removal of
their menorah from its place. This would be equivalent to the punishment of
being "cut off" from the assembly of Israel, (known as kareth, with the
implication of premature death), as found in the Torah.

As the Shekinah resides with the assembly of Israel (see previous studies on the
Shekinah), removal of the menorah is equivalent to separation from the
Shekinah, and possibly not entering the eternal Sabbath (i.e., Hebrews 4:2).

Three questions we will attempt to answer, regarding the Ephesian congregation,

are:

• What is their "first love?"

• Were did they "fall from?"

• What are their "first works?"

Comparison to the Book of Ephesians

As mentioned, the book of Ephesians gives us some insight, and it is to there

that we turn to help interpret these words of Yeshua in this chapter of
Revelation. In chapter 1 of Ephesians, Paul speaks of both; a) a mystery, and b)
Yeshua gathering all things in heaven and earth together. This verse is in the
midst of 1:3-14, which is in the form of a Hebrew b'rakah (benediction)2.

Ephesians 1:9-10 - Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in
Messiah, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

Recall that in the salutation to the Ephesians assembly (Revelation 2:1), Yeshua
speaks of Himself as the one with the stars and lamp-stands. The stars are a
representation of the heavens and that which is in heaven (angelic beings). The
lampstand (menorah) represents the Shekinah and those faithful to God ("the
Bride"), as Paul alludes to in Ephesians 1:10 above.

As mentioned in our background files, the various heavenly and earthly realms
are connected to the letters of the 4-letter name of God (YHVH) and the one who
will unify this name at the end of the age. This "mystery" that Paul speaks of, is
hidden in the various kabbalistic texts that we have previously cited, and is
identified as either; the angel Bo'el, Metatron or Messiah.

Paul continues to explain that this salvation is "unto the praise (honor) of His
glory." Both terms, honor (i.e., the "honorable name" of God) and "His glory," are
associated with the Shekinah (the "honorable name of God" and "glory of God"),
as discussed earlier in this study.

Ephesians 1:14 - Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption
of the purchased possession, unto the praise [honor] of his glory.
The next clues that we find regarding our "three questions," are in chapter 2 of
Ephesians:

Ephesians 2:1-2 - And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedience.

Ephesians 2:11-13 - Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles

in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the
Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without
Messiah, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in
Messiah Yeshua ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of
Messiah.

Paul is addressing a very gentile congregation at Ephesus, (or at least the gentile
faction of the congregation). He tells them that they were among those who
walked according to the world, and were not in the faith of Israel and its Torah
(covenants of promise). He reminds them that they were once strangers to this.
Conversely, those gentiles who now came to God through Yeshua are not part of
some new (i.e., Christian) faith, but are entering (as gentiles), into the existing
faith of Israel and its Torah. God and His Torah did not change with the coming of
Yeshua.

Paul continues to remind the gentiles at Ephesus that their salvation and
relationship to God is founded upon the faith of Israel -- its Torah, as well as its
Hebrew prophets, Hebrew Messiah and Hebrew people. As we will discuss
shortly, it is important to recall that the Shekinah resides ("in exile") with the
children of Israel in exile from the Land. Paul identifies the faith community they
were once alien to (2:12 above), as being the household of God:

Ephesians 2:19-22 - Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,

but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yeshua Messiah himself being
the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth
unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an
habitation of God through the Spirit.

Part of the "mystery" that Paul was revealing in Ephesians was that the gentiles
could become part of the same existing body ("fellow heirs" with the Jews within
the faith of Israel that God had already established). Note Paul does not preach a
"new body" for gentiles, but they are now of the same body, that being the faith
community of Israel with its Torah, etc:

Ephesians 3:6 - That the gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body,
and partakers of his promise in Messiah by the gospel:
Paul gave thanks that he could teach these gentiles about their salvation within
the faith of Israel, as the "unsearchable riches of Messiah" that he speaks of are
found in the teachings of this existing faith:

Ephesians 3:8 - Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace
given, that I should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of
Messiah

The next key verse is Ephesians 3:17 (below). Paul's prayer for the Ephesian
gentile's faith, speaks to their "being rooted and grounded in love." This "love" is
not baseless emotionalism, but is established in a view of their faith which is
"rooted and grounded" in the Torah, prophets, Messiah and Hebrew people, as
he already mentioned earlier in his letter (2:19-22 above):

Ephesians 3:17 - That Messiah may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being
rooted and grounded in love.

Paul called upon these gentiles at Ephesus to walk as they were called:

Ephesians 4:1 - I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called

This "walk" (halakha), of the Ephesians is within the ONE FAITH that they were
now part of (i.e., Ephesians 2:11-13), which is the faith of Israel as given in the
Torah:

Ephesians 4:4-5 - There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in
one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Note the elements that Paul brings forth from the above verses:

1. One body - Israel (see 3:6 above)

2. One Spirit - i.e., the Shekinah, abiding with Israel, and bride to the Messiah

3. One Lord - the Messiah, Lord of Israel, and groom to the Shekinah

4. One faith - based in the Torah of Israel given by God

5. One baptism - immersion into the faith of Israel with its Messiah (baptism
= to take the likeness of)

Yeshua Himself made clear that there is one faith, based in the Torah of Israel,
and that this did not change to any degree:

John 4:22 - Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for
salvation is of the Jews.

Matthew 5:17-21 - Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye
shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Paul, in his Romans letter, made clear that faith in Yeshua did not do away with
the Torah (the basis of the faith of Israel), but confirmed it:

Romans 3:31 - Do we then make void the Torah through faith? Certainly not!
On the contrary, we establish the Torah.

This faith of Israel, which the Ephesian gentiles were now part of, is what they
were to hold to. This was to be based solidly in Torah so that they would not be
"tossed to and from" in any non-Torah doctrine. This is what Paul wanted them to
be aware of:

Ephesians 4:14-15 - That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and

fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and
cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in
love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Messiah:

By examining the letter of Ephesians, it can be shown that although those in the
assembly at Ephesus were heeding many of God's commandments (verses 2 and
3), their first love, made up of the understanding that they as gentiles were
welcomed into a relationship with God, that was rooted in the Hebrew faith of
Israel, had escaped them.

In other words, what we have at Ephesus is the early stage of a non-Hebrew (and
eventually anti-Torah) faith, much like what we see today in Christianity, which
presents itself as the superior replacement to the faith of Israel.

For example, in an appendix to a popular version of the King James Bible,

regarding the book of Hebrews, it says:

"With carefully reasoned arguments the author showed that Christianity is

superior to Judaism," ... "Christianity is the perfect religion." 3

The same commentary regarding the book of Galatians states:

"Galatians has been called the Christian declaration of independence. It is Paul's

answer to those who challenged his authority as an apostle and who urged
Christians in Galatia to live according to the Law of Moses. Adoption of the Jewish
Law by Gentile Christians would have made Christianity merely a sect within
Judaism. Paul taught that bondage to the Law ended when Christ made all men
free." 4

(See our article, Not Subject to the Law of God? in the YashaNet library, for more
on the subject of Christianity and its view of Torah.)
Yeshua's warning of "being cut off," is similar to what Paul warned another
gentile group in Rome concerning their relationship to Israel:

Romans 11:17-24 - And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being
a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the
root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou
boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The
branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief
they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not
thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell,
severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in
unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou
were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary
to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the
natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

(See our Romans study for more about gentile's relationship to Torah.)

Returning to our three questions:

What is their "first love?" - The love of their being included in the faith of Israel,
with its Torah, prophets, Messiah, people and Shekinah.

Were did they fall from? They had been raised up out of a pagan gentile
existence into the Hebrew faith of Israel (Eph. 2:11-13), and thus into a
relationship with the God of Israel, via the Ruach haKodesh (i.e., Shekinah - see
notes below on midah k'neged midah).

What are their "first works?" Recognition and appreciation for the root of their
faith, based on the covenant of Torah (Ephesians 2:11-13).

Yeshua's threat to remove the congregation from its place (or conversely, to
remove the Shekinah from them), is directed toward the entire assembly,
possibly indicating a prevalent attitude. The Zohar indicates that the groom, the
Holy One blessed be He (Tipheret/Messiah), has the authority to separate the
Shekinah from the people, though His desire is for Her (called the "Matrona," His
bride) to abode with the people:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - Blessed are the righteous
who have learnt how to centre all their thoughts and desires on the Heavenly
King, and whose aspirations are directed, not towards the vain and foolish toys
of this world and its lusts, but to attaching themselves wholeheartedly to the
world above in order to draw down the favour of the Lord Himself from heaven to
earth. What is the place whence they receive this favour? It is a holy supernal
region, whence emanate all holy wills and desires. This is known as "every man",
who is identical with the "Righteous", the Lord of the House, whose love is
always directed towards the Matrona, like a husband who loves his wife always.
"Whose heart is willing": that is, His heart goes out to Her, and Her heart to Him.
And although their mutual love is so great that they never separate, yet "ye shall
take from Him My heave offering", meaning, "ye should take the Shekinah to
dwell with you". The Holy One, blessed be He, unlike a human husband, who
would protest violently should anyone take from him the wife whom he so dearly
loves, is greatly pleased when the Shekinah, whom He so loves, is "taken" from
the supernal sphere, the abode of Love, to dwell below in the midst of Israel.
Happy is the lot of Israel and happy that of all those who are worthy of this.

A HISTORICAL NOTE

What is of particular historical significance is the punishment these

predominantly gentile communities of believers received when they abandoned
their "first love" and developed the various branches of early gentile Christianity.
Quite a number of gentile Christian sects evolved in the early centuries. As early
as the year 187, the Christian Bishop Iraneus counted twenty different varieties
of Christianity. By the year 384, Epiphanius counted eighty.5 (Thus falling into the
trap Paul warned about in Ephesians 4:14.)

Because they no longer considered themselves part of Judaism, these Christian

groups opened themselves up to "legal persecution" from the Roman empire.
This occured because new religions were not tolerated by the Romans. Rome,
going back to the original Caesar, had given Judaism the right to exist as a
collegia, within the Empire, due to it being an ancient religion, predating the
Romans.6

As early as the beginning of the second century, we see legal cases against
"Christians," such as one documented around the year 112, by Pliny the
Younger, Roman governer of Bithynia (in modern-day Turkey). Pliny noted that
those identifying themeselves as "Christians" were distinguishing themselves
from Judaism, thus giving him the legal right to execute them for nothing more
than being part of an illegal group.7

Had these gentiles remained faithful to the covenants of Israel, they would have
at least avoided legal prosecution on the part of the Romans. Historically, they
were therefore not persecuted by the Roman government, for the "sake of the
Messiah," but for walking away from Him, as he warns here in His comments to
the assembly at Ephesus, and as Paul warned those in Roman chapter 11.

One can only speculate what would have happened to Torah-based faith in
Yeshua over the centuries if this had not happened.

See also our Romans Study Background Notes for additional historical
information, as well as the article, Not Subject to the Law of God? in the
YashaNet library.

Midah K'neged Midah

Earlier, we mentioned the concept of midah k'neged midah, that of "measured

punishment." An example of this from the Torah would be where the Egyptians
who killed the firstborn of Israel by drowning them, found their own firstborn
slain, and later themselves were drowned when the seas closed up on them in
their pursuit of departing Israel. Also, the evil prophetess Jezebel had Naboth
killed. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 39b) states that the dogs licked the blood of
Naboth. Jezebel's body was later consumed by dogs.

The offense of the Ephesians, in the text of Revelation, seems at first glance to
not warrant such a stern punishment (Yeshua "cutting them off"). After all, they
simply have "lost their first love." Why is this so serious? Why this specific
punishment? Why does the punishment come directly from Yeshua (i.e.,
Tipheret)?

As shown in our background material, the tenth and last of the Sephirot is
Malkut, also called Kingdom. In Kabbalistic teachings, this Sephirot is associated
with the Shekinah, who (separated from the rest of of the Sephirot, the
"Godhead"), abides among the people of God here on earth. The Shekinah (with
the faithful remnant of Israel and the gentiles who join them), is also viewed as
the "bride" that will one day be united with Tipheret, the groom. On that day, the
Lord's Name (i.e., all the Sephirot) will be One (Zechariah 14:9).

There is a kabbalistic principle that although there are many sins against God,
(i.e., against the different Sephirot), the sin against the bride (Malkut/Shekinah),
is especially grievous to Tipheret, as such sin serves to separate Him (the groom)
from His bride. Such separation causes "disunity" to the Godhead, which is
contrary to God's statements of His unity (i.e., Deuteronomy 6:4, Zechariah
14:9). Such sin is contrary to what happens when people obey God, which serves
to unite the bride to the groom (i.e., usher in the Kingdom of heaven, and unify
the Name of God).

There is a close relationship between the Shekinah and the Ruach haKodesh, the
Holy Spirit. Both represent the "presence of God" in this physical world, and both
are "given" to us by Tipheret/Yeshua. (e.g. John 15:26, 16:7, and the quotation
from Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b, above.)

The following section of the Zohar shows an affinity between the Spirit stemming
from the Sephirah of Binah/Understanding (the "mother" - see previous section
on Da'at and the Ruach haKodesh), and the Spirit stemming from
Malkut/Kingdom (the "daughter"). The theme of "anguish of Spirit" can be seen
here, and is similar to that of "quenching the spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and
is given as the reason the children of Israel could not "hearken unto Moses." Also
interesting is the comment that the Spirit from Binah was not in manifestation at
that time:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 25b - AND MOSES SPAKE SO

UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, BUT THEY HEARKENED NOT UNTO MOSES FOR
ANGUISH OF SPIRIT. What is the meaning of “anguish of spirit” (lit. shortness of
breath)? R. Judah interpreted the expression literally, “they had no rest from
their labours, no time to breathe”. But R. Simeon saw a mystical significance in
the expression; the “Jubilee” (the world of Binah, the abode of transcendental
“Freedom “) was as yet not in manifestation to give them spiritual rest, and the
later Spirit (Malkuth) was not yet able to exercise its functions, and so there was
anguish to this Spirit.

Based on the above, a sin against the Shekinah may also be considered as a sin
against the Ruach haKodesh and vice-versa. Kabbalistic literature refers to Binah
as the "upper mother" and to Malkut as the "lower mother," establishing a
further connection between the two.

Kareth

As mentioned earlier, the idea of being "cut off" (kareth), was comparable to a
premature death sentence. Let us review several instances where sin resulting in
some type of "premature" death is mentioned in Scripture:

• Breaking of the Sabbath (meriting the death penalty)

• Homosexuality and Adultery (meriting the death penalty)

• Ananias and Sapphira (in Acts 5 - struck dead by God)

• Aaron's sons, Nadav and Avihu, who offered "strange fire" and were struck
dead

What do these have in common?

• Regarding breaking the Sabbath: As we have seen the weekly Sabbath

and the Shekinah are linked to the Great Millennial Sabbath, as both are
considered to be the "bride" of Tipheret. Each one is also God' perpetual
witness in this world, of His coming Kingdom. Thus to taint the Sabbath, is
to taint the bride, the Shekinah.

• Homosexuality, adultery and fornication are sins against the decreed

male/female relationship, which is an image of Tipheret-Malkut (i.e., the
chaste bride and bridegroom). To sin in any of these ways in the physical
realm is to sin against the Shekinah (or Ruach haKodesh) in the spiritual
realm.

Paul made allusion to this relationship in one of his letters:

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 - Have ye not known that your bodies are members of
Messiah? having taken, then, the members of the Messiah, shall I make them
members of an harlot? let it be not! have ye not known that he who is joined to
the harlot is one body? `for they shall be -- saith He -- the two for one flesh.' And
he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit; flee the whoredom; every sin --
whatever a man may commit -- is without the body, and he who is committing
whoredom, against his own body does sin. Have ye not known that your body is
a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not
your own, for ye were bought with a price; glorify, then, God in your body and in
your spirit, which are God's.
 • We are told that Annias and Sephirah sinned directly against the Ruach
haKodesh:

Acts 5:3-5 - And Peter said, `Ananias, wherefore did the Adversary fill thy heart,
for thee to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back of the price of the place?
While it remained, did it not remain thine? and having been sold, in thy authority
was it not? why is it that thou didst put in thy heart this thing? thou didst not lie
to men, but to God;' and Ananias hearing these words, having fallen down, did
expire, and great fear came upon all who heard these things,

A question to ask here is, Why does Peter associate their lying to the community
of believers with lying to the Ruach haKodesh? The answer is that the Ruach
haKodesh, (i.e., Shekinah), resides with the community of faithful Israel.

• The sin of Nadav and Avihu is more complex. It is explained kabbalistically

as that of an inappropriate offering. Their sin was that they directed their
offering solely to the Shekinah (i.e., Malkut). They did not regard the
proper intent of such offerings, that being unification of the Sephirot,
particularly Malkut and Tipheret, the bride and groom. (This is why their
offering was considered "strange fire" - Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4;
26:61.) Such offerings are to be made to Tipheret (above), the Unique
Name of God, in order to unite the Shekinah (below, among the people)
with Tipheret (above in the heavenlies). Because of this error, the sacrifice
was not a sweet odor to God, but instead incurred the wrath of God, (via
the Sephirah of Judgment/Gevurah).8

Thus, all of the sins above were in some form, "sins against the Bride." Bear in
mind Yeshua's stern statement concerning blaspheming the Ruach haKodesh
(i.e., Shekinah):

Matthew 12:31 - Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Ruach haHodesh
shall not be forgiven unto men.

Note that Yeshua's strong words in Matthew 12:31 come on the heels of the
Pharisees condemnation of His actions on the Sabbath, and His offering of the
Kingdom (Malkut). Yeshua accused them of, "shutting up the Kingdom against
men" (Matthew 23:13). Thus, they too were "sinning against the bride" (bride =
Shekinah = kingdom), and He condemned them as a wicked generation.

With this understanding, we can begin to see why the sin of the Ephesians
grieves Yeshua so much. In turning against their "first love" they turn against
their foundation, rooted in the people of Israel, among whom the Shekinah
resides. In effect, they turn against His beloved bride.

By "cutting off" this relationship to Israel, they cut the Shekinah away from
Tipheret (and therefore the rest of the Godhead). Thus, by the principle of midah
k'neged midah, the penalty for "cutting off" the bride from the groom, is for they
themselves to be "cut off" -- by the groom Himself. As they interrupted the
"divine flow of life" that passes through Malkut/Shekinah to Israel and the world,
their lives will similarly be "interrupted."

Israel itself faces judgment when it does not maintain a proper relationship with
the Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 75a - R. Simeon here quoted the
verse: "For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp to deliver thee",
etc. (Deut. XXIII, 14). ‘This’, he said, ‘refers to the Shekinah, which is in the midst
of Israel, and especially in the captivity, to protect them continually and on all
sides from all other peoples, that they should not destroy them. For so it has
been taught, that the enemies of Israel have no power over them until Israel
weaken the might of the Shekinah in face of the Chieftains who are appointed
over the other nations. Then only the latter have power over them and enact
cruel decrees against them. But when they return in repentance to her she
breaks the power of all those Chieftains and of the enemies of Israel and
avenges them on all. Hence "thy camp shall be holy": a man must not defile
himself by sin and transgress the commands of the Law. We have learnt that
there are two hundred and forty-eight members in the human body, and all are
defiled when he is defiled, that is, when he is minded to be defiled. We have
learnt that for three things Israel are kept in captivity: because they pay scant
respect to the Shekinah in their exile, because they turn their faces away from
the Shekinah, and because they defile themselves in the presence of the
Shekinah.’
6
thou dost hate the works of the Nicolaitans ...

Neither Scripture or historical documents to date, give us a certain answer as to

what the sect of Nicolaitans was involved with, that Yeshua would hate so much.
One possibility is found in verses 14 and 15 of this chapter:

Speaking to the assembly at Pergamos, Yeshua says:

But I have against thee a few things: That thou hast there those holding the
teaching of Balaam, who did teach Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the
sons of Israel, to eat idol-sacrifices, and to commit whoredom; so hast thou, even
thou, those holding the teaching of the Nicolaitans -- which thing I hate.

It may be that the sin of the Nicolaitans is that which is mentioned just before
the next reference to them, as seen in verse 14. If this is the case, the sin is
related to that of Balak and Balaam with the sons of Israel, as found in the book
of Numbers, chapters 22-24. This involved the women of Moab seducing the men
of Israel, which included acts of idolatry as part of their "offer."

Another possible explanation to the sin of the Nicolaitans has to do with the
establishment of a separate "clergy" that had "special status" with God, over and
above the common people (laity). This is found in the two Greek words that are
combine to make the word Nicolaitin, those being; nikos, meaning "to conquer"
(Strong's #3534) and laos, meaning "people" (Strong's #2992).
Some commentators have suggested that the Nicolaitans were "forerunners" of
what would later be established in the Christian Church -- that being a priesthood
that the rest of the people would have to go through for various aspects of their
relationship with God (i.e., confession of sins, Bible interpretation, "sacraments,"
"last rites," etc.)

There may be some merit to this idea, as this concept of "conquering the
people," in terms of dominating them with a hierarchy of clergy with special
powers and privileges, can be traced to the sect of the Saducees. This group,
which controlled the affairs of the Temple in Yeshua's day, taught that only the
priests were able to properly interpret Torah, expiate sin and petition God.9

It is possible that, just as there were Pharisees who came to faith in Yeshua and
brought with them some incorrect doctrine (i.e., Acts 15), there were also
Saducees who did the same, and these formed the Nicolaitans and their
doctrines found here in Revelation.
7
He who is having an ear -- let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies:
To him who is overcoming -- I will give to him to eat of the tree of life that is in
the midst of the paradise of God.

Note that the promise is made to the "assemblies," which is plural (as with each
of the seven messages). Again, this would indicate the more "universal tone" of
these praises and chastisements. Although a particular assembly may be
addressed (as a specific composite entity), Yeshua's words can apply to all the
"types" of assemblies, and to any individual within any type of assembly. (This
could be compared to the various "assemblies" [schools] of the Pharisees, such
as those of Hillel and Shammai, and the individual talmidim within each of these
schools -- i.e, the "seven types of Pharisees.")

1. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.118

2. A hierarchy of ten angels serving under one, also applies to the disobedient
angels, as is seen in Enoch 6:6-8.

2. Ketubah Netzarim: The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians,Hebrew/Aramaic

Scriptural Research Institute, 1997, www.nazarene.net

3. Introductions and Reading Guide, King James Bible, 1962, Zondervan

Publishing house, p. 9.

4. ibid. p.10

5. Caesar and Christ, Will Durant, 1944, Simon and Schuster, New York, p. 616.

6. The Mystery of Romans, Mark Nanos, 1996, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, pp.
64-68.
7. PBS video transcript, From Jesus to Christ -
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/

8. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,

London 1998, pp 211-213.

9. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson, London, 1988, p.52.

Revelation 2:8-29
Last update: October 29, 2001

8
And to the messenger of the assembly of the Smyrneans write: These things
saith the First and the Last, who did become dead and did live

The name "Smyrna" has a Hebraic root from the word myrrh, a balm used to
anoint the dead. (i.e., the Hebrew name Myrna means "annointed unto death.")
Note that Yeshua encourages this congregation to be "faithful unto death."
9a
I have known thy works, and tribulation, and poverty -- yet thou art rich ...

Yeshua's salutation is from the Aleph-Tav (the "First and the Last" - see notes to
chapter 1), who was dead and resurrected. The mention of resurrection is
mentioned by Him, prior to the next verse, where He asks those following Him to
be ready to die for Him.

This assembly is considered to be "rich" by Yeshua's standards, as opposed to

the Laodicean assembly in the next chapter, which has great material wealth,
but can't see its own spiritual poverty. The relationship between spiritual and
material concerns is important in the book of Revelation. In the later chapters we
see God's judgement coming against the material wealth of the world.

Midrash Rabbah goes as far as saying that material wealth goes into Edom,
which is comparable to Rome (or Babylon), each representing the evil Kingdom
on earth (in the last days):

Midrash Rabbah - Ecclesiastes I:21 - Another interpretation of ALL THE

RIVERS RUN INTO THE SEA: All wealth only goes to the kingdom of Edom, and
the kingdom of Edom is never filled; for R. Levi said: It is written, So the eyes of
man (adam) are never satiated (Prov. XXVII, 20), i.e. the eyes of Edom are never
satiated. Do you mean to say that when wealth enters Edom it never returns to
its owners? Thereforethe text states, UNTO THE PLACE WHITHER THE RIVERS
GO, THITHER THEY GO AGAIN. From the place where wealth accumulates, viz.
the kingdom of Edom, in this world, thence it will be dispersed in the days of the
Messiah; as it is written, And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord
(Isa. XXIII, 18).

The book of Enoch, ties material wealth to denial of the Name of God:
Enoch 46:5 - They shall condemn the stars of heaven, shall life up their hands
against the Most High, shall tread upon and inhabit the earth, exhibiting all their
works of iniquity, even their works of iniquity. Their strength shall be in their
riches, and their faith in the gods whom they have formed with their own hands.
They shall deny the Name of the Lord of Spirits, and shall expel him from the
temples, in which they assemble.

Another modern day Scripture commentary teaches the following lesson:

We are not so aware of how our physical actions impact our spiritual reality,
though, as we see here, there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship between
the two. People think that they can be exposed to negative influences, especially
only for a short duration, and walk away spiritually unscathed. They think that
they can purchase something that is spiritually defective, and somehow maintain
enough spiritual distance from it to hold their moral ground. They are wrong --
dead wrong. ... The Torah is warning here (Deuteronomy 7:25-26): Know that
your entire perspective on life will be colored by your choices. If you choose
good, then you will see good, and you will pursue G-d. If you choose spiritual
depravity, then, you will see a G-dless world, and, be a victim of your own
blindness. What you will "buy" from that world is more than just "idols" and
"ornaments" -- it is an entire philosophy that you will absorb through spiritual
osmosis.1
9b
... and the evil-speaking of those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not,
but [are] a synagogue of the Adversary.

The idea of an "evil remnant" within Judaism is associated with the Erev Rav, the
"mixed multitude" that came with the Hebrews out of Egypt. The subject of the
Erev Rav will be discussed in greater detail in chapter 18 of our study.
10
and ye shall have tribulation ten days, become thou faithful unto death, and I
will give to thee the crown of the life.

This verse is one of the least understood in Revelation commentaries for the
reason that the explanation is found within Hebrew mystical writings which the
Christian Church is largely unaware of. The difficulty here, is that the Tribulation
period, as it occurs here on earth, is of a seven-year duration, yet Yeshua speaks
of ten "days." The answer to this lies in a mystical relationship between the
numbers 7 and 10.

The period of time from Rosh haShana through Yom Kippur is called yomim ha
nora'im - "days of awe." This period is sometimes thought of as the seven days
between Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur, but is also considered to include the
two days of Rosh haShana and the day of Atonement, making a total of 10 days:

Talmud - Mas. Berachoth 12b - But the Lord of Hosts is exalted through
justice, and the holy God is sanctified through righteousness: When is the Lord of
Hosts exalted through justice? In these ten days from New Year to the Day of
Atonement; and none-the-less it says, ‘the holy God’.
The yomim ha nora'im are considered a "last chance" to perform teshuvah
(return to God). At the end of this time period, a person's fate is said to be
"sealed.":

On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed how many shall
pass on, and how many shall be born; who shall live, and who shall die ... who
shall rest, and who shall wander ... who shall be impoverished, and who shall be
enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise...2

Another example is the idea of why the concept of the "ten sayings of creation"
(found in Genesis 1), is often expressed in terms of seven (i.e. seven days of
creation).

Aryeh Kaplan's commentary on the Bahir states:

The answer given is that the ten "were expressed with a single word." The ten
represent an internal concept, which is expressed as a single idea. This is
because the Ten represent a complete structure. The seven, on the other hand,
are an incomplete structure, and therefore seen as separate entities.3

(Interestingly, this same section of Kaplan's book makes mention of the ten
Sephirot being called "ten Kings." As we will see later in the study, the Satanic 10
Sephirot [mentioned in our background notes] are called "kings" and are reduced
in number [by haSatan] from ten to seven according to the prophet Daniel.)

The seven day / ten day relationship is also described in modern Hassidic
literature as follows:

During the Ten Days of Repentance, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,
there is a complete seven-day week, one Sunday, one Monday, etc. The Arizal
ascribes special significance to this period, explaining that proper service on the
Sunday of this week accomplishes repentance and correction of sin for every
Sunday of the past year, and so for Monday etc. In addition to correcting past
defects, this week also creates spiritual resources for the coming year (for
repentance includes regret for the past and resolve for the future) on Sunday we
gather strength for spiritually productive Sundays, etc. Where do we find that
these seven days provide resouces for the coming year? Yom Kippur is actually
also called Rosh Hashanah, as indicated by the scriptural phrasing, "On Rosh
Hashanah on the tenth of the month." Chassidut explains that Rosh Hashanah is
in an internal mode, and Yom Kippur in an external one. It is evident, then, that
the spiritual service of Rosh Hashanah ("the building of the sefirah of malchut")
continues on the following days, reaching completion on Yom Kippur (when the
"building of malchut" is accomplished for all the ten sefirot contained in it, i.e.
chachmah of malchut, binah of malchut, etc.). All of the Ten Days of Repentance,
thus, express the concept of "Rosh Hashanah"; and just as Rosh Hashanah
includes all the days of the coming year (analogous to the head's relationship to
the limbs of the body), so do these days.4

The ten "Days of Awe" represent an "internal concept of ten" (in the heavenly
realm) of perfect judgment. They are "played out" in the physical realm in the
form of the seven year end time tribulation period. This time period is associated
with that of judgment and repentance, for the individual as well as the world.
This idea of an "internal concept of ten," having a representation of seven in the
physical world, is of course, similar to that of the Sephirot, as shown in our
earlier studies.

It would seem that Yeshua is encouraging those of this particular "type of

assembly" to maintain their faith unto death as many of them will die at the
hands of haSatan during the Tribulation period. (See our notes on Matthew
10:28-39.)

The Shekinah's Judgment

The Zohar also associates the ten days between Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur
with the end times, when haSatan (also called Samael), will interfere with the
union of the bride and groom (the Sephirot of Malkut and Tipheret, as discussed
earlier). As we will see, when judgment comes to the earth in the seven year
tribulation, it comes via the Shekinah, who is kept from her groom by the world's
acceptance of a false Tzaddik, the "anti-Messiah."

The following passage from the Zohar not only supports the idea of the "Accuser"
(haSatan) attacking the Shekinah, but also that the "Advocate" (i.e., Yeshua) is
"found in the Matrona." The idea of Tipheret being cloaked within the Shekinah
(Malkut) was discussed previously in this study:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 74a - When R. Eleazar was once
studying with his father he said: ‘If an Advocate comes down to the world, he is
to be found in the Matrona, and if there is an Accuser who assails the world, it is
the Matrona that he assails. Why is this?’ He replied with a parable. ‘A king once
had a son from a queen. As long as the son was obedient to the king the latter
consorted with the queen. But when the son was not obedient to the king he
separated from the queen. So it is’, he said, ‘with the Holy One, blessed be He,
and the Community of Israel. As long as Israel perform the will of God the Holy
One makes His abode with the Community of Israel. But when Israel do not
perform the will of God He does not make His abode with the Community of
Israel, because Israel is the firstborn of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the
Community of Israel is their mother. All the time that Israel is kept away from the
temple of the king, the Matrona, if one may say so, is kept away with them. Why
is this? Because the Matrona did not in time apply the lash to this son to keep
him in the right path. For the King never punishes his son, but leaves it in the
hand of the Matrona to punish him and to lead him in the straight way before the
King.

Chayim Henoch, in his book about Nachmanides, makes this interesting point,
that will be very applicable when we discuss the judgments that befall the earth
in later chapters of this study:

Such a husband-wife relationship exists between the two sefiroth of the Divine
Atziluth. The Great Name - Beauty - Tifereth, is the husband, also called "the
Holy One, blessed be He," Who is the dominant partner vis-à-vis the Honorable
Name - Lower Crown - Atarah (Malkut), the wife, also called the Shekinah, who
will defer to Him. When husband and wife diverge from their natural tendencies
in the relationship, with the wife, the Lower Crown, taking the upper hand and
rebelling against Beauty, her husband, an imbalance is created. Such an
imbalance interrupts the energy flow from the "Great Fire" ([harsh] Strength -
Gevurah, the fifth sefirah). At that moment the wife, Lower Crown, becomes
destructive and brings destruction to the lower worlds, particularly to our world.5

The Zohar depicts the demonic realm as still "clinging" to the Shekinah in this
present age. This is supported by Yeshua's teaching in Matthew chapter 13, that
at the present time, the Kingdom of God (i.e., associated with the Shekinah
among His people), still has both wheat and tares (good and evil) within it:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - At present, as the "other

side" still cleaves to the Shekinah, She is not entirely One, and therefore,
although even in this present time we proclaim the unity, we do so silently,
symbolizing it by the letters of the word wa'ed (ever), which are equivalent by
certain permutations to those of the word ehad (one). But in the time that is to
be, when that other side shall be removed from the Shekinah and pass away
from the world, then shall that unity be proclaimed openly.6

Because of this "relationship" between the Shekinah and the demonic forces,
when the Shekinah acts as an agent of destruction, the demonic forces are
allowed to inflict punishment upon men as well. Both the Shekinah's vengeance
as well as the demonic powers of evil, stem from Gevurah, (also Geburah), the
Sephirah of judgment:

Zohar Appendix III, The Designations and The Categories, 3c - The

distinction between ‘right’ and ‘left’ in the Zohar corresponds, not only to the
distinction between reward and punishment in the next world, but also between
good and evil, and specifically moral good and evil in this world. Samael, the
power of evil, the tempter, the accuser, the evil Serpent, is placed on the left
and is identified with the grade Geburah. Now Samael is represented as the
opponent not of Hesed but of Tifereth. He is the Great Dragon, who on New Year
[Rosh haShana] swallows the Moon, that is, prevents the union of the Matrona
with the Holy King, until Israel by their sacrifice on the Day of Atonement induce
him to desist.

The kabbalistic book of Maarekheth Elokuth, elaborates on this idea:

The existence of the world depends solely upon (the universal law of): "He shall
rule over her," (so to speak). And whoever causes the woman to rule causes the
flow of mercy to depart, and she becomes punished and detached (and her rule
as nursemaid for the lower worlds is interfered with). Then permission is given
for the destroyer (Satan) to destroy in the name of the serpent; and sometimes
he will not distinguish between the righteous and the evildoer, as in the case of
the Egyptian firstborn, where it advises: "You shall not go out" (from your
houses).7
As the forces of haSatan have no regard for God's people, it then becomes
imperative for those who are "on God's side" to distinguish themselves from
those opposed to God when this type of judgment is unleashed. This can be done
by way of physical separation and also by application of some type of "mark" of
God upon them.

An example the first type (physical withdrawal) is found in the Torah, where God
tells his people to "stand away" from the rebellious Korah in order to not be
struck by the judgment coming upon him and his followers (Numbers 16:26).
Many commentaries have wondered why God told them to do this. (As if the
Almighty couldn't "aim" straight.)

An example of the "mark of God" is found in Exodus 12, where He commands the
children of Israel to mark their doors with blood, in order that they be preserved
when His vengeance strikes. Another example is found in Revelation 7:3 and 9:4,
where God's people are marked by Him, with what is evidently an invisible mark
on their foreheads (as opposed to the visible "mark of the beast" that others will
take -- i.e., Revelation 13:16).

The following section speaks of the same period of judgment and also of the
"heavenly manna," as a symbol of what was to come (i.e., Colossians 2:17 - also
see notes to verse 17 below). Those who have rejected Torah, even if they lay
claim to following the historical person of Messiah (i.e., in the form of the Torah-
less "Jesus" of Christianity - see Matthew 7:21-23), face judgment:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 183b - ‘New Year's Day [Rosh
haShana] is a day of judgement for those who have not accepted the healing
food, and have neglected the "medicine" of the Torah for the sake of another
food, which is leaven. For on this day that "leaven" ascends and accuses
mankind and speaks evil against all whom it can malign in any wise. And at that
time the Holy One, blessed be He, sits in judgement over all and pronounces His
decrees in regard to all the spheres. Therefore, when He gave the Torah to Israel
He gave them to taste of that supernal bread of the celestial realm, namely, the
manna, by means of which they were enabled to perceive and penetrate into the
mysteries of the Torah and to walk in the straight path.

As previously mentioned, God's judgment and mercy are not mutually exclusive
(i.e., the Lord chastises the ones He loves). Thus, the ten Days of Awe are a time
of judgment, but with an opportunity for repentance. (As the book of Revelation
shows occurs in subsequent chapters):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 113b - and so the Holy One
dispenses His judgement to Israel in a spirit of mercy, and accords them as a
time of grace those ten days between New Year Day and the Day of Atonement,
for the acceptance of all those who repent of their sins and for forgiveness of
their iniquities, by giving them a respite till the Day of Atonement. The Holy One
had thus given Israel all these commandments to save them from falling into the
wrong hands and from being judged with rigour, so that they should all come out
innocent on earth, through His mercy which is like the mercy of a father towards
his children. All depends on actions and words, as we have explained.’

Some will repent during the Tribulation, others will follow the anti-Messiah. The
same was true of Daniel's time, during their "ten days" of judgment. (Note the
reference to eating of prohibited food as seen also in Revelation 2:20 below):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 125b - It is written concerning

Daniel and his companions that "at the end of ten days their countenances
appeared fairer and fatter than the children which did eat the portion of the
king's meat" (Dan. I, 5). This was because the image of their Lord was not
removed from them, whereas from those others it was. What was the cause of
this? The fact that they did not pollute themselves with the abomination of the
prohibited food. Blessed are the Israelites who are called to be a "holy people"!’

The "crown of life" Yeshua promises in verse 10, is similar to the "hidden manna"
and "white stone" he promises in verse 17. All are an allusion to the Kingdom of
God, known as the Great Golden Crown.8

As discussed throughout this study, the Kingdom (Malkut) is associated with the
Shekinah, the presence of God in this (physical) world. The reward of Olam Haba
(the world to come), after the resurrection, will include a highly intensified
relationship with the presence of God, in the form of Tipheret.

As taught by Nachmanides:

In the future the Holy One Blessed be He (Tipheret), will arrange a meal and
dance for the righteous in the Garden of Eden, and will sit among them, and
each one will point at Him with his finger, as is said: "Behold, this is our God"
(Isaiah 25:9). 9

This next section of the Zohar ties together several themes from what we have
seen to this point in the book of Revelation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 81a -The "voice of the trumpet"
mentioned in the same verse is, according to R. Judah, that voice which is itself
called "trumpet" in reference to the Day of Atonement (Lev. xxv, 9). According to
R. Simeon, the "voice of the trumpet" is the "word which proceedeth out of the
mouth of the Lord" (Deut. VIII, 3), by which "man lives". It is greater and stronger
than all lower voices. On it depends all; it is called "great voice", and also a "still
thin voice" (I Kings XIX, 12)
11
He who is overcoming may not be injured of the second death.

This promise is tied to the concept of the "ten days" mentioned in the previous
verse. The promise of being "sealed" by God is a common blessing on Rosh
haShana:

Leshanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim.

"For a good year shall you be inscribed and sealed."
In direct relation to the final resurrection is the second death. This will be
discussed in detail in later chapters.
12
And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write: These things saith
he who is having the sharp two-edged sword:

See comments to verse 16 below.

13
where thou dost dwell -- where the throne of the Adversary is

Pergamos was a wealthy city with temples for many pagan deities. According to
Alexander Hislop's 19th century work, The Two Babylons, the mystery cults of
Babylon had moved to Pergamos after the death of Belshazzar. The "pontiff" of
the Babylonian religion later moved from Pergamos to Rome, probably when
Pergamos became part of the Roman empire around 133 BCE.

An interesting foreshadowing of this transference of the seat of power from

Babylon to Rome is found in the Book of Jasher, which states that Nimrod
(associated with Babylon), was killed by Esau (associated with Rome). Also found
in this text is mention of a mystical garment that Esau took from Nimrod. This
garment, according to Jewish tradition, was the garment of Adam, which had
been passed along from generation to the next. With this garment came great
powers.

This portion of Jasher leads up to the events of Genesis 25:29:

Jasher 27:1-12 - And Esau at that time, after the death of Abraham, frequently
went in the field to hunt. And Nimrod king of Babel, the same was Amraphel, also
frequently went with his mighty men to hunt in the field, and to walk about with
his men in the cool of the day. And Nimrod was observing Esau all the days, for a
jealousy was formed in the heart of Nimrod against Esau all the days. And on a
certain day Esau went in the field to hunt, and he found Nimrod walking in the
wilderness with his two men. And all his mighty men and his people were with
him in the wilderness, but they removed at a distance from him, and they went
from him in different directions to hunt, and Esau concealed himself for Nimrod,
and he lurked for him in the wilderness. And Nimrod and his men that were with
him did not know him, and Nimrod and his men frequently walked about in the
field at the cool of the day, and to know where his men were hunting in the field.
And Nimrod and two of his men that were with him came to the place where
they were, when Esau started suddenly from his lurking place, and drew his
sword, and hastened and ran to Nimrod and cut off his head. And Esau fought a
desperate fight with the two men that were with Nimrod, and when they called
out to him, Esau turned to them and smote them to death with his sword. And all
the mighty men of Nimrod, who had left him to go to the wilderness, heard the
cry at a distance, and they knew the voices of those two men, and they ran to
know the cause of it, when they found their king and the two men that were with
him lying dead in the wilderness. And when Esau saw the mighty men of Nimrod
coming at a distance, he fled, and thereby escaped; and Esau took the valuable
garments of Nimrod, which Nimrod's father had bequeathed to Nimrod, and with
which Nimrod prevailed over the whole land, and he ran and concealed them in
his house. And Esau took those garments and ran into the city on account of
Nimrod's men, and he came unto his father's house wearied and exhausted from
fight, and he was ready to die through grief when he approached his brother
Jacob and sat before him. And he said unto his brother Jacob, Behold I shall die
this day, and wherefore then do I want the birthright? And Jacob acted wisely
with Esau in this matter, and Esau sold his birthright to Jacob, for it was so
brought about by the Lord.
14
That thou hast there those holding the teaching of Balaam

Balaam achieved his powers by "tapping into" the evil sephirot (the "unholy
crowns"), said to emanate from the left side, as discussed earlier. The Zohar says
he dealt with haSatan directly:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 112b, 113a - There are many
Chieftains who guide them and one supreme Chieftain from the side of the Left.
That wicked Balaam gained access to this supreme Chieftain by his sorceries,
which he practised in the night when he was at the head of all his company, and
then he made known his requests to him. The word Elohim is used in connection
with Balaam as with Laban and with Abimelech, because this is a name of
general application, being used of idols under the title of "other gods", which
includes these Chieftains also. So this wicked Balaam summoned the Chieftain to
him and he came to him. It may be said that he was with him by day (when he
was with Balak). The truth is, however, that at that hour he only made
observations by means of his divinations to fix the right hour, and when it says,
"he went not as at other times to meet with enchantments" (Ibid. XXIV, 1), this
signifies that he tried to fix the hour, but was not able as on other days, because
he saw that there was no great wrath in the world and knew that "it was good in
the eyes of the Lord to bless Israel" (Ibid.). For when burning wrath is rife the
Left is aroused, and the wicked Balaam knew how to take hold of the left side so
as to curse; but on this occasion he looked and saw that the wrath was not
there.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 21b, 22a - It is, however, true
that Balaam was the counterpart of Moses. As the works of the one were from
above, so were the other's from below. Moses wrought his works by means of
the holy Crown of the All-highest King, Balaam by means of the unholy crowns
from below. Hence, "The children of Israel slew Balaam the son of Beor, the
soothsayer" (Jos. XIII, 22).
15
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I
hate.

(See comments to verse 6 in the previous section.)

16
Reform! and if not, I come to thee quickly, and will fight against them with the
sword of my mouth.
As mentioned in chapter 1, the (two-edged) sword is the Torah coming from the
mouth of God, as Yeshua (in the essence of the Sephirah of Tipheret), is the
"voice" of God. The threatened chastisement in this case, is different than that
faced by Ephesus, as Yeshua's words are directed toward specific offending
parties within the congregation.

Bearing in mind the principle of midah k'neged midah, what we have at

Pergamos, is severe doctrinal error being committed by specific individuals
within the congregation. Yeshua threatens to "correct" these individuals (only)
with the "doctrine" (Torah) of His mouth. Balaam's power also stemmed from his
mouth:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 206b, 207a - R. Jose quoted the
verse: "Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye" (Prov. XXIII, 6).
‘This’, he said, ‘is Balaam who blessed Israel. "Neither desire thou his dainties":
this was Balak, whose burnt offerings were not accepted by the Almighty. When
Balak observed that Sihon and Og had been killed and their land taken away, he
foresaw in his wisdom that he and five princes of Midian and his people would
fall by the hand of Israel, and not knowing what to make of it he approached
Balaam, whose power was in his mouth, just as the power of Israel was in its
mouth. Balaam was even more anxious to attack them than Balak. The
knowledge which he acquired was at night time, because the lower crowns and
the asses are at large only in the first watch of the night. Therefore he had an
ass to attract the asses to her in the early part of the night. It is true that it says,
"Elohim came to Balaam in the night", but we have explained this to refer to the
Chieftain appointed over them. It was on this account that Balaam said to the
princes of Balak, "Tarry here this night". Balaam went to his she-ass and
performed his rites and uttered his spells, and the ass then told him and he did
the requisite act for that spirit to rest upon him. Then someone came and told
him things through the agency of the ass. It may be asked, if he told him in one
night, "Thou shalt not go with them", why did he try a second time? The fact is
that these powers are subject to a higher control, and we have learnt, "In the
way in which a man desires to go he is led". At first he was told, "Thou shalt not
go with them". When God saw that he was bent on going, He said to him, "Arise,
go with them, only the thing that I tell thee", etc.
17
To him who is overcoming, I will give to him to eat from the hidden manna, and
will give to him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, that no
one knew except him who is receiving it.

The "hidden manna" is an ancient promise to those who will one day enter the
Kingdom.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 63a - R. Eleazar taught that in the
coming age the righteous shall eat of this manna, but of a much higher quality, a
quality which was never seen in this world, as it is written: "To behold the beauty
of the Lord and to visit his Temple" (Ps. XXVII, 4); "Eye hath not seen... what he
hath prepared for him that waiteth for him" (Isa. LXIV, 4).
The Zohar makes a connection between the heavenly manna and Tipheret,
which as we have seen may be linked to Yeshua. Those gathering the manna are
said to have praised the "Holy Name," which is associated with Tipheret:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 62b - Said R. Simeon: ‘Observe

that before the Holy One gave Israel the Torah He tried them to see who would
be a son of faith and who would not be. How did He try them? By the manna. All
those who were found to be sons of faith were signed with the sign of the crown
of Grace by the Holy One Himself; and from those who were not found to be
thus, this supernal crown was withheld. ‘It has been said at that hour Israel was
perfected below according to her prototype above, for it is written, “and they
came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water and threescore and ten palm
trees” (Ex. xv, 27). Now the Holy Tree [Tr. note: Tifereth.] spreads to twelve
boundaries on the four quarters of the earth, and to seventy branches closely
intertwined, so that what was above should have here its counterpart below. At
that hour holy dew dropped down from the Hidden Most Ancient One and filled
the head of the Lesser Countenance, the place which is called “Heaven”. From
this dew of the supernal holy light the manna descended, and in so doing
dispersed itself into flakes and became solidified “as thin as the hoar frost on the
ground” (Ex. XVI, 14). And all the sons of the Faith went out, gathered it, and
praised the Holy Name for it. The manna diffused the scents of all the spices of
the Garden of Eden, through which it had passed in descending. Each one found
in the manna the taste he most desired; and as he ate he blessed the Supernal
Holy King for His goodness, and was himself blessed with understanding of the
Supernal Wisdom. Therefore that generation was called “the generation of
knowledge”. These were the sons of Faith, and to them was given the privilege
of contemplating and comprehending the holy Torah. But of those who were not
truly faithful it is written, “and the people roamed about (shatu) and gathered
(the manna)” (Num. XI, 8). The word “shatu” (roamed about) indicates that
these people allowed “stupidity” (shatuta) to enter into them, because they were
not sons of Faith.

John's gospel has Yeshua associating Himself with the heavenly manna:

John 6:31-35 - Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave
them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you
the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from
heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore
give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that
cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

John 6:48-51 - I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the
wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven,
that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down
from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread
that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The "white stone" of verse 17, is also called the precious stone in Kabbalistic
writings and is associated with the Sephirah of Malkut (Kingdom). As Malkut is
the "last" Sephirot, it receives and reflects all the previous Sephirot, similar to a
diamond reflecting white light as all colors.10

The first mention of this is found in the text of the Bahir which mentions the
stone in a dialogue between the Holy One Blessed be He (Tipheret) and the
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Note the relationship between the stone
and "fear of God," (and therefore to Malkut/Kingdom, as mentioned earlier in this
study):

Bahir 190 - "What is Fear of God? It is the First Light. Rabbi Meir thus said: Why
is it written (Genesis 1:3): And God said 'Let their be light, and there was light.'
Why does it not say: 'And it was so?' But this teaches us that the light was very
intense, so that no created thing could gaze upon it. God therefore store it away
for the righteous in the Ultimate Future. This is the measure of all merchandise
(Sechorah) in the world ...

... This teaches us that God took a thousandth of its radiance, and from it He
constructed a beautiful precious stone. In it He included all the commandments.

Not only are all the Torah commandments included in this stone, but the stone
itself is a reward for those who keep these commandments (the patience of the
saints), as Yeshua's promises:

Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Revelation 22:14 - Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Kabbalistic teachings also show that the commandments of Torah are to be kept
in faith (i.e., Hebrews 4:2):

"And the purpose of all the mitvoth (commandments) is to believe in our God,
and to admit and thank Him for having created us. That is the purpose of
Creation, for lack of any other regarding the first Creation. And God primarily
wants man to know and admit and thank God for creating him, and to say in a
congregation, i.e., in public): We are Your creatures (see Exodus 13:16)." 11

Nachmanides stressed the link between the reward of the Kingdom and following
the commandments in faith:

We must not forget our faith in God. This first preventative mitzvah commands
us the "Acceptance of the Kingship of Heaven," in other words, that we believe
there is a God Who made everything. He brought them forth from the total
"nothing" unto "something" that He perpetually wants. He commanded us this
faith, which is the foundation of the Torah, and He doubled this exhortation
regarding its denial, which would mean the abolition of the truth. As it is stated:
"Beware, lest you forget the Lord, Who brought you forth out of the land of
Egypt, from the house of slavery" (Deuteronomy 6:12), meaning, not to forget
God, or have doubts whether He exists, and the world has always existed, or
always existed for a reason and does not change." 12

The "precious stone," (the Kingdom) is given at the end of the Tribulation period,
corresponding to the end of the Days of Awe (see verse 10 above), on the Day of
Atonement. The Zohar shows that it is the "voice of the Trumpet"
(Tipheret/Yeshua) that causes this to occur. Note that at this "final Yom Kippur"
the powers of darkness are prevented from acting any longer. (Something the
annual Yom Kippur sacrifice was able to accomplish for intermittent periods.)
Note also the reference to the "upper Jerusalem" as "mother" (i.e., Galatians
4:26):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 184a-185a - Therefore the

Israelites haste to awaken the voice of the trumpet, which is compounded of fire,
water, and wind, and all are made one and the voice ascends and strikes that
"precious stone", which then receives the various colours of this voice and then
draws down upon itself the attribute from above, according to the colour which it
shows. And when it is duly prepared by this voice, Mercy issues from on high and
rests upon it, so that it is enfolded in mercy, both above and below. Then is the
"other side" thrown into confusion, and its power weakened, so that it lacks the
strength to accuse, and the "precious stone" is lit up on both sides, from below
and from above. And when is that light shed from the world above upon the
ways of men? Verily, on the Day of Atonement. On that day the "precious stone"
is illumined with the light from above, which emanates from the splendour of the
world to come. Therefore Israel prepare a goat here below for the Day of
Atonement and send it forth to that terrible desert which is under the dominion
of the Accuser. That "other side" is the central point of the waste places of the
world, just as the central point of the whole inhabited world is occupied by the
"holy side", and therefore Jerusalem is in the centre of the inhabited world. The
kingdom of heaven, which is the side of holiness, is fixed at two points, one its
own and one belonging to the world to come. The upper point is hidden, and
therefore it has two points. Under its own point is Jerusalem, the centre of the
inhabited world. The point which takes from the hidden supernal Mother is the
terrestrial Paradise, which is in the centre of the whole world. In the centre of
this Paradise there is a hidden supernal point which is not manifested, and a
pillar rises within that point from below, and from thence issue waters which
spread to all four sides of the world. Thus there are three points which stand one
upon the other, like the three sections of the Torah (Law, Prophets, Writings).
18
And to the messenger of the assembly of Thyatira write: These things saith the
Son of God, who is having his eyes as a flame of fire, and his feet like to fine
brass;
20
That thou dost suffer the woman Jezebel, who is calling herself a prophetess,
to teach, and to lead astray, my servants to commit whoredom, and idol-
sacrifices to eat;

As mentioned in chapter 1, both fire and brass are representative of judgment.

The reference is to Jezebel (1 Kings & 2 Kings), who is long dead when Yeshua
speaks these words to John -- yet He speaks in the present tense. (Note: A similar
anachronism is found in Midrash Rabbah, Genesis LXIV:5 concerning Jezebel.)

What is being referred to here is a continuation of the false teaching of Jezebel,

who taught the children of Israel to compromised Torah by linking it to that
which was not from God. The "whoredom" and "adultery" spoken of in this
section is more "spiritual" than it is physical. (See notes on "holiness" in verse
23, below.)
22
lo, I will cast her into a couch, and those committing adultery with her into
great tribulation
23
and her children I will kill in death, and know shall all the assemblies that I am
he who is searching reins and hearts; and I will give to you -- to each -- according
to your works.

Here we seem to have a "double" punishment -- a) being cast into the couch of
great tribulation, and b) the "killing of her children." Two questions to ask are; a)
Why the double penalty? and, b) Exactly who is carrying out these retributions?

As discussed in our background study, the Shekinah is also known as the couch
of Solomon. The couch "bed" of a chaste bride is also compared to the
Shekinah's purity.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 225b - AND ISRAEL BOWED

HIMSELF DOWN UPON THE BED'S HEAD. The "bed's head" is the Shekinah. Said
R. Simeon: ‘Not at all. The bed stands for the Shekinah, as in the verse, "Behold,
it is the litter of Solomon" (S. S. III, 7). The "head of the bed" is the Foundation of
the World who is the head of the sacred couch; and "that which is upon the
head" is (the supernal) Israel who is established at the head of the bed.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 5a - Said R. Jose: ‘When Jacob

went down to Egypt, sixty myriads of celestial angels accompanied him.’ R.
Judah illustrated from the verse: "Behold, it is the couch of Solomon, threescore
mighty men are about it, of the mighty men of Israel" (S.S. III, 7), which he
expounded thus: ‘Six luminosities form a circle surrounding a seventh luminosity
in the centre. The six on the circumference sustain the sixty valiant angels
surrounding the "couch of Solomon". The "couch" is an allusion to the Shekinah,
and "Solomon" refers to the "King to whom peace (shalom) belongs":
"threescore mighty men are about it"-these are the sixty myriads of exalted
angels, part of the army of the Shekinah which accompanied Jacob into Egypt.’

Malkut (i.e., the Shekinah) is the Sephirah through which God's judgment is
channeled through. Hence, the reference in verse 22 is saying that the Shekinah
will carry out this aspect of their punishment. Those committing spiritual adultery
(by way of bringing anti-Torah teachings into the congregation), will be tossed
into the judgement that comes upon the world (via the Shekinah).
In this case however, the threat to "kill her children with death," comes directly
from Yeshua Himself. This reference and His subsequent words, "I will give to
you -- to each -- according to your works," are presented in a negative context,
and further establish the principle of midah k'neged midah. (See previous
section.) As the teachings of Jezebel corrupt (and bring spiritual death) to the
children of Lord's people, Yeshua kills her "children" as a fitting punishment.

Why does Yeshua Himself also get involved with this punishment? The answer
lies in the idea that "stealing children away" from God (via spiritually
"adulterous" teachings) is a sin against both the "mother and father" of the
children. Besides the metaphorical aspects of husband and bride, the Sephirot of
Tipheret is also considered as "Father," and Malkut (Shekinah) as "Mother."
Therefore, the two Sephirot (i.e, Yeshua/Father and the Shekinah/Mother) both
take revenge when children are involved.

Nachmanides taught this principle regarding the sacrifice of children to the god
Molech:

The sinner of Molech introduced defilement into the atmosphere of Holiness

between the two Divine Names via plucking the sublime fruit, a child in Israel,
from its celestial source of growth to sacrifice it to a foreign realm. Its source of
growth is the Atziluth Parents: the sefirah of Tifereth, the provider, Who is called
"Father" and "the Holy One, blessed is He," and the Atarah (Malkut), the
recipient, also called "Mother," and "the Assembly of Israel" (see Leviticus 20:3).
Therefore, these two sefiroth take revenge against the sinner, measure for
measure.13

In verse 23, Yeshua states, "I am he who is searching reins and hearts." The
purpose of God searching us is to make us holy - to set us apart to Him. Holiness
is at the opposite end of the scale from spiritual adultery. Interestingly, the
words, "holy" (kodosh) and "harlot" (kedaisha), are similar in the Hebrew. The
former signifies an attachment to holiness, the latter attachment to the unholy.
According to Nachmanides, both terms derive from the word "holiness"
(kedusha).14
24
And to you I say, and to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as have not this
teaching ...

As with Pergamos (above), there is a "doctrinal" problem with certain individuals,

and His punishment is directed toward the specific people holding this teaching
(Midah k'neged midah).
26
and he who is overcoming, and who is keeping unto the end my works, I will
give to him authority over the nations,
27
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron -- as the vessels of the potter they
shall be broken -- as I also have received from my Father;
28
and I will give to him the morning star.
The term "morning star" is peculiar, as its only reference in the Tenakh (Isaiah
14:12), refers to either haSatan or Nebuchednezzar. (This is similar to the King of
Tyre, who also has characteristics of haSatan.)

There are several possible associations to this term as used in the book of
Revelation:

1. Regarding the removal of the "evil morning star" (haSatan) and

subsequent rule over the nations by the righteous

The Midrash Rabbah associates the morning star with an angel (i.e., haSatan)
cast down by God. HaSatan is known as the deceiver of the nations (Revelation
20:3,8). This is interesting in light of Revelation 2:26, which states that Yeshua
will give authority over the nations to His faithful ones. This would not be
possible unless the previous authority - the angel(s) over the nations - are first
removed from his/their positions. As we will discuss, this occurs through the
series of judgments shown in subsequent chapters of Revelation:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs VIII:19 - The Holy One, blessed be He,
does not punish a nation on earth till He has cast down its guardian angel from
heaven. This is borne out by five Scriptural verses. One, the verse, And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the Lord will punish the host of the high heaven
on high-that first, and then-and the kings of the earth upon the earth (Isa. XXIV,
21). The second is: How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the
morning! after which we read, How art thou cut down to the ground (ib. XIV, 12).
The third is: For My sword hath drunk its fill in heaven; and then, Behold, it shall
come down upon Edom (ib. XXXIV, 5). The fourth: To bind their kings with chains,
and then, and their nobles with fetters of iron (Ps. CXLIX, 8), explaining which R.
Tanhuma said: ' To bind their kings with chains’: this refers to the heavenly
princes. ‘And their nobles with fetters of iron’: this refers to the earthly rulers.
The fifth is: To execute upon them the judgment written, and then, He is the
glory of all His saints, hallelujah (ib. 9).

2. Regarding the morning sacrifice.

An alternative meaning for "morning star" is found in the Mishna:

Mas. Yoma 28a - The officer said to them: Go forth and see whether the time
for killing (of the morning sacrifice) has arrived. If it had arrived then he who saw
it said: It is daylight!

A footnote to the above passage, offers an alternate translation for the word
"daylight," as found in the above passage:

Mas. Yoma 28a, footnote 11 - The Mishnaic ‘barkai’ may be a contraction of

‘barka hi’, i.e. there is a shining. Or: the shining one, i.e., the morning star.

3. Regarding Messiah and His role in ushering in the Eternal (complete)

Shabbat.
The term "morning star" became associated with Messiah in Judaism. The second
century false Messiah, Simon bar Kokba, had his title (bar Kokba = son of the
star), given to him by Rabbi Akiba ben Joseph.

In Revelation 22:16, Yeshua refers to Himself as "the bright and morning star."
Kabbalistically, the evening of Shabbat (at sunset) is associated with Sephirah of
Malkut (Kindgom), and is dominant in the world we live in, as the bride (Malkut)
is not united with the groom (Tipheret).

Shabbat day is associated with Tipheret. The "complete" Shabbat (evening and
day), comes into being with the union of the bride and groom (see Zohar
reference below). This cannot occur as long as the "other side" (evil) clings to the
evening side of Shabbat (Malkut/Shekinah), as discussed above in verse 10.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 138a - This psalm of praise was
therefore ordered to be chanted on the Sabbath by the "one people", namely the
children of Israel. (Ps. XCII): "A song. A psalm for (to) the sabbath day. It is good
to praise the Lord, to sing unto thy name, O most high. To proclaim thy
lovingkindness in the morning and thy faithfulness in the nights." It has been
established by the Companions that this hymn of praise was sung by the first
man (Adam) after he had been driven out of the Garden of Eden, when the
Sabbath drew nigh unto the Holy One and interceded for the created being. Then
he sang this hymn in honour of the Sabbath which had delivered him. It is a
hymn of praise sung by the world below to the world above, to a world which is
altogether "Sabbath", the sphere of the "King whose is the peace". It is a hymn
of the sabbath below unto the Sabbath above: the sabbath below, which is like
night, sings to the Sabbath above, which is like day. In fact, whenever "Sabbath"
is mentioned it refers to the "eve of the Sabbath" (i.e. the Shekinah), but when it
says "the Sabbath day", it denotes the Supernal Sabbath (i.e. Tifereth). The
former is symbolized by the Female, the latter by the Male. Thus "And the
children of Israel should keep the Sabbath" (Ex. XXXI, I6) alludes to the Female,
which is the night (layla), and "remember the Sabbath day" (Ibtd. xx, 8) alludes
to the Male. Thus the sabbath here below sings a hymn to the Sabbath above.

It is therefore possible that the reference to "bright and morning star," has to do
with Yeshua's role (as groom) in establishing the Supernal Shabbat. The morning
star is both the Supernal Shabbat (Revelation 2:28), as well as the one who
ushers it in (Revelation 22:16), in a similar fashion to Yeshua being both the
sacrificial lamb and the One making the sacrifice.

1. Commentary on Parsha VaEtchanan, Rabbi Pinchas Winston, see

www.torah.org.

2. From the Musaf prayer for Rosh Hashanah.

3. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.118.
4. A Momentous Week, Thoughts and Insights on the month of Elul, Chabad-
Lubavitch, http://jewishnewyear.com/jewishnewyear.com/holidays/tishrei/4316.

5. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,

London 1998, p.221.

6. The reference to the silent proclamation of unity (regarding the Kingdom),

refers to the second line of the standard method of reciting the prayer of the
Shema, which states: "Blessed be His glorious Name, Whose Kingdom is forever
and ever."

7. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,

London 1998, p.221.

8. ibid, quotation from Rabbi Bahya ben Asher, p.171.

9. ibid, quotation from Nachmanides, p.192.

10. The Bahir: Translation, Introduction and Commentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel
Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p.160.

11. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,
London 1998, quotation from Rabbi Meir Ibn Gabbai, p.175.

12. ibid, citation from Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth - Negative Mitzvah 1, p.164.

13. ibid, p.229.

14. ibid, p. 98.

Revelation 3:1-7
Last update: November 4, 2001

1
And to the messenger of the assembly in Sardis write: These things saith he
who is having the Seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I have known thy
works, and that thou hast the name that thou dost live, and thou art dead;

The concepts of; messenger, Seven Spirits and seven stars, were discussed in a
previous section. They will be addressed in additional detail in subsequent
chapters.
2
become watching, and strengthen the rest of the things that are about to die,
for I have not found thy works fulfilled before God
3
`Remember, then, how thou hast received, and heard, and be keeping, and
reform: if, then, thou mayest not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, and
thou mayest not know what hour I will come upon thee.

There are some clues as to what the exact sin(s) of Sardis were. We see
reference to "how thou hast received and heard," and to "hold fast and repent,"
as well as criticism of their "works," all of which indicate a problem with regard
for keeping Torah. The following verses support this idea. Also see notes on
Revelation 1:3, regarding "hearing and keeping."
4
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis who did not defile their garments, and
they shall walk with me in white, because they are worthy.

GARMENTS

The (white) garments referred to in the text are not physical raiment, but of the
spiritual realm, and associated with the condition of a person's soul. This
condition is directly tied to obedience of God's Torah. Note that those walking
with Yeshua in white are said to be "worthy." This indicates a level of
achievement on behalf of the person, which reflects the importance of being a
"hearer and doer" of Torah (as taught by both Paul and "James"), as an integral
part of one's "faith."

(The concept of a "higher" or "additional" soul is also important to keep in mind.

See previous comments on the subject of the souls.)

There is a physical representation of this garment (also called a robe) as

associated with the Levitical priesthood. The Cohen haGadol (High Priest), wore
only white vestments on the day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. As Yeshua's
comments in Revelation 2:4 are regarding a future time, we will briefly turn to
the vision of the Millennial Temple and Priesthood, shown in Ezekiel chapters 40-
48.

Here we see the following:

• The particular office of High Priest does not seem to be in place

• The standard High Priestly garments are not mentioned

• The laws for the priests are of a stricter standard, similar to those for a
High Priest

• There is no mention of Yom Kippur

The priests in Ezekiel's vision are shown to be at a higher level of holiness,

comparable to that of the High Priest. It is clear from Ezekiel's vision that a
"higher level" of Torah is in place during the Millennium, or what is called the
"Messianic Era." The Tenakh, at its literal level, does not give much additional
information concerning this.

Not even Orthodox Judaism has a full explanation of "what's going on" at this
time, as is seen in the following commentary from the Chumash:

The commentators note that several of the laws pronounced by Ezekiel

contradict laws of the Torah, a clear contradiction of the principle that the
commandments of the Torah are eternal and immutable ... Apparently this is one
of the passages which, like the book of Chronicles, was not intended to be
understood in its simple meaning, since that would contradict what we know to
be the true halakha ... The Messianic era is shrouded in mystery; therefore the
simple meaning of this passage must remain hidden from us until, in the words
of R. Yochanam in Menachos 45a, the prophet Elija will come and reveal it to us.
1

At the time of Ezekiel's Temple there will such a continual "flow of atonement,"
as the heavenly Temple, though it never actually "departs from" the heavenlies,
will have "direct contact" with earth.

As the renowned early 18th century kabbalist, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto
states:

"In time to come, not only will the Heavenly and earthly Temples be similar, the
Upper House will extend until it reaches the lower world ... For the heavenly
Temple will not be uprooted from its place. Rather, it will extend until it reaches
the lower world. Around it a physical structure will then be built as befits this
material world, and the two structures will be joined and become one and will
never again separate." 2

(See background notes on Sacrifices in Ezekiel's Temple as well as Messiah and

Tikkun and Tikkun of the Torah.)

As mentioned, both the Priesthood and obedience to Torah are linked to the idea
of white robes. An example of the relationship between all three of these things,
is found in the book of Zechariah. The prophet is given a vision that he was told
applies to the latter days. There was a High Priest named Joshua (not the Joshua
from Moses' time), and though he was destined to hold this office, he was not
allowed to because he did not respect Torah and sinned. This is represented by
his having "filthy garments." God allowed him to be chastised, corrected of his
error, and only when he was in a proper spiritual condition, did he receive his
white robe and was made a priest:

Zechariah 3:1-10 - And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before
the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And
the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that
hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he
answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the
filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine
iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I
said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his
head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. And
the angel of the LORD protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith the LORD of
hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou
shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee
places to walk among these that stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest,
thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for,
behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. For behold the stone that I
have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will
engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the
iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call
every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree.

(Note: The "seven eyes" mentioned in the above text will be discussed later in
this study.)

The physical garment of the Cohen haGadol here on earth, is a physical

representation of that which is in the heavenlies. (Similar to the earthly Temple
representing a heavenly model, etc.) As mentioned in our background study on
Tipheret, the priestly vestments have a direct connection to the Sephirah of
Tipheret:

Midrash Rabbah - Esther II:1 - A fool spendeth all his spirit (Prov. XXIX, 11):
this applies to Ahasuerus. But a wise man stilleth it within him (ib.): this applies
to God who calmed Ahasuerus, in the same way as it says, Who stillest the
roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples (Ps.
LXV, 8.). 1. WHEN HE SHOWED THE RICHES OF HIS GLORIOUS KINGDOM (I, 4).
The School of Jannai and Hezekiah both said: He used every day to open six
treasuries and show them the contents. R. Hiyya b. Abba said: He showed them
the accounts of his expenditure. R. Judah b. Simon said: He showed them the
dishes of the Land of Israel. R. Levi said He showed them the priestly robes. It
says here, HIS GLORIOUS (TIFERETH) KINGDOM, and it says elsewhere, And
thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for splendour and for
beauty-le-tifereth (Ex. XXVIII, 2). Just as the word 'tifereth' there refers to the
garments of the high priest, so here it refers to the garments of the high
priest.

As also mentioned in the study on Tipheret, in the book of Ephesians, chapter 6,

Paul explains how we are to "put on the spiritual garments of the High Priest," in
our battle against the evil realm. He tells us do this by being "strong in the Lord
and in the power of his might." Thus, our victory over these forces comes by
being conformed to the image of Tipheret (i.e., the heavenly Yeshua).

The following section of the Zohar shows that the "spiritual garments" are linked
to obedience to God's Torah. What is interesting in this passage, is that those
showing great fervour for Torah, out of love for God (as Yeshua taught in
Matthew chapters 5-7), receive "higher quality" spiritual garments, associated
with Beriah, the "third World" of holy angels and spirits. (See background notes
on the Four Worlds.) The reward for those who follow out of simple obedience,
are associated with the "Lower Paradise," which would be the second World of
Yezirah.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 210b - Happy is the portion of

whoever is found worthy of those garments wherein the righteous are clad in the
Garden of Eden. [i.e., Yezirah] Those garments are made out of the good deeds
performed by a man in this world in obedience to the commands of the Torah. In
the Lower Paradise [i.e., Yezirah] man's soul is thus sustained by these deeds
and is clad in garments of glory made out of them. But when the soul mounts up
on high through that portal of the firmament, other precious garments are
provided for it of a more exalted order, made out of the zeal and devotion which
characterized his study of the Torah and his prayer; for when that zeal mounts
up on high a crown is made out of it for him to be crowned with, but some of it
remains as the man's portion, out of which garments of light are made for the
soul to be clad in when it has ascended on high. The former garments, as we
have said, depend on his actions, but these depend on his devotion of spirit, so
as to qualify their owner to join the company of holy angels and spirits. This is
the correct exposition of the matter as the Holy Lamp learned it from Elijah. The
garments of the Lower Paradise [i.e., Yezirah] are made of man's actions; those
of the celestia Paradise [i.e., Beriah] of the devotion and earnestness of his
spirit.

The Talmud offers a similar type of "distincition" with relation to teshuvah

(repentance):

Yoma 86b - One who does teshuvah out of awe, his premeditated sins are
rendered as unwitting transgressions. One who does teshuvah out of love, his
premeditated sins are rendered as merits.

The heavenly garments are equivalent to what Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians,

chapter 15. The Zohar offers the following additional comments, linking back to
our story (above) of Joshua the High Priest, from the book of Zechariah:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 214a - As R. Eleazar and R. Jose

were once walking in the wilderness, R. Jose said: ‘When it says of Phineas,
"Behold I give him my covenant of peace", it means peace from the Angel of
Death, so that he should never have power over him and that he should not
suffer his chastisements. As for the tradition that Phineas did not die, the truth is
that he did not die like other men, and he outlived all his generation, because he
kept hold of this supernal covenant, and when he departed from the world it was
with celestial yearning and beauteous attachment.’ R. Eleazar cited the verse:
"And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the
Lord", etc. (Zech. III, 1). ‘The "filthy garments", as explained elsewhere, are
those with which the spirit was clad in this world. It has been asked: When a man
is doomed to Gehinnom, what are the garments with which they invest him? And
the answer is given in the words, "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments,
and standing before the angel" (Ibid. 3). This was the angel appointed over
Gehinnom, and from this we can learn that the evil deeds of a man make for him
these filthy garments, and so God said afterwards to him: "Behold, I have caused
thine iniquity to pass from thee and I have clothed thee with rich apparel"; he
was clothed in other proper garments through which a man may see
the glory of the Shekinah. So Phineas did not depart from this world until
there were prepared for him other garments pleasing to the spirit for the next
world.’

(See notes to verse 18 below, for more about the relationship of these garments
to the Garden of Eden.)
The book of Daniel also associates the brilliance (of "garments") of those
resurrected, with the wisdom of God:

Daniel 12:2-3 - And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

We also see reference to the gift of these garments in the book of Enoch.

Enoch 49:1 - In those days the saints and the chosen shall undergo a change.
The light of day shall rest upon them, and the splendor and glory of the saints
shall be changed.

Enoch 62:18 - The saints and the elects have arisen from the earth, have left
off to depress their countenances, and have been clothed with the garment of
life. That garment of life is with the Lord of spirits, in whose presence your
garment shal not wax old, nor your glory diminish.

Later in the book of Revelation, we see that those who follow Torah are given the
same white garments and are allowed to enter heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation
6:9-11; 7:9; 7:13-14; 12:17; 14:12; 22:14). These verses along with Yeshua's
comments in Matthew chapters 5-7, show that those who claim to follow
Messiah, but follow a faith not grounded in God's Torah, will not enter His New
Jerusalem.

Recall how Yeshua previously stated that those who "overcome" by keeping His
works (i.e., remaining faithful to His Torah) to the end, will inherit the Kingdom.

Revelation 2:26 - And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the
end, to him will I give power over the nations:

The Hebrew New Testament writers, who considered the Torah-based faith of
Israel as the only valid faith system given by God, warned of a coming "spiritual
deception" that would deceive many. This counterfeit faith would be based on
"lawlessness," (Torah-lessness) and lead up to the anti-Messiah ("anti" meaning
counterfeit), who would be called the "man of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians
2:3). The accuracy of these prophecies is seen by the fact that millions of people
follow a faith not grounded in God's Torah, yet are certain they are part of the
"Royal Priesthood," simply because they "believe" certain things about the
Messiah. (For an explanation of Paul's comments concerning "the Law" see our
Romans study.)

God, through the prophet Hosea, warned that a rejection of Torah would result in
a forfeiture of the right to be a priest for Him:

Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have
rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me: Because you
have forgotten the law of your God.
7
`And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write: These things saith
he who is holy, he who is true, he who is having the key of David, he who is
opening and no one doth shut, and he shutteth and no one doth open!

Yeshua refers to Himself as "He that is Holy." This is similar to the Hebrew term,
HaKadosh barakh hu, "the Holy One blessed be He," which is the name directly
associated with the Sephirah of Tipheret. Note also that He is acting as either a
closed or open gate, which as is also a quality of Tipheret as discussed earlier.

THE "KEY OF DAVID"

The "Key of David," is a mysterious term, not directly explained in the Scriptures.
Looking into the texts of the Zohar, we find some important clues. The first
passage we present below (Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-
134b), is lengthy, so we will break it up into sections dispersing comments
throughout.

The setting is the end of days where the Shekinah (also called "Matrona"), and
her groom (Tipheret) are reunited. At the heart of this verse is the Shema, which
contains the words (a "mystery" according to the Zohar); "... The Lord is our God,
the Lord is echad," with the word "echad" meaning a composite unity. (See our
previous study on the Kingdom of God and the Shema.) As discussed earlier in
this study, the "marriage" of the Shekinah to Tipheret goes hand in hand with the
reuniting of all of Israel and their reunification to their Messiah (Zechariah
12:10).

The opening verse of this passage speaks of a single "light" dividing into 70
separate ones. This is reminiscent of Acts, chapter 2, where the Ruach haKodesh
comes, and separate lights (tongues of fire) are seen above the disciples. The
Shekinah is said to be guarded by 70 lights, as was represented by the ten
Menorahs (each with seven lights) placed in the Temple by Solomon. (Refer to
our background material on the Shekinah and the Menorah)

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b - ‘At the time when
Israel is proclaiming the unity - the mystery contained in the Shema - with a
perfect intention, a light comes forth from the hidden supernal world, which
divides into seventy lights, and those seventy lights into the seventy luminous
branches of the Tree of Life. Then the Tree and all the other trees of the Garden
of Eden emit sweet odours and praise their Lord, for at that time the Matrona
prepares Herself to enter under the shade of the canopy, there to unite herself
with her Spouse; and all the supernal potencies unite in one longing and one will
to be united in perfect union, without any separation soever. Then the Spouse
makes ready likewise to enter the Canopy in order to unite Himself with the
Matrona.

The Zohar continues (below) with the cry of, “Hear, O Israel; prepare thyself, for
thy Husband has come to receive thee,” seen in this section, is that of the Jewish
wedding feast. This announcement is the call to Israel (and the Shekinah) to
unite with her groom (Yeshua):
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b - Therefore we
proclaim loudly: “Hear, O Israel; prepare thyself, for thy Husband has come to
receive thee.” And also we say: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one”, which
signifies that the two are united as one, in a perfect and glorious union, without
any flaw of separation to mar it.

A similar wedding call is found in Matthew's gospel, where Yeshua tells Israel:

Matthew 23:39 - For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall
say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

The last phrase, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, is what is
said to usher in the groom at a Jewish wedding.

Paul connected the time of Israel's ingathering to the resurrection of the dead:

Romans 11:15 - For if the casting away of them [Israel] be the reconciling of
the world, what shall the receiving of them [Israel] be, but life from the dead?

Both Yeshua and Paul are speaking of the mystical ingathering of all of Israel to
their Messiah, at the end of the Tribulation period, with the advent of the
Millennial Sabbath.

The prophet Zechariah spoke of this time:

Zechariah 12:2-10 - Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all
the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and
against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for
all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all
the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the
LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness:
and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of
the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart,
The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the
wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people
round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited
again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The LORD also shall save the tents of
Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants
of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the
LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at
that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel
of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to
destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the
house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness
for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Returning to our section of the Zohar, the number "six" now takes on
significance. There is mention of "six aspects," which are associated with the six
directions of physical space, called Zer Anpin, which is represented by Tipheret.
(See footnote 1 to our background study on the Names and Arrangement of the
Sephirot.) The letter Vav (also called Vau - the third letter of Y-H-V-H) comes to
the forefront in this text. The Vav is also associated with Tipheret, the Son and
bridegroom, and also Jacob, whom we have shown to be linked to Tipheret. In
Hebrew Gammatria (numerology), the letter "Vav" also has a numerical value of
six, and Tipheret is the sixth Sephirah emanating from Eyn Sof. (The anti-
Messiah's relationship to the number six will be discussed later in this study.)

The passage also shows that there are also six words in the first part of the
Shema, and six words in the second part. It goes on to explain more detail
concerning the mysery of the Shema, and associates Jacob with Tipheret:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b - As soon as the

Israelites say, “The Lord is One”, to arouse the six aspects, these six unite each
with each and ascend in one ardour of love and desire. The symbol of this is the
letter Vau (because its numerical value is six) when it stands alone without being
joined to any other letter. Then the Matrona makes herself ready with joy, and
adorns herself with delight, and Her attendants accompany Her, and in hushed
silence She encounters her Spouse; and Her handmaids proclaim, “Blessed be
the Name of the Glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever.” These words are said
in a whisper, for so she must be introduced to her Spouse. Blessed is the people
which perceives these things, ordering its prayers in accordance with this
mystery of the Faith! At the time when the Spouse is united with the Matrona a
herald comes forth from the south, crying: “Awaken, O ye supernal hosts, and
unfurl the banners of love in honour of your Lord!”

Next, the Zohar passage introduces a being named Boel (meaning: "God is in
Him"). This name is found only twice in the Zohar and not mentioned in the
Tenakh, Talmud or Midrash. Boel is said to have four keys in his hand - each
representing one of the letters of God's name, Y-H-V-H. Boel begins by uniting
the first three keys, Y-H-V, which are representative of the "Father," Mother," and
"Son." (The "Y" being associated with Chokhmah/Wisdom, the "H" with
Binah/Understanding, and the "V" with Tipheret/Beauty or Harmony.)

Boel is shown to first bring harmony above by uniting of the Yod and Hay to the
Vav (the three higher worlds), before completing the process through the
reuniting of the Shekinah (the final Hay and lowest world of Asiyyah) from below.
Boel then takes the fourth key (the final "H" of Y-H-V-H, also called the "lesser
hay"), and completes the unification by joining this key to the others. As
discussed already, this represents the marriage of the Shekinah (also called the
"Matrona"), which is in exile with Israel, to the rest of the Godhead (the
remaining Sephirot, as represented by the Y-H-V).

This the final "key" (the last "H" of Y-H-V-H), is associated with the Shekinah (the
Sephirah of Malkut/Kingdom), which is in turn affiliated with King David. It
therefore can be called, the "Key of David":
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b - Then one of the
leaders of the celestial array-he whose name is Boel (God is in him) - stands
forth, and in his hands are four keys which he obtained one from each of the four
corners of the earth. One key has upon it the sign of the letter Yod engraved; the
second the letter He’; and the third the letter Vau; and these three keys he lays
beneath the boughs of the Tree of Life. Then these three become one. Then the
fourth and last key, which bears upon it the second letter He’, joins the three
which have become one. And all the angelic hosts enter by means of those keys
into the Garden of Eden, where with one voice they proclaim the Divine unity at
the selfsame moment as it is proclaimed here below.

This Zohar passage next mentions a "period of silence" in heaven, which may
explain that mentioned in Revelation 8:1. This silence is maintained as to not
"alert" the realm of evil that this marriage is taking place. Recall that this evil
realm is still "linked" to the Shekinah (i.e., there are both wheat and tares in the
Kingdom), to this point:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b - Then the Shekinah,

the Bride, is conducted to the Palace of the King, Her Bridegroom, for now He
stands complete in all His supernal goodness and can supply Her with all that
She needs. Thus her attendants bring Her in unto Him in silence. Why in
silence? In order that no “stranger” (evil potencies) should participate
in her joy. As He united Himself above according to six aspects, so also She
unites Herself below according to six other aspects, so that the oneness may be
completed, both above and below, as it is written: “The Lord will be One, and his
Name One” (Zech. XIV, 9): Six words above-Shema Israel YHWH Elohenu YHWH
ehad, corresponding to the six aspects, and six words below-baruk shem kebod
malkuto le'olam waed (Blessed be the Name, etc.) - corresponding to the six
other aspects. The Lord is one above; and His Name is One below. We say this
reponse silently, although it is a triumphant expression of the Oneness, because
of the “evil eye”, which still has power under the present dispensation; but in the
future (Messianic Age) when the “evil eye” will have ceased to exist and will
have no dominion whatsoever over this world, then we shall proclaim the Divine
Unity and its full accomplishment openly and in a loud voice. At present, as the
“other side” still cleaves to the Shekinah, She is not entirely One, and therefore,
although even in this present time we proclaim the unity, we do so silently,
symbolizing it by the letters of the word wa'ed (ever), which are equivalent by
certain permutations to those of the word ehad (one). But in the time that is to
be, when that other side shall be removed from the Shekinah and pass away
from the world, then shall that unity be proclaimed openly. When She enters the
canopy and is united with the Supernal King, then we awaken the joy of the
Right and of the Left, as it is written: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart”, etc. -that is, without any fear or foreboding, because the “other side”
comes not near and has no power here. But whilst Her servants are bringing Her
to the King they must keep a great and solemn silence.

The Zohar then goes on to tell more about the origins of the Shema as recited
daily by people around the world, for thousands of years. (The origin of the
Shema was discussed earlier in our study.) Jacob and his sons are seen as a
picture of what is true in the spiritual realm:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b - Of this Jacob is

symbolic. Before his death, when he was about to speak of the “end of days”
(and the Shekinah left him) he said to his sons: “Perchance some stain is
attached to me or to my seed?” But they replied: “Nay, there is no such stain,
nor is any fault found. Thine own heart is possessed only by the One, and as for
us-we have no contact with the ‘other side’ or any of its evil minions; on the
contrary we, like thyself, are united with the King alone, since all our will and
intent has been to separate from the ‘other side’.” Then Jacob said: “Blessed be
the Name of the glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever.” In that hour Jacob and
his sons became for a space, as it were, living portraits here on earth of the
Shekinah Herself. Jacob symbolized the six sides of the supernal world as a
single whole, and his sons were shaped to the likeness of the six aspects as
manifested in the lower world.

Lastly, this text mentions two separate "end of days." The first of these applies
to the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom, the second to the "end of all
flesh." This is also consistent with the teachings of the book of Revelation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b - Now he desired to

reveal to them a certain “end”, for, as we have pointed out elsewhere, [Tr. note:
Zohar, Genesis, 62b] there is one “end of days” (kez ha-yamin), which refers to
the Holy Kingdom, the mystery of Faith, the mystery of the King of Heaven; and
another “end of days” (kez ha- yamim), which is the mystery of the Guilty King,
the “other King”, ruler of the powers of darkness, and that end is called “the end
of all flesh”. Now when Jacob perceived that the Shekinah was withdrawing from
him, he questioned his sons, as we have pointed out. And as Jacob and his sons
proclaimed the union of the world above and the world below, so also must we.
Blessed is he who concentrates his mind and will, with true humility and longing,
upon this mystery. Blessed is he in this world and blessed shall he be in the
world to come!’ Said R. Hamnuna the Ancient: ‘This stirring up of the unity has
indeed been rightly and justly expounded, and that which we have just now
heard is indeed very true; and in the future time these word's which we have
now uttered will stand before the Ancient of Days and in no wise be abashed.’

It is important to note that the previously mentioned "Boel" has the authority to
do the things mentioned above. The subject of authority is discussed in our
comments to verse 8 below.

The only other reference to "Boel," is also from the Zohar, and is associated with
the judgment of God. This section adds insight to the relationship between gold
and fire (see notes to verse 18 below). It also alludes to "mysterious serpents"
originating from a realm associated with gold/brass, which is the Kingdom. (This
will be discussed in detail in a future section.). Lastly, Boel seems to be linked to
the angel Raphael:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 147a - Gold is included in
Gabriel. The supernal gold is carried below by Gabriel, and seven kinds of gold
separate themselves from it. “Silver” above is united with Michael below, and
one rests on the other. “Brass” is also above; it originates from gold, because
gold and fire have the same symbolism. It is fire which brings forth brass, and
from this power emanate supernal mysterious serpents (nehashim = nehosheth
= brass) and Seraphim brought forth by fire (from saraph, to burn). Therefore
brass is golden, lit with orange and red, like fire. It is contained in Noriel (Fire of
God) and forms his body. Techeleth (purple blue) is contained in both brass and
gold, and derives energy from both sides. It possesses great strength and
nothing can obtain dominion over it. It forms the throne of the power of
judgement, and is therefore called “Boel” (“In him is El”, i.e. God as Power), as it
is written: “And El (God) is angry every day” (Ps. VII, 12). But when men turn
back to God with perfect repentance, his name is changed into Raphael (God
heals): for he brings healing to assuage the pains of that bitter judgement.

Returning to the subject of the Key of David, the next Zohar passage begins by
speaking of how after the destruction of the Temple, the sun (Tipheret) withdrew
from the moon (Shekinah). As the Temple alludes to God's unity, specifically a
union between the Shekinah as bride and Tipheret as groom, without it, this
unity is negatively impacted:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - R. Simeon further

discoursed on the text: Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and
lifted up, and shall be very high (Is. LII, 13). ‘Happy is the portion of the
righteous’, he said, ‘to whom the Holy One reveals the ways of the Torah that
they may walk in them. This verse contains an esoteric meaning. When God
created the world, He made the moon, and made her small, for she possesses no
light of her own, but because she accepted her diminution she receives reflected
light from the sun and from the other superior luminaries. Now, as long as the
Temple existed, Israel were assiduous in bringing offerings, which together with
all the other services performed by the priests, Levites, and Israelites had for
their object to weave bonds of union and to cause luminaries to radiate. But
after the Temple was destroyed there was a darkening of the lights, the moon
ceased to receive light from the sun, the latter having withdrawn himself from
her, so that not a day passes but is full of grievous distress and afflictions.

The oneness of the Godhead, as often symbolized by the unity of Tipheret and
the Shekinah (groom and bride), has followed an "on-again, off-again" pattern
through history. Following the sin of the Adam and Eve, God re-estalished a type
and time of unity at Mount Sinai (and also with the Tabernacle), only to have sin
take this away. This was followed by the establishment of the kingdom of David,
and Solomon's building of the Temple. This too met with sin and failure. Next
came Yeshua Himself, who was largely rejected by His own, with the second
Temple subsequently being destroyed.

The final act to this drama will occur when the anti-Messiah establishes himself
in another Temple, proclaiming himself to be God, and placing himself "in-
between" the Shekinah and her heavenly groom. (See comments from Soncino
Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 52a, in our notes to chapter 4, verse 1)
However, there will come a time when the bride and groom are forever unified,
and it will be someone known as "God's servant," who plays a key role.

Our Zohar portion continues:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - The time, however, will
come for the moon to resume her primordial light, and in allusion to this it is
written: "Behold, my servant will prosper." That is to say, there will be a stirring
in the upper realms as of one who catches a sweet odour and stands alert. "He
shall be exalted", from the side of the most exalted luminaries; "and lifted up",
from the side of Abraham; "and shall be high", from the side of Isaac; "very",
from the side of Jacob. At that time, then, the Holy One will cause a stirring on
high with the object of enabling the moon to shine with her full splendour, as we
read: "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the
light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days" (Ibid. XXX, 26).
There will thus be added to the moon an exalted spirit whereby all the dead that
are in the dust will be awakened. This is the esoteric meaning of "my servant",
viz. the one that has in his hand the key of his Master.

In this passage, God's "servant," turns out to be none other than Metatron, who
posseses a special "key." Metatron is also said to be elder of his house. (i.e.,
Hebrews chapters 3 and 10). The reference to the colors green, white and red, is
significant, and will be discussed later in this study. Metatron is even said to
provide resurrection to the dead (i.e., John 11:25):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - So, too, in the verse:
"And Abraham said unto his servant, etc." (Gen. XXIV, 2), the servant is an
allusion to the moon as already explained. Also, the servant is identical with
Metatron, who is the servant and messenger of his Master, and who was, as we
read further, the elder of his house, the same who is alluded to in the text: "I
have been young, and now am old" (Ps. XXXVII, 25). "That ruled over all that he
had"; this applies to the same Metatron by reason of his displaying the three
colours, green, white, and red."Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh"; this is
symbolic of the foundation of the world, for this servant was destined to
bring to life again the dwellers in the dust, and to be made the
messenger by the spirit from on high to restore the spirits and souls to
their places, to the bodies that were decomposed underneath the dust.
We read further: "and I will make thee swear (veashbe'akha) by the Lord, the
God of heaven", the term veashbe'akha implying that the servant will be
invested with the mystery of the seven (sheba’) celestial lights which constitute
the mystery of sublime perfection. Further: "that thou shalt not take a wife for
my son of the daughters of the Canaanites." The "wife" is an allusion to the body
lying underground, and "to my son" is an allusion to the soul, inasmuch as all the
souls that issue from the celestial everflowing river are the children of the Holy
One, blessed be He. The servant is thus bidden "not to take a wife for my son of
the daughters of the Canaanites", or, in other words, not to take for a soul any of
the bodies of the idolatrous nations whom the Holy One will in the future shake
out of the Holy Land, as we read: "and the wicked be shaken out of it" (Job
XXXVIII, 13), as one shakes dust from his garment. The servant is further bidden:
"But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred." "To my country" has
already been explained; "to my kindred" is an allusion to Israel.

The servant is said to "exercises dominion" over ten grades, which are the ten
Sephirot. This is consistent with what is said of both Tipheret and Yeshua, Who
are said to be the total image of the invisible God and representative of all of the
Sephirot, as discussed in an earlier section:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - Observe now what is

written further: "And the servant took ten camels." The "servant" we have
already identified; "ten camels" represent the ten grades over which the servant
exercises dominion, and which are after the supernal pattern; "of the camels of
his master", to wit, an exact pattern of the superior degrees, as already said;
"having all goodly things of his master's in his hand", to wit, all the supernal
spirits that emerge from the supernal luminaries; "and he arose and went to
Aram-Naharaim", to wit, the spot in the Holy Land where Rachel wept at the time
the Temple was destroyed. "

The timing of these events is placed near the time of the end of the sixth
millennium (i.e., the days we are now living in):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - And he made the camels
to kneel down without the city by the well of water", that is, he fortified the
energy of the souls before their entering into the bodies for their revival; "at the
time of evening", to wit, the eve of Sabbath, which is the sixth millennium, the
same period as that alluded to in the text: "and to his laboul until the evening"
(Ps. CIV, 23), also in the words: "for the shadows of the evening are stretched
out" (Jer. VI, 4).

This section of the Zohar also states that those who occupied their lives with the
Torah will be the ones to rise first. As Torah and Yeshua are equivalent, this
supports Paul's statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, that the dead in Messiah
(who is the Torah in the flesh), will rise first:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - We read further: "at the
time that women go out to draw water", to wit, the time when those who drew
the waters of the Torah will rise from the dead before the rest of mankind, in
virtue of their having taken hold of the tree of life. Further: "and the daughters of
the men of the city came out to draw water", to wit, the bodies will come forth,
as we read: "and the earth will throw up the shades" (Is. XXVI, 19), implying that
the earth will in future give up all the bodies lying therein, "to draw water", that
is, to receive the soul in a perfected state. Further: "So let it come to pass, that
the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, that I may drink." It is one
of our affirmations that every soul that occupied itself in this world in the study
of the deep mysteries of Divine Wisdom, when it goes to heaven is raised to a
high grade, high above those who remained in ignorance; and it is they who will
rise from the dead first. The words, then, "Let down thy pitcher, etc." signify the
inquiry which the servant will make of each soul regarding her occupation in this
world. We read, then, "and she will say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink
also", that is, do thou drink first, and afterwards I will give drink to the other
grades, for although those grades drink from the same source, they ultimately
derive their sustenance from the religious activity of the righteous who knew
how to serve their Master properly, for it is the righteous who know how to
supply proper sustenance to each grade. "The same be the woman", it says
further, "that thou hast appointed for the son of my master"; that assuredly is
the body destined for that superior soul.

1. Haftara commentary to Parsha Emor, The Stone Edition Chumash, Art Scroll
Series, Mesorah Publications Ltd., New York, 1993, pp. 1176-1177.

2. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzazatto,
translated by Avraham Yehoshua and Yakov Greenbaum, The Temple Institute
and Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 1999. p. 24.

Revelation 3:8-22
Last update: November 4, 2001

8
I have known thy works; lo, I have set before thee a door -- opened, and no one
is able to shut it, because thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and
didst not deny my name;

Verses 8 through 11 flow together, with the subject of God's Torah at the center,
and verse 11 being the reward for faithfulness to Torah.

In contrast to the congregation at Sardis (above), the assembly at Philadelphia

has kept Yeshua's Torah, which is directly linked to His name. The concept of
Yeshua's "name" goes beyond his written/spoken name (though this too is
important). In Hebrew writings, the idea of speaking or doing something, "in
someone's name," refers to acting in their authority. For example, the phrase "in
the name of ...," appears over 4000 times in the Talmud, and over 1300 times in
Midrash Rabbah, in most cases used when one rabbi speaks "in the name of"
(with the authority of), another, more senior rabbi.

Yeshua's authority was given to Him by the Father in heaven. When we pray or
do anything "in His Name," we do so by His authority, which He has given His
followers through the Torah and Ruach haKodesh.1

John 17:1-2 - These words spake Yeshua, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and
said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify
thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life
to as many as thou hast given him.
John 5:22-30 - For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son. That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the
Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent
him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on
him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and
they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given
to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute
judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is
coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self
do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine
own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Hebrews 1:1-4 - God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by
himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained
a more excellent name than they.

Also our notes to Matthew chapters 5-7 on Torah observance as it relates to the
name of Yeshua.
9
lo, I make of the synagogue of the Adversary those saying themselves to be
Jews, and are not, but do lie; lo, I will make them that they may come and bow
before thy feet, and may know that I loved thee.

The Greek term for "synagogue" is used in this verse instead of the term
ekklesia (called out ones), which is more often found in the text.

Two possible reasons for this are:

1. "Synagogue" is especially associated with the teachings of Torah, not only

the status of "being called out" (ekklesia) by God.

2. The term "synagogue" is highly associated with Jews and their Torah,
whereas "ekklesia" may include gentiles from the pagan world as well.
This helps draw a direct contrast to the "true" Jews referred to in the same
verse.

Note that Yeshua's standard for "valid faith" is being a true Jew, which is
someone who keeps a proper view and practice of Torah in their life. John made
clear in his epistle what the relationship was between true faith and God's Torah:
1 John 2:3-5 - And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his
commandments [Torah]. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his
commandments [Torah], is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth
his word [Torah], in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that
we are in him.

Verse 9 is directly tied to the promise in the next verse:

10
`Because thou didst keep the word of my endurance, I also will keep thee from
the hour of the trial that is about to come upon all the world, to try those
dwelling upon the earth.

The "word of endurance" Yeshua speaks of is yet another reference to Torah. The
word translated "endurance" in this text is hupomone, (translated as "patience"
in the King James version). It is the same word used later in Revelation, where
we are told that this "patience" involves keeping His Torah:

Revelation 14:12 - Here is endurance of the saints: here [are] those keeping
the commands of God, and the faith of Yeshua.

Verse 10 raises the question of what Yeshua means by, "I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation ..." It is unclear whether He means that He will
remove these people from the earth prior to the final time of great tribulation or
protect them through it (i.e., as with the 144,000 seen in chapter seven.)

It should be noted that there is no connection between such a possible removal

of the righteous prior to the time of Tribulation, and the concept of the "rapture"
as taught in some branches of Christianity. The Christian Church as an entity,
cannot be the "bride of Messiah," as the bride is grounded in Torah and the faith
of Israel (as already discussed in this chapter and the previous one, as well as
Revelation 7:9; 7:13-14; 12:17; 14:12; 22:14). Christianity came about as a
replacement for this faith grounded in Torah.

(This does not mean that the individual Christian [or anyone for that matter] is
"lost," as God will judge each person according to what they have been shown.
We are addressing the false idea of "the Church" being a valid replacement for
the faithful remnant of Israel and those gentiles who follow her God, as defined
through God's Torah.)

The verses used to support the "Rapture" doctrine have been taken and twisted
from their original Hebrew context. Two of the more popular verses used to
uphold this teaching are:

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 - Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I
shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord.

In the Corinthians verse, Paul is addressing a widely held belief in Judaism at his
time, that everyone would die prior to the establishment of the Kingdom (i.e.,
flesh and blood cannot enter the spiritual world of the Kingdom of God.) The
mystery he reveals is that there will be people alive when Messiah returns to do
this, and they will have their physical bodies changed (See notes above on
spiritual garments.) The "last trump," mentioned by Paul, is not at Rosh
haShanah (as used to support "rapture" doctrines), but occurs at Yom Kippur,
again indicative of this event occuring at the end of the Tribulation period.

In the Thesallonians verse, Paul is again referring to the ingathering of Israel to

be with her Messiah (i.e. Zechariah 12:10, at the last trump of God (Yom Kippur),
at the end of the tribulation period. (See comments to verse 7 above, and also
prior notes on yomim ha nora'im, the "days of awe" in Chapter 2, verse 10.)

(Note the similarity between Paul's statements and Enoch's, regarding garments,
in verse 4 above.)

Despite these erroneous doctrines, God certainly can, if He so desires, remove

those righteous (according to His Torah) before the final judgment, either
through death or miraculously. Whether or not verse 10 refers to this, the
congregation at Philadelphia does seem to stand in contrast to that at Smyrna,
who, though Yeshua is please with them, will face persecution and death during
this time period. Whereas Smyrna seems to be further "tested," Philadelphia for
some reason is not, or at least not in the same way.

Thus, it would seem that there are three "categories" of people near the end of
days:

• Those who are

considered righteous

• Those who need additional purification before being allowed to enter the
Kingdom

• Those who do not repent, and perish

This concept is supported by the idea found in Hebraic literature, that at Rosh
haShana, three heavenly books are opened in which names are inscribed. One
book is for those who are unredeemably wicked, another for the righteous, and a
third for those of "intermediate status."

The fate of the wicked and righteous is sealed on Rosh haShana. The fate of
those that fall "in-between" these two categories is deferred until Yom Kippur,
when all the books are permanently sealed. Thus, they have the time between
Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur (i.e., the seven year Tribulation period), to repent.
It is customary at Rosh haShana to wish people both a good inscription (gemar
ketivah tovah) and a good seal (gemar hatimah tovah) from that day until Yom
Kippur.2

The book of Enoch also supports this view:

Enoch 49:1-4 - In those days the saints and the chosen shall undergo a change.
The light of day shall rest upon them; and the splendor and glory of the saints
shall be changed. In the day of trouble evil shall be heaped up upon sinners; but
the righteous shall triumph in the name of the Lord of spirits. Others shall be
made to see, that they must repent, and forsake the works of their hands; and
that glory awaits them not in the presence of the Lord of spirits; yet that by his
name they may be saved. The Lord of spirits will have compassion on them: for
great is his mercy; and righteousness is in his judgment, and in the presence of
his glory; nor in his judgment shall iniquity stand. He who repents not before him
shall perish. Henceforward I will not have mercy on them saith the Lord of spirits.
11
Lo, I come quickly, be holding fast that which thou hast, that no one may
receive thy crown.

As mentioned, this "crown" is also related to the obedience of Torah spoken of in

the previous three verses. It is a reward of the righteous in the world to come (as
shown in verse 12 below):

Berakhot 17a - In the world to come ... the righteous will sit, with their crowns
on their heads, delighting in the radiance of the Shekinah.

Midrash Rabbah has an interesting comment on "crowns" and how the "crown of
Torah" encompasses both priesthood and kingship:

Midrash Rabbah - Ecclesiastes VII:2 - R. Simeon b. Yohai learnt: There are

three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of
royalty. Aaron merited the crown of priesthood and received it; David merited
the crown of royalty and received it. As for the crown of Torah, it lies
unappropriated for the generations. If one attains [the crown of] Torah, it is as
though he attained all three; if one does not attain [the crown of] Torah, it is as
though he has attained none of them.

The following sections of the Zohar show a "cause and effect" relationship
regarding crowns. (See notes on the concept of "cause and effect," in our study
on Spiritual Dimensions - the Realm of Angels.) The Torah, given by God, enables
the righteous to attain crowns given to them by God. In turn, God crowns Himself
with the words of Torah spoken from below.

Note that the "crowns" are linked to a deep love for Torah, as mentioned earlier
in this chapter notes:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 217a - For the words of the holy
Law spoken here below ascend on high, where multitudes come to meet them to
take them up and present them before the Holy King, there to be adorned with
many crowns woven of the supernal radiances. All these words, then, are self-
spoken, as it were, before the Most High King. Whoever saw such joy, whoever
witnessed such praises, as mount up into all those heavens at the moment those
words ascend, whilst the Holy King looks on them and crowns Himself with them!
They spring up and down, they settle, as it were, on His bosom for Him to disport
Himself with them, whence they ascend toward His head and are woven there
into a crown. Hence the words spoken by the Torah: "and I would be playing
always before him" (Prov. VIII, 30), In the verse cited there is twice mention of
"them that fear the Lord"; the first indicates the men themselves as they are
here below, and the second their images as reflected in their words that ascend
on high. This esoteric doctrine is found in the Book of Enoch, where it says that
all the words of exposition uttered by the righteous on earth are adorned with
crowns and are arrayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, who delights
Himself with them. They then descend and come up again before His presence in
the image of that righteous man who gave expression to them, and God then
delights Himself with that image. The words, then, are inscribed in "a book of
remembrance before Him", so as to endure for evermore. "And they that thought
upon His name" is an allusion to those that meditate on the words of Torah in
order thereby to cleave to their Master through an insight into the Divine Name,
so as to know Him and become equipped with the wisdom of His name in their
heart. It is written: "And above the firmament that was over their heads was as
the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne" (Ezek. I, 26).

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 211a - "Happy are ye, O

righteous, who observe the Torah; happy are they who are assiduous in the
study of the Torah, inasmuch as the joy of your Master is in you and the crown of
your Master is fashioned by you."

Not surprisingly, there is an intermediary in this process, that again being

Metatron:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 209a - And now that I see that all
these words of yours have been uttered by the will and command of your
Master, I know that they are all ascending this day to the Divine Throne, and that
the Chief of the angels [Tr. note: Metatron] is taking them up and weaving them
into crowns for his Master, and this very day sixty holy legions are adorned with
crowns, made of the words uttered here this day, to the glory of the Divine
Throne,’

The following passage of the Zohar ties crowns to several themes, including; the
white garments, Godly wisdom, and the River of Eden:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 211a - ‘The river that goes forth
out of the Lower Eden [i.e., the "lower face" of Yezirah] is a mystery only known
to the initiated, and is alluded to in the words: "and he will satisfy thy soul in dry
places (zahzahoth, al. with brightness)" (Isa. LVIII, 11). The soul that quits this
dark world pants for the light of the upper world. Just as the thirsty man pants
for water, so does the soul thirst for the brilliancy of the light of the Garden and
the firmament. The souls sit there by that river that flows out of Eden; they find
rest there whilst clad in the ethereal garments. Without those garments they
would not be able to endure the dazzling light around them; but protected by
this covering they are in comfort and drink their fill of that radiance without
being overwhelmed by it. It is the river which renders the souls fit and able to
feast on and to enjoy that radiance. The celestial river brings forth the souls who
fly off into the Garden; [i.e., souls "created" in Beriah, and "given their form" in
Yezirah], the lower river in the terrestrial Garden, on the other hand, builds up
the souls and makes them fit and able to enjoy those radiances, and so to mount
up to the celestial Paradise [i.e., Beriah] through the central opening of the
firmament and by the pillar that stands in the centre of the Lower Paradise [i.e.,
Yezirah]. That pillar is enveloped in cloud and smoke and bright flashes, the
cloud and smoke encircling it from the outside in order to screen those mounting
up into the Upper Paradise [i.e, Beriah], that they should not be seen by those
remaining below. Herein is involved a most recondite doctrine.
12
He who is overcoming -- I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of my God,
and without he may not go any more, and I will write upon him the name of my
God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, that doth come
down out of the heaven from my God -- also my new name.

Yeshua is obviously speaking in metaphorical terms when He says we will

become pillars. With a comprehension of the deeper levels of Scripture, we can
arrive at a clearer understanding what He means.

The "new name" He mentions is associated with the establishment of New

Jerusalem:

Isaiah 62:1-12 - For Zion's sake I am not silent, And for Jerusalem's sake I do
not rest, Till her righteousness go out as brightness, And her salvation, as a torch
that burneth. And nations have seen thy righteousness, And all kings thine
honour, And He is giving to thee a new name, That the mouth of YHWH doth
define. And thou hast been a crown of beauty in the hand of YHWH, And a
diadem of royalty in the hand of thy God, It is not said of thee any more,
`Forsaken!' And of thy land it is not said any more, `Desolate,' For to thee is
cried, `My delight [is] in her,' And to thy land, `Married,' For YHWH hath
delighted in thee, And thy land is married. For a young man doth marry a virgin,
Thy Builders do marry thee, With the joy of a bridegroom over a bride, Rejoice
over thee doth thy God. `On thy walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen,
All the day, and all the night, Continually, they are not silent.' O ye
remembrancers of YHWH, Keep not silence for yourselves, And give not silence
to Him, Till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem A praise in the earth. Sworn
hath YHWH by His right hand, Even by the arm of His strength: `I give not thy
corn any more [as] food for thine enemies, Nor do sons of a stranger drink thy
new wine, For which thou hast laboured. For, those gathering it do eat it, and
have praised YHWH, And those collecting it do drink it in My holy courts.' Pass ye
on, pass on through the gates, Prepare ye the way of the people, Raise up, raise
up the highway, clear it from stones, Lift up an ensign over the peoples. Lo,
YHWH hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth: `Say ye to the daughter of
Zion, Lo, thy salvation hath come,' Lo, his hire [is] with him, and his wage before
him. And they have cried to them, `People of the Holy One, Redeemed of YHWH,'
Yea, to thee is called, `Sought out one, a city not forsaken!'

We know from Scripture that the New Jerusalem will not come until after Messiah
returns to the present earthly Jerusalem. This is also spoken of in the Talmud.
Note the reference to "The Holy One, blessed be He," which as we have
discussed is a name for Tipheret:

Talmud - Ta'anith 5a - The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I will not enter the
heavenly Jerusalem until I can enter the earthly Jerusalem’.

The seven lower Sephirot (the emanations of God prevalent in the world we live
in), are collectively called "Elohim," and are said to be the pillars of the Temple:

Proverbs 9:1 - Wisdom hath builded her house [Temple], she hath hewn out
her seven pillars:

This "Temple" is associated with the Sephirot of Binah (Understanding), also

called "Heavenly (New) Jerusalem." As New Jerusalem comes at the end when
there is no more sin and all is forgiven, it is also called Jubilee as well as
"freedom." Binah is also considered as "Mother" to the lower seven Sephirot and
all of creation that stems from these emanations of God.

This subject will be explored extensively later in this study. Paul, quite
remarkably, refers to the kabbalistic concepts behind Binah in one of his letters,
(a verse not well understood by any commentaries):

Galatians 4:26 - But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us
all.

Binah is represented by the first "H" in Y-H-V-H (see reference to Soncino Zohar,
Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b-134b, in verse 7 above, and also footnote 1 to
our background study on the Names and Arrangement of the Sephirot.)

We see Yeshua (quoting Psalm 82:6), stating that Scripture itself refers to
humans as Elohim:

John 10:34-36 - Yeshua answered them, `Is it not having been written in your
law: I said, ye are gods [Elohim]? If them he did call gods [Elohim] unto whom
the word of God came, (and the Writing is not able to be broken,) Say ye of him,
whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest;
because I said, I am the Son of God?

Yeshua's statement of us becoming pillars in His Temple have to do with us

becoming one with Him, in His Kingdom, as He prayed for Himself in John,
chapter 17. In that chapter, we see Yeshua first praying for unity between He
and the Father (which implies the "Mother" aspect of God as well, as the two are
never separated in the Divine world of Azilut), followed by unity between this
united Godhead and all believers (who make up the Kingdom with the Shekinah).
This aligns itself with the Zohar passage above, where "Boel" accomplishes the
same thing.
14
And to the messenger of the assembly of the Laodiceans write: These things
saith the Amen, the witness -- the faithful and true -- the chief of the creation of
God;

The "chief" (beginning) of the creation of God," is a title of precedence, having to

do with being first in rank or power. This is a reference to Metatron, who is
placed at the Keter of Beriah, the beginning of the World of Creation. (See
background study on the Tree of Life and the Four Worlds)
15
I have known thy works, that neither cold art thou nor hot; I would thou wert
cold or hot.
16
So -- because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit
thee out of my mouth;.
17
because thou sayest -- I am rich, and have grown rich, and have need of
nothing, and hast not known that thou art the wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked,

Laodicea mistakingly (and arrogantly) believes itself to be "right with God." It

stands in contrast to the assembly of Smyrna (in chapter 2), which Yeshua said
was spiritually rich.

Yeshua's language is the same as found in the book of Hosea, where Ephraim is
spoken of:

Hosea 12:8 - And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I have found me out
substance: in all my labours they shall find none iniquity in me that were sin.

Ephraim was guilty of setting up a counter-faith with the other "northern" tribes.
This system was structured to look like the "real thing" with a Temple,
priesthood, etc., but was not what God had ordained in Torah. (See our
background notes on Ephraim.)

Laodicea is an assembly that has established its own way -- a form of "godliness"
that does not find a need to subject itself to God's Torah. This would apply today
to those religions that claims to follow the Biblical God and Messiah, but teach
that we no longer have a relationship to God's Torah. (See, Not Subject to the
Law of God? in the YashaNet library, for more on this subject.)

A modern commentary, associates the concept of being spiritually "lukewarm" to

haSatan's plan (via the spirit of Amalek), to prevent God's Name from becoming
one:

The Ineffable Name of God, which at this time of history is too holy to be
pronounced as it is spelled: Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh, is actually made up of two parts,
Yud-Heh and Vav-Heh. The unified Name represents periods of history when
God's Presence is revealed and known, and the divided Name represents periods
of time when God's Presence is hidden. This is why the prophet said of the Days
of Moshiach: On that day, He will be One, and His Name will be One. (Zechariah
14:9) At the end of Parashas Beshallach Rashi reveals to us that it is Amalek's
wish and drive to keep the Names divided (Shemos 17:16).

At the end of Parashas Ki Saitzai Rashi reveals to us how he does this: "He made
you cold and lukewarm after you had been boiling. For, all the nations were
afraid to war against you and this one came and led the way for others. It is like
a boiling hot bath into which no living being could enter, until a wild person
came and jumped into it. Although he scalded himself he made it cooler for
others." (Rashi, Devarim 25:18) 3
18
I counsel thee to buy from me gold fired by fire, that thou mayest be rich, and
white garments that thou mayest be arrayed, and the shame of thy nakedness
may not be manifest, and with eye-salve anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest
see.

There is a mystical connection between gold and fire, both being associated with
the Sephirah of Malkut. This goes back to God communicating to Moses from
both between the gold cherubim of the Tabernacle, and the fire on Mount Sinai.4

Numbers 7:89 - And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the
congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto
him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between
the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.

Deuteronomy 4:36 - Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he
might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou
heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

Yeshua's instruction for everyone is to first seek the Malkut of Beriah:

Matthew 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom [Malkut] of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Yeshua's use of the phrase "the shame of thy nakedness," in verse 18, goes back
to the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve realized their "nakedness" after
their sin. While in Eden, Adam and Eve lived in the world of Yezirah, which is
different than the physical world of Asiyyah that we now inhabit. We know from
Scripture that they walked in the presence of the Lord (Genesis 3:8), which could
not occur with the type of bodies we now possess. They were in proximity to a
"voice from above," whose origin was in Beriah.

The Zohar states that the original "bodies" of Adam and Eve were clothed in a
"supernal raiment of celestial majesty." This is similar to the white raiment that
awaits those faithful to Yeshua, as conditions for the righteous will return to
those similar to the time of Eden (Yezirah).5

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 229b - ‘Observe that man's soul
does not ascend to appear before the Holy King unless she is first worthy to be
attired in the supernal raiment. Likewise, the soul does not descend into this
world until clad in the garments of this world. Similarly, the holy heavenly
angels, of whom it is written, “Who makest thy angels into winds and thy
ministers into flaming fire” (Ps. CIV, 4), when they have to execute a message in
this world do not come down to it before they clothe themselves in the garments
of this world. The attire thus has always to be in harmony with the place visited;
and the soul, as we have said, can only ascend when clad in ethereal raiment.
Adam in the Garden of Eden was attired in supernal raiment, of celestial
radiancy. As soon as he was driven from the Garden of Eden and had need of
forms suited to this world, “the Lord God”, Scripture says, “made for Adam and
for his wife garments of skin (‘or), and clothed them” (Gen. III, 21). Formerly they
were garments of light (‘or), to wit, of the celestial light in which Adam
ministered in the Garden of Eden. For, inasmuch as it is the resplendency of the
celestial light that ministers in the Garden of Eden, when first man entered into
the Garden, the Holy One, blessed be He, clothed him first in the raiment of that
light. Otherwise he could not have entered there. When driven out, however, he
had need of other garments; hence “garments of skin”. So here also “they made
residual garments to minister in the holy place”, so as to enable the wearer to
enter the Sanctuary. Now, it has been already taught that a man's good deeds
done in this world draw from the celestial resplendency of light a garment with
which he may be invested when in the next world he comes to appear before the
Holy One, blessed be He. Apparelled in that raiment, he is in a state of bliss and
feasts his eyes on the radiant effulgence. So Scripture says: “To behold the
graciousness of the Lord, and to visit early in his temple” (Ps. XXVII, 4). Man's
soul is thus attired in the raiments of both worlds, the lower and the upper,
thereby achieving perfection. Of this Scripture says: “Surely the righteous shall
give thanks unto thy name”; to wit, in this world-”The upright shall dwell in thy
presence” (Ibid. CXL, 14); namely, in the other world.’

(See additional comments on Adam and Eve, from Soncino Zohar, Bereshith,
Section 1, Page 52b, in notes to chapter 4, verse 1.)
20
lo, I have stood at the door, and I knock; if any one may hear my voice, and
may open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with
me.

This verse has often been used in certain "evangelistic" efforts. The context
however, is not one of a message presented to those without a knowledge of
God. Rather, it is addressed to those who have fallen away into a faith not
grounded in Torah. (Also see previous notes regarding the assembly at Ephesus
in Revelation chapter 2.)
21
He who is overcoming -- I will give to him to sit with me in my throne, as I also
did overcome and did sit down with my Father in His throne.

The door in verse 20 leads to the "throne" of God in this verse, and is found both
on earth, where King David sat and seemingly will sit again, as well as in the
heavenlies:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 220b - R. Eleazar discoursed on
the verse: "And a throne is established through mercy, and there sitteth thereon
in truth, in the tent of David, one that judgeth, and seeketh justice, and is ready
in righteousness" (Isa. XVI, 5). ‘This has been explained as follows’, he said.
‘When the Thought arose with glad purpose from the Most Recondite and
Unknowable, that gladness impinged on the Thought, so that the latter entered
more and more deeply until it was secluded in the interior of a certain supernal
undisclosed Palace. [Tr. note: Binah.] It is from thence that there flow forth, first
all the rivers of the "right side", and after them the others. On the "right side" it
was that the Lower Throne was established, since the Holy One, blessed be He,
established that Throne "through mercy, and there sitteth thereon in truth". The
Throne is the bearer of the seal, the impress of which is Truth, and the Holy One
sits on that Throne only in virtue of that seal; "in the tent of David", which is
identical with the Lower Throne. "One that judgeth" is from the side of Rigour;
"and seeketh judgement", from the side of Mercy; "and is ready in judgement",
alluding to the Throne of Judgement, which is on earth. Similarly, the Tabernacle
was established only on this side of Mercy, as already said; and thereby were
adjusted all the affairs of the lower world.’

Note Yeshua's words that He is "set down with His Father in His throne," thus
supporting His other statements that He and the Father are One. This subject of
who is seated in the heavenly throne will be discussed later in this study.

1. There are several legitimate (Hebrew) ways of writing and pronouncing the
Messiah's "name," that are used today. There are also many terms used to refer
to "God," such as YHWH, Yah, Adonai, Hashem, El, Elohim and Shaddai (to name
but several). To insist that only one of these forms is valid (as seen in the
modern "YAHWEH movement"), has no basis in Scripture and/or Judaism. For one
thing, we cannot be sure that the current English spelling or pronounciation are
correct. (Our inflection is certainly inaccurate, i.e., the Four-Letter Name is
certainly not correctly spoken when done with an American "southern drawl.").
Such rigid doctrines turn the use of the name of God into an incantation,
promote cult-like exclusivity, and miss the point that in Hebrew literature, the
term "in His name" emphasizes authority and not the name as spoken/written,
(especially in our modern languages and dialects). Conversely, the name "Jesus,"
as commonly used today, lacks any Hebraic meanining and is firmly associated
with the anti-Torah messiah of Christianity, and not the Torah-abiding, Orthodox
Rabbi and Jewish Moschiach of Scripture.

2. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson, Inc., London, 1988, p. 151.

3. Israel Challenge - In God's Land Already, Rabbi Pinchas Winston,

http://www.thirtysix.org/1Israel.htm

4. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson, Inc.,

London 1998, p. 95.
5. Concerning the issue of celestial raiment, see notes to verse 4, and the
reference from Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 210b-211b, in verse 11
above, as well as previous notes on Revelation 2:17, where Malkut/Kingdom is
compared to a special light from God set aside since the foundation of the world.
Also examine 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, where Paul gives a dissertation on
various types of "flesh," and how our bodies will need to be changed in order to
be in the presence of the Lord.

Revelation 4:1-2
Last update: November 25, 2001

1
After these things I saw, and lo, a door opened in the heaven, and the first
voice that I heard [is] as of a trumpet speaking with me, saying, `Come up
hither, and I will shew thee what it behoveth to come to pass after these things;'

A "DOOR"

Up to this point of the book of Revealtion, John had prophetic knowledge via the
Da'at of the second World of Yezirah. Once firmly placed at this level, a person
has access to the Yesod of the next spiritual world (in this case the Yesod of
Beriah), as the Da'at of a lower world is the Yesod (foundation) of the next one.
(Again, the student should refer to the extended Tree of Life diagram as a visual
aid.)

Thus, the "door" in this chapter of Revelation leads from Yezirah (the "lower
Paradise"), into the Throne Room of God, Beriah, also called "Heaven," (or the
"Celestial Paradise").

The following portion of the Zohar refers to it as a "portal." Passage through this
portal is linked to going beyond the basic "obedience to the command" (which
God does honor), to having a "great love" for God's Torah, a concept mentioned
in the previous chapter notes:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 210b - Happy is the portion of

whoever is found worthy of those garments wherein the righteous are clad in the
Garden of Eden. [i.e., Yezirah] Those garments are made out of the good deeds
performed by a man in this world in obedience to the commands of the Torah. In
the Lower Paradise [i.e., Yezirah] man's soul is thus sustained by these deeds
and is clad in garments of glory made out of them. But when the soul mounts up
on high [i.e., Beriah], through that portal of the firmament, [i.e.,
Da'at/Yesod] other precious garments are provided for it of a more exalted
order, made out of the zeal and devotion which characterized his study of the
Torah and his prayer; for when that zeal mounts up on high a crown is made out
of it for him to be crowned with, but some of it remains as the man's portion, out
of which garments of light are made for the soul to be clad in when it has
ascended on high [i.e., Beriah]. The former garments, as we have said, depend
on his actions, but these depend on his devotion of spirit, so as to qualify their
owner to join the company of holy angels and spirits. This is the correct
exposition of the matter as the Holy Lamp learned it from Elijah. The garments of
the Lower Paradise [i.e., Yezirah] are made of man's actions; those of the
celestial Paradise [i.e., Beriah] of the devotion and earnestness of his spirit.

It would seem that that Yeshua's special love for John, was merited by the
latter's love for Him and His Torah. (Just as Moses merited his revelation by being
humble before God.) John was rewarded by experiencing this level of prophecy,
which is also considered coming via Tipheret, which is in turn associated with the
42-letter Name of God:

This is reflected in the following:

Kiddushin 71a - Rab Judah said in Rab’s name: The forty-two lettered Name [of
God] is entrusted only to the person who is pious, meek, standing in the middle
of his days, does not get angry, does not get drunk, and is not insistent on his
rights. And the person who knows it, does not use it lightly, observes it in purity,
is beloved above and popular below, feared by man, and inherits two worlds, this
world and the world to come

"IN THE HEAVEN"

As has been mentioned, the term "Heaven" is often associated with the third
World of Beriah. The word for "Heaven" in Hebrew is Shamayim, which is plural.
Kabbalistically, within the World of Beriah there are "seven heavens," or seven
levels of heaven. This concept is beyond the scope of this particular study.

THE "VOICE"

The "voice as of a trumpet" was identfied in our notes to chapter 1. We will

elaborate a bit more at this point. John's vision of the heavenly Tabernacle, with
all of its detail, is comparable to that of Moses, received at Mount Sinai. In each
case, the Tabernacle (and subsequently the Temple) alludes to God's unity,
specifically a union between the Shekinah as bride and Tipheret as groom, from
who the voice of God is heard. This unification come about at the time of the
Supernal Shabbat -- the seventh Millennium, the Kingdom of God (Malkut).

Torah prophecy is said to derive from the "Great (Unique) Name," that being the
Sephirah of Tipheret.1 As both Moses' and John's visions are that of the third
World of Beriah, their view of God is one of far greater unity than ours is in the
physical realm. By returning (i.e, "teshuvah") to the the Keter of Beriah/Creation,
John's level of prophecy includes a highly unified view of both space and time.
(See background study on The Work of the Chariot.)

An interesting allusion to this concept of "going to the beginning" (i.e., the Keter
of Beriah) to learn of the "end," is found in the extra-Biblical, Gospel of Thomas,
which attributes Yeshua as saying the following to his disciples, when they asked
for knowledge of the end times:

Gospel of Thomas, 18 - Yeshua said, "'Have you discovered then, the

beginning, that you look for the end? For where the beginning is, there will the
end be. Blessed is he who will take his place in the beginning; he will know the
end and will not experience death."

The Jewish sages are not in total agreement regarding the "voice of God."
Maimonides, coming from a more Talmudic/rationalist viewpoint, did not believe
God has an actual voice that could be heard, as God does not have a body nor
such bodily functions. This of course is true if we are considering God solely in
terms of Eyn Sof. (Maimonides was not a Kabbalist.)

Maimonides believed that this "voice" was one created by God for this purpose:

And the speech that attaches to Moses, our teacher, certainly is a created voice
with natural precedence ... there was a created voice that went forth from the
cloud. 2

Nachmanides however, and other kabbalists, who regard the Sephirot as divine
emanations of God, make the direct connection between this "voice" and God
Himself.

The Zohar associates the "Voice of God" in the garden of Eden to Mount Sinai.
The following text is broken into several sections to aid in clarity of
understanding. It begins with a discussion of Adam and Eve, who "walked with
God," and had a relationship with the "voice" of God (associated with Tipheret)
as Moses did. They were also adorned in a "heavenly radiance," alluding to their
"garments," as already discussed:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 52a - AND THEY HEARD THE
VOICE OF THE LORD GOD WALKING IN THE GARDEN. (Note the form mithalech
(walking) instead of the usual mehalech.) Until he sinned, man was gifted with
the wisdom of celestial illumination, and he did not for an instant quit the Tree of
Life. But when he was seduced by his desire to know what was below, he weakly
followed it until he became separated from the Tree of Life, and knew evil and
forsook good: hence the Scripture says ‘for thou art not a God that hath pleasure
in wickedness, evil shall not sojourn with thee’ (Ps. V. 5). He who is drawn after
evil may not abide with the Tree of Life. Before they sinned, the human pair
used to hear a voice from above, and were endowed with the higher
wisdom; they stood erect with heavenly radiance, and knew no fear. When
they sinned, they were not able to stand up even before an earthly voice. A
similar thing happened later with the Israelites. When Israel stood before Mount
Sinai, the impurity of the serpent was removed from them, so that carnal passion
was suppressed among them, and in consequence they were able to attach
themselves to the Tree of Life, and their thoughts were turned to higher things
and not to lower. Hence they were vouchsafed heavenly illuminations and
knowledge which filled them with joy and gladness. Further, God girt them with
cinctures of the letters of the Holy Name, which prevented the serpent from
gaining power over them or defiling them as before.

It is of interest to note that this section of the Zohar continues by showing that
the children of Israel were deprived of their "ornament" when they sinned at
Sinai. The term "ornament" is another definition of Tipheret. It then further
speaks of them "losing their armor." This is reminiscent of Ephesians 6 and Isaiah
59, which is a description on the attire of the High Priest, which we have
previously shown to be linked to Tipheret:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 52a - When they sinned by

worshipping the calf, they were degraded from their high estate and lost their
illumination, they were deprived of the protective girdle of the Holy Name and
became exposed to the attacks of the evil serpent as before, and so brought
death into the world. After their sin, it is related that ‘Aaron and the children of
Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to
come nigh him’ (Ex. XXXIV, 30). Before that, however, we are told that ‘Israel
saw the great hand’ (Ibid. XIV, 31) on the Red Sea, and that at Mount Sinai they
all saw celestial lights and were illumined with the vision of clear prophecy, as it
is written, ‘And all the people saw the voices’ (Ibid. XX, 18), and by the Red Sea
they saw God and did not fear, as it is written, ‘This is my God and I will praise
him’ (Ibid. XV, 2). But after they sinned, they were not able to look even on the
face of the deputy (Moses). How was this? Because ‘the children of Israel were
deprived of their ornament from Mount Sinai’, to wit, of the armour with which
they were girt on Mount Sinai in order that the evil serpent should not have
power over them.

It is taught that after the drowning of the Egyptians, the least of the children of
Israel had a greater prophetic capability than did the prophets. Interestingly, it is
also said that the "Song of Moses" that they sang on the shore of the sea, was of
a prophectic nature, and actually applied to the coming day when the Kingdom
would be established (i.e., Revelation 15:3).

There follows in this same Zohar section, a discussion concerning the

disharmony between the "sun" and "moon," which as we have seen are
representative of Tipheret (groom/Messiah) and Malkut (bride/Shekinah). Rather
than existing in a state of continual unification (as was prior to the fall), this
union would now only come about at designated times, when the people met
with God -- hence the term, "tent of meeting" for the gatherings in the
Tabernacle, when God allowed this to occur:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 52a - After this had been
stripped from them we read that ‘Moses took the tent and pitched it without the
camp, afar off from the camp’ (Ibid. XXXIII, 7). R. Eleazar explained the
connection thus: ‘When Moses perceived that Israel had been deprived of their
heavenly armour, he said, "Of a surety the evil serpent will now come to dwell
among them, and if the sanctuary remains here among them it will be defiled",
and he therefore took the tent and pitched it outside, far from the camp.’ ‘And
he called it the tent of meeting.’ It had been such before, but had been called
the ‘tent’, simply. The epithet ‘of meeting’ was now given to it, according
to R. Eleazar, in compliment, according to R. Abba, in disparagement. R.
Eleazar defended his view on the ground that moed (meeting, appointed time) is
the word used of the day when the moon is in full career, when its holiness is
increased and it is free from defect; so here, Moses gave the tent this name to
show that it had been removed from the contagion of the people. R. Abba
argued that the simple name ‘tent, has the same implication as in the verse ‘a
tent that shall not be removed, the stakes of which shall never be plucked up’
(Is. XXXIII, 20), i.e. that it designates something which confers eternity on the
world and saves it from death, whereas the epithet ‘meeting’ is used in the same
sense as in the phrase ‘a house of meeting for all flesh’ (i.e. the grave, Job XXX,
23), and indicates that now the life which it conferred was only for a limited
period. At first it was unimpaired, but now it was impaired; at first the
sun and the moon were in continuous union, but now their union was
only from season to season (moed); hence the name ‘tent of season’
(moed).

This same section of the Zohar then goes on to express Adam and Eve's
"nakedness" in terms of their losing their "crowns." These "crowns" are
associated with a higher relationship with God (i.e., at the level of Beriah). When
living in Eden, in the World of Yetzirah, Adam and Eve still had access to Beriah.
Once cast out into the physical World of Asiyyah, they no longer had this
connection.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 52a-52b - AND THEY HEARD

THE VOICE OF THE LORD GOD WALKING IN THE GARDEN. (Note the form
mithalech (walking) instead of the usual mehalech.) Until he sinned, man was
gifted with the wisdom of celestial illumination, and he did not for an instant quit
the Tree of Life. But when he was seduced by his desire to know what was
below, he weakly followed it until he became separated from the Tree of Life,
and knew evil and forsook good: hence the Scripture says ‘for thou art not a God
that hath pleasure in wickedness, evil shall not sojourn with thee’ (Ps. V. 5). He
who is drawn after evil may not abide with the Tree of Life. Before they sinned,
the human pair used to hear a voice from above, and were endowed with the
higher wisdom; they stood erect with heavenly radiance, and knew no fear.
When they sinned, they were not able to stand up even before an earthly
voice ...

... When Adam sinned, God took from him the armour of the bright and holy
letters with which he had been encompassed, and then he and his wife were
afraid, perceiving that they had been stripped; so it says AND THEY KNEW THAT
THEY WERE NAKED. At first they had been invested with those glorious crowns
which gave them protection and exemption from death. When they sinned, they
were stripped of them, and then they knew that death was calling them, that
they had been deprived of their exemption, and that they had brought death on
themselves and on all the world.’

In a different section, the Zohar equates the "voice of the trumpet," with the
time of Yom Kippur and the Word of God. This is significant, as the Seven Year
Tribulation, also called the Time of Jacob's Trouble, is associated with the seven
"Days of Awe," (yomim ha nora'im), that begin following Rosh haShana, and end
with Yom Kippur. (See previous notes on Revelation 2:10 regarding this):
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 81b - In this latter passage (Ex.
xx, 18) also we find "fire torches" mentioned instead of the "lightnings" of the
former. Both, however, mean one and the same thing; when the lightnings are
quite formed and ready to appear they are called "fire-torches" (lapidim). The
"voice of the trumpet" mentioned in the same verse is, according to R. Judah,
that voice which is itself called "trumpet" in reference to the Day of Atonement
(Lev. xxv, 9). According to R. Simeon, the "voice of the trumpet" is the "word
which proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord" (Deut. VIII, 3), by which "man
lives". It is greater and stronger than all lower voices.

"COME UP HITHER"

John is told to "come up" to see, as was Moses at Mount Sinai. (Note that there
are multiple comparisons to be made with Mount Sinai in this and the next
chapter.) As mentioned, John is going from knowledge of the second World of
Yezirah, to knowledge of the third World of Beriah, the location of the heavenly
Throne Room. Once established in Beriah, he has access to the prophetic view
from the higher point of "heaven" (Beriah).

A concept found in Judaism, regarding prophecy, concerns receiving the "highest

level" that you are worthy of and capabale of receiving. For instance, it is taught
that at Mount Sinai, Moses received the highest level of prophecy, directly
speaking with God. The elders received prophecy at a lower level, and the
remainder of the children of Israel an even lesser one.3

The following passage from Midrash Rabbah, commentary on the book of

Exodus, supports the idea that each person at Mount Sinai receive as much of
God's Torah as they were capable of handling. It goes on further to compare the
Torah to the manna in the desert, which according to Jewish history, tasted
different to each person who ate it, including bitter to those unworthy:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus V:9 - The word of the Lord went forth in two
aspects, slaying the heathen who would not accept it1 but giving life to Israel
who accepted the Torah. This is what Moses said to them at the end of forty
years: For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God
speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? (Deut. V, 23). Only
you have heard His voice and lived, but the heathen heard it and died.2 Just see
how the Voice went forth-coming to each Israelite with a force proportioned to
his individual strength-to the old, according to their strength, and to the young,
according to theirs; to the children, to the babes and to the women, according to
their strength, and even to Moses according to his strength, as it is said: Moses
spoke, and God answered him by a voice (Ex. XIX, 19), that is, with a voice which
he could endure. Similarly, it says: The voice of the Lord is with power (Ps. XXIX,
4)3; not ‘with His power’, but ’with power’, i.e. with the power of each individual,
even to pregnant women according to their strength. Thus to each person it was
according to his strength. R. Jose b. Hanin says: If you are doubtful of this, then
think of the manna that descended with a taste varying according to the needs
of each individual Israelite. The young men, eating it as bread, as it says: Behold,
I will cause to rain bread from heaven for you (Ex. XVI, 4); the old, as wafers
made with honey, as it says, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey
(ib. 31); to the babes, it tasted like the milk from their mothers’ breasts, for it
says: And the taste of it was as the taste of rich breast milk (Num. XI, 8)4; to the
sick, it was like fine flour mingled with honey, as it says: My bread also which I
gave thee, wineflour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee (Ezek. XVI, 19);
while to the heathen, its taste was bitter and like coriander seed, for it says: Now
the manna was like coriander seed1 (Num. XI, 7). Hence did R. Jose b. Hanina
say: If the manna, which is all of one kind, became converted into so many kinds
to suit the capacity of each individual, was it not more possible for the Voice,
which had power in it, to vary according to the capacity of each individual that
no harm should befall him? Whence do we know that the Voice divided itself into
many sounds so that the people should not be injured by its force? Because it is
written: ’And all the people perceived the thunderings ‘2 (Ex. XX, 15). Hence
doth Job say: ’ God thundereth marvellously with His voice’ (Job XXXVII, 5).

John's vision, as presented in chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation, is at a level of

Moses who was also shown elements of the heavenly Temple. As we have
discussed, Moses' vision was at the level of Tipheret, as is John's (via the
heavenly Yeshua). Scripture states that Moses' face was illuminated when he
decended from the mountain. This is significant as the Sephirah of Tipheret
(beauty) is also called the "illuminating face." 4

As mentioned in our study on the Unique Name of God:

"Moses received his prophecy via the central sephirah of Tifereth, whereas Israel
received theirs via the last sefirah of the Atziluth, via Atarah or Malkhuth. ... In
slightly different words, all Torah prophecy derives from the Great [Unique]
Name, the sefirah of tifereth. Moses, because of his greatness, received Torah
prophecy from it directly, whereas Israel, could receive such prophecy only via
the Honorable Name, the sefirah of Atarah (Malkut), which serves as a garment
to the Sefirah of Tifereth, which so to speak, rests in her." 5

Regarding the above quotation, both the "Tifereth" and Malkut being spoken of,
refer to those Sephirot as realized in the Divine World of Azilut. As discussed, the
Tipheret of Azilut corresponds to the Keter (head) of the World of Beriah, called
the Sephirah of Metatron (from where Moses and John prophecied). The Malkut of
Azilut is aligned with the Keter of Yetzirah, called the Sephirah of Messiah, from
where most other prophecy emanates. (Refer to the extended Tree of Life
diagram for a clearer view of these relationships.)

The vision John receives as he "goes up" (in the Spirit), is similar to the
experience of Mount Sinai (when God is also said to have "come down." As
mentioned in our background studies, in these cases, Scripture is speaking of
spiritual space and "movement" -- not physical.

It is also possible to spiritually ascend in a "negative fashion," as was the case

with the prophet Balaam, who "ascended to various mountain levels" in
attempting to call on evil powers to come against Jacob/Israel. (i.e., Numbers,
chapters 22-24. The concept of "spiritual mountains" will arise again later in this
study.)

As Moses went up to converse with God at the level of Tipheret, which is

associated with the 42-letter name of God, Balaam attempted to "counter" Jacob
(Israel) by calling on the same Divine Name through a series of 42 sacrifices:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 224a - R. Simeon said: ‘Observe

that the forty-two offerings brought by Balaam and Balak were offerings diverted
from the “other side” towards the Holy One, blessed be He, and so the “other
side”, which is called “curse”, had to be repaid these offerings from Israel. This is
the inner implication of the verse, “And he (Elisha) looked behind him and saw
them” (2 Kings II, 24). That is to say, “behind him”, meaning the “other side”,
which stands behind the Shekinah. He turned “and saw them” (the children), as
being meet for punishment; “and cursed them in the name of the Lord” (Ibid.),
inducing the Divine Name, as it were, to discharge the debt owing to the “other
side”, for the latter's offerings which had been diverted to Him. Thus all is made
right before the Holy One, blessed be He, and not a single act is lost, whether for
good or for evil.

Balaam's actions would seem to be an attempt to influence a specific group of

angels who are associated with the 42-letter name, and thus Jacob, who himself
is associated with Tipheret:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 5a - Said R. Simeon: ‘When the

Shekinah went down to Egypt, a celestial "living being" (Hayah, cf.Ezek. 1, 5),
called "Israel", in form like the patriarch Jacob, went down with Her,
accompanied by forty-two heavenly attendants, each of whom bore a letter
belonging to the Holy Name. They all descended with Jacob to Egypt, and hence
it says “and these are the names of the children of Israel which came into
Egypt... with Jacob”.’

The opening paragraph of the Zohar connects the 42-letter name not only with
Jacob, but also with his decendants, the community of Israel. In its commentary
on Genesis, alludes to the Song of Songs, chapter 2, verse 1, which says: I am
the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. This section speaks of the lily
(shoshana = lily or rose) as being the beloved of the man in the story. The lily is
related to the "Community of Israel" and the Shekinah which resides among
them. (See also Song of Solomon 3:3, where he feeds among the lilies
[shoshanim]).

The colors red and white are mentioned in this text, and are associated in the
Zohar with the Sephirot of judgment and mercy respectively. (As an aside, the
color green is associated with the Sephirah of Tephiret. These three colors are
explained more fully in verse 3 below.)

This very mystical section is as follows:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 1a - Rabbi Hizkiah opened his

discourse with the text: As a lily among thorns, etc. (S.S. II, 2). ‘What’, he said,
‘does the lily symbolise? It symbolises the Community of Israel. As the lily among
thorns is tinged with red and white, so the Community of Israel is visited now
with justice and now with mercy; as the lily possesses thirteen leaves, so the
Community of Israel is vouchsafed thirteen categories of mercy which surround
it on every side. For this reason, the term Elohim (God) mentioned here (in the
first verse of Genesis) is separated by thirteen words from the next mention of
Elohim, symbolising the thirteen categories of mercy which surround the
Community of Israel to protect it. The second mention of Elohim is separated
from the third by five words, representing the five strong leaves that surround
the lily, symbolic of the five ways of salvation which are the “five gates”. This is
alluded to in the verse “I will lift up the cup of salvation” (Ps. CXVI, 13). This is
the “cup of benediction”,which has to be raised by five fingers and no more,
after the model of the lily, which rests on five strong leaves in the shape of five
fingers. Thus the lily is a symbol of the cup of benediction. Immediately after the
third mention of Elohim appears the light which, so soon as created, was
treasured up and enclosed in that b'rith (covenant) which entered the lily and
fructified it, and this is what is called “ tree bearing fruit wherein is the seed
thereof”: and this seed is preserved in the very sign of the covenant. And as
the ideal covenant was formed through forty-two copulations, so the
engraven ineffable name is formed of the forty-two letters of the work
of creation.’

"I WILL SHOW THEE"

The Midrash Rabbah (below), states that all prophecy ties back to Mount Sinai,
and comes from the "great voice," which is associated with Tipheret and divides
into many voices as discussed in chapter 1, verse 15:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXVIII:6 - Another explanation of AND GOD SPOKE

ALL THESE WORDS, SAYING. R. Isaac said: The prophets received from Sinai the
messages they were to prophesy to subsequent generations; for Moses told
Israel: But with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God,
and also with him that is not here with us this day, etc. (Deut. XXIX, 14). It does
not say ‘that is not here standing with us this day’, but just ’with us this day’-
these are the souls that will one day be created; and because there is not yet
any substance in them the word ' standing ' is not used with them. Although they
did not yet exist, still each one received his share [of the Torah]; for so it says,
The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi (Mal. I, 1). It does not say
‘in the days of Malachi’, but ’by Malachi’, for his prophecy was already with him
since Sinai, but hitherto permission was not given him to prophesyl ... So Isaiah
said: From the time that it was, there am I (XLVIII, 16). Isaiah said: I was present
at the Revelation on Sinai whence I received this prophecy, only And now the
Lord God hath sent me, and His Spirit (ib.); for hitherto no permission was given
to him to prophesy. Not only did all the prophets receive their prophecy from
Sinai, but also each of the Sages that arose in every generation received his
[wisdom] from Sinai, for so it says, These words the Lord spoke unto all your
assembly... with a great voice, and it went on no more (Deut.V, 19). R. Johanan
said: It was one voice that divided itself into seven voices, and these into
seventy languages. R. Simeon b. Lakish said: [It was the voice] from which all
the subsequent prophets received their prophecy. The Sages said: It had no
echo. R. Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Jonathan: How is it possible
to say, The voice of the Lord is with power (Ps. XXIX, 4)? Do we not know that no
creature can withstand the voice of an angel, as it says, His body also was like
the beryl... and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude (Dan.X, 6).
Was it then necessary for the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it says, Do not I
fill heaven and earth? (Jer. XXIII, 24) to speak with power? The meaning,
however, of ’ The voice of the Lord is with power’ is that it was with the power of
all voices. As to the view of R. Johanan, the following verse supports him, for it
says, The Lord giveth the word; they that proclaim the tidings are a great host
(Ps. LXVIII, 12).

All of the above is consistent with what the book of Revelation later says. The
testimony of Yeshua (i.e., "the voice of Tipheret") is the Ruach (i.e., via Da'at) of
Prophecy:

Revelation 19:10 - And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me,
See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the
testimony of Yeshua: worship God: for the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of
prophecy.

Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a modern kabbalistic teacher, associates the forty-two

letter Name of God with this spirit of prophecy:

Each redemption from each exile has been, in a very real sense, the acquisition
of another few letters of G-d's forty-two letter Name, just as each of the stops in
the desert were as well. The Final Redemption, undoubtedly, will come precisely
at the very moment we "acquire" the final letters of that Name -- the one
prophets used to meditate on in order to enter a state of prophecy. 6
2
and immediately I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne was set in the heaven, and
upon the throne is [one] sitting,

"I WAS IN THE SPIRIT"

As mentioned, up to this point, John's level of prophecy was comparable to that

of the other prophects (aside from Moses). The prophets of God were given their
prophecies "dimly through a glass," in that although they may at times reach the
level of Beriah (or Tipheret), they could not sustain it, and thus were relegated to
a prophectic view based in the second heaven of Yezirah (or Malkut/Hod/Netzah).

As discussed earlier, Tipheret is said to grant access to Da'at, the Sephirah of

Knowledge, and realm of the Ruach haKodesh. When a person is firmly in Da'at,
they have access to the next World. This occurs as the Da'at of a lower World, is
the Yesod (foundation) of the one immediately above it. (See previous study on
the Four Worlds.)
Thus, through Da'at (i.e., the Ruach), comes prophecy, which emanates to the
seven "lower" Sephirot (i.e., "the seven spirits of God before the throne" --
Revelation 1:4; 4:5).

Author and kabbalist Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi explains this principle as follows:

"... Da'at, or Knowledge, which is the child of the supernal trinity above (Keter,
Chochmah, Binah), is also called the Abyss. This is because it is the access and
exit point into manifest existence of that which lies above. It is the space
through which higher influences can have direct contact with the seven sefirot of
Construction, as they are known below, and the place where anything beneath
may contact that which is above." 7

The Zohar (below) also associates the voice at Sinai with Tipheret, refering to the
"third day" (of Exodus 19:11-16), as the day of Rahamim (Compassion), which is
a name associated with the Sephirah of Tipheret:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 80b - R. Simeon said that when
the Holy One came to reveal Himself on Mount Sinai, He called together His
whole celestial Family and said to them: "At present the Israelites are like
children, they will not know how to deport themselves in My Presence. If I should
reveal Myself to them in the attribute of Power (Geburah) they will not be able to
bear it, but when I manifest Myself to them in love (Rahamim) they will accept
My Law." Therefore the manifestation on Mount Sinai took place on the third day,
which is the Day of love (Rahamim). In this manner did He reveal Himself first in
Love; and then gave them the Torah from the side of Power; and that on the
third day, for it is because of the "Three" that they are called Israel; and in the
morning, in "a morning without clouds" (2 Sam. XXIII, 4), since had it been a
cloudy morning darkness would have been found in it, and Grace would not have
been revealed. And when does Grace reveal itself? In the morning: "The morning
is light"; for as soon as the day breaks Grace is manifested and Judgement
passes away, but when the light of morning does not enter the judgements do
not vanish away, as it is written: "When the morning stars sing together, and all
the sons of God shout for joy" (Job XXXVIII, 7; i.e. the angels of judgement shout
for joy as long as night continues); but as soon as those stars set and the sun
shines, behold there is "a morning without clouds", and Grace is awakened in the
lower world.’ R. Jose said: ‘The Holy One began to reveal Himself on Mount Sinai
"in the morning", and we have been taught that it took place when the merit of
Abraham, who "rose up early in the morning" (to sacrifice Isaac, Gen. XXII, 3),
was aroused. ‘ AND THERE WERE THUNDERINGS (voices) AND LIGHTNINGS AND
A THICK CLOUD UPON THE MOUNT, AND THE VOICE OF THE TRUMPET
EXCEEDING LOUD.

"A THRONE WAS SET IN THE HEAVEN"

John's vision rises to the Keter of the World of Beriah (which is also the Tipheret
of Azilut), and gives him a view of the Throne Room of God in the Heavens.
Others who had such an experience (though not as clear as Moses or John),
include:
 • Enoch - the Book of Enoch is a comparable vision to John's

• Solomon - he is said to have been, "a man of three worlds"

• Isaiah - he saw the Lord on His throne and angels similar to John (Isaiah 6)

• Paul - he may have been referring to himself in 2 Corinthians 12

As mentioned throughout this study, Tipheret is called the Sephirah of Truth, and
also the giver of the Neshemah, (higher soul). Tipheret thus plays the important
role in determining if a person will ascend further up Jacob's Ladder (the Tree of
Life). Tipheret is the synthesis of Hesed (Mercy) and Gevurah (Judgment), and is
associated with the soul. As such, the soul is both a bridge between the right and
left pillars, and a barrier/gateway to the Ruach haKodesh (found in Da'at) 8

"UPON THE THRONE IS ONE SITTING"

The Zohar relates the manifestation of the Name of God to the world of Beriah
(the heavens):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 50b - This is the significance of

the Psalm (recited on Sabbath morning): "The heavens tell the glory of God; and
the firmament proclaims his handiwork." ‘What is meant by "Heaven"? That
heaven in which the Supernal Name is made visible (shama-yim- heaven; shem-
Name).

The question of "Who is sitting on the throne?" is a great puzzle for modern
commentators, as the text does not disclose if it is the "Father" or the "Son."
Arguments are made that this is not the Son, as the Son is associated with the
Lamb, who is shown to be a "separate entity," who takes the scroll from the hand
of the one on the throne in 2:7. What's more, in Revelation 2:13 we see the
elders and creatures bestowing "blessing, honour, glory, and might," to both the
one on the throne and the Lamb.

However, the description of the one on the throne, given in 4:11 (... Thou did
create the all things, and because of Thy will are they, and they were created), is
also given by Paul, specifically concerning Yeshua:

Colossians 1:16,17 - because in him were the all things created, those in the
heavens, and those upon the earth, those visible, and those invisible, whether
thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities; all things
through him, and for him, have been created, and himself is before all, and the
all things in him have consisted.

John 1:3 also credits "the Word" (Yeshua) with creation:

John 1:3 - All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
made that was made.

Yeshua had given a hint at who is in the throne at the end of the previous
chapter:
Revelation 3:21 - To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne.

Yeshua indicates that He and the Father are both on this throne. This relates to
the concept of the Son and Father, "being One," in the words of Yeshua, as found
in John 10:29-30; 14:7-11; 15:23-24; 17:11,21-23. Without a knowledge of the
Sephirot, (and a "sod-level" understanding of Yeshua's own words), the text
presents great difficulties.

As discussed in our earlier notes on Ezekiel's vision, the "one sitting on the
Throne" is actually in the Fourth Heaven, specifically in the location of the
Tipheret of Azilut (which is also the Keter of Beriah, the third heaven, which John
has access to). This is also known as the Sephirah of Metatron, the head of all
creation, who is referred to in some texts as, the Lesser YHVH.

As the one in Ezekiel and John's visions is on the throne, (i.e., in the "midst" of
the throne), we come to an understanding of the Greek term, Metatron. The term
for "midst" is mesos, which comes from the root meta (Strong's #3326). The
term for throne, is thronos (Strong's #2362). Placed together, one has meta-
thronos, or "Metatron."

Tipheret (as mentioned in our background notes), contains all the aspects of the
Sephirot. This remarkable citation from Chayim Henoch's book on Nachmanides
goes as far as saying that Tipheret is the closest we can come to understanding
the very Ein Sof:

Among the Divine Names, then, the Unique Name [Tipheret] occupies a central
position in the process of communion ... The significance of the Unique Name
versus the other Divine Names, Rabbi R. Isaac explains thus: "Because this
Name is the Cause of all causes, and everything is contained in Him, from the
upper crown (Kether) until the Lower Crown (Atarah). [also called
Malkut/Kingdom] From Ein-Sof until Ein-Sof. He is the cause of all existence." 9

An understanding of, a) the difference between God as Eyn Sof and God as seen
in the Sephirot, as well as, b) how each Sephirah "contains" elements of the
others within it, c) how all of the Sephirot are present in each of the Four
Heavens, and, d) the "tri-unity" of the Sephirot in terms of the pillars of mercy,
judgment and harmony, helps us to get a grasp on how God is presented in
Scripture.

It must be noted that this "tri-unity" as presented in the Hebraic/Kabbalistic view

of Scripture, is not the same, nor arrived at in the same way as the Christian
Trinity of, "God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit." Historically,
Christianity divorced itself from understanding the deeper levels of Scripture that
are found within the Kabbalistic Judaism that Yeshua, John, Paul and other
disciples taught from.

This causes fundamental errors including, but not limited to;

 1. confusing the "Father" and/or Yeshua with Eyn Sof

2. making "separate persons" out of the One God

3. limiting God to a "trinity" of Father, Son and Holy Spirit

4. ignoring the Shekinah as a divine emantion of God

5. assigning the Ruach haKodesh the role of a "masculine personage" of God

An interesting view at a Hebraic "trinity" is found in this passage from the Zohar,
which is a contination of the section cited above (in the comments to "Upon the
throne is one sitting.")

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 50b - For upon this day (Sabbath)
the heavens are crowned and ascend in the power of the Holy Name more than
on any other day. "His handiwork" is the supernal Dew which streams forth from
all the hidden regions; it is "the work of His hands", and His self-fulfilment
wherein He completes and perfects Himself on this day more than upon any
other. This dew "streams down" (maggid in the Aramaic sense) from the Head of
the King, with an abundance of blessing, the "firmament" here signifying the
stream issuing from the Cistern, the "River which went out of Eden", which flows
earthwards, as the stream of the Supernal Dew which gleams and flashes from
all sides. This "firmament" draws it downward upon a current of love and desire,
in order that it may water the field of bliss and joy at the entrance of the
Sabbath. When that fair pearled Dew streameth down, the whole becomes full
and complete in its holy letters acting through all their holy channels; since all is
united to it, a path is opened to it to water and bless all below. "Day unto day" -
one day to another, one ring or sphere unto its fellow. Here Scripture speaks in
detail concerning the manner in which the heavens radiate sapphire brightness
to that Glory, and how that "Firmament" of the supernal Dew causes the
downward flow of the current. "Day unto day utters speech." Day unto day,
grade unto grade, in order that the one should complete itself in the other, and
one be illumined by the other from the luminous and sparkling radiance of the
Sapphire which is reflected by the heavens back to the central glory. The word
yabia’ (uttereth) can be translated "hasteneth": they hasten to catch the light
and the flashing one from another. The word OMeR (speech) [Aleph-Mem-Resh]
indicates the letters and paths which proceed from the Father [Tr. note:
Hokmah.] the Mother, [Tr. note: Binah.] and the head which issues from them,
who is the firstborn Son. [Tr. note: ‘ Tifereth.] Aleph symbolizes the Father, and
when it ascends and descends, the Mem unites itself with it, producing em,
which signifies Mother; the resh is the Head (rosh =head), signifying Son. When
these three unite the result is that they form "Word", "Speech". Thus the
Father, the Mother, and the first born Son radiate one within the other
in one union, which has its reign and duration upon the Sabbath. Thus all are
united so as to become one, and therefore they hasten one to another that
Omer, as a supernal reign, in order that all should be one. But when all has been
conveyed down to that "firmament", then it diffuses light upon the "Glory of
God" below that it may produce beings in the likeness of the heavens which give
light to that Glory.

1. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc.,

Jerusalem, 1998, p. 148.

2. ibid, p. 149.

3. ibid, p. 93.

4. ibid, p. 199.

5. ibid, pp. 148, 159.

6. Perceptions on the Parsha, Parshas Mattos-Masie, Rabbi Pinchas Winston,

http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5759/matos.html. The phrase, "the
stops in the desert," is reference to the forty-two times the Tabernacle was
setup. (See The Unique Name of God, in our background studies.)

7. The Work of the Kabbalist, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach Maine, 1985, p. 9.

8. ibid, pp. 23-24.

9. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc.,

Jerusalem, 1998, p. 190.

Revelation 4:3-11
Last update: January 4, 2002

3
and He who is sitting was in sight like a stone, jasper and sardine: and a
rainbow was round the throne in sight like an emerald.

There is significance to the colors of these three stones. The jasper is like the
white of a diamond. The sardine is red in color. The emerald is green. These
three colors, white, red and green, are directly associated with the following
Sephirot:

• White = Mercy/Hesed

• Red = Judgement/Gevurah

• Green = Beauty/Tipheret 1

The Zohar associates these colors with the "son" (Tipheret) in Song of Songs
(Song of Solomon):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 122a - ‘Also it is written: "As the
apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons"
(Song of Songs II, 3) - as an apple tree which has varied colours, red, white, and
green combined in a unity.’

As mentioned, the one in the Throne of Beriah occupies the Sephirah linked to
Metatron. The Zohar links the colors green, white and red with Metatron, who is
said to be "elder of his house" (i.e., Hebrews 3:3-6; 10:21), and who resurrects
the dead:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - So, too, in the verse:
"And Abraham said unto his servant, etc." (Gen. XXIV, 2), the servant is an
allusion to the moon as already explained. Also, the servant is identical with
Metatron, who is the servant and messenger of his Master, and who was, as we
read further, the elder of his house, the same who is alluded to in the text: "I
have been young, and now am old" (Ps. XXXVII, 25). "That ruled over all that he
had"; this applies to the same Metatron by reason of his displaying the
three colours, green, white, and red. "Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my
thigh"; this is symbolic of the foundation of the world, for this servant was
destined to bring to life again the dwellers in the dust, and to be made the
messenger by the spirit from on high to restore the spirits and souls to their
places, to the bodies that were decomposed underneath the dust. We read
further: "and I will make thee swear (veashbe'akha) by the Lord, the God of
heaven", the term veashbe'akha implying that the servant will be invested with
the mystery of the seven (sheba’) celestial lights which constitute the mystery of
sublime perfection.

The following passage of the Zohar makes commentary on the "doors" and
"colors" of heaven. In addition to the above colors of green white and red, the
color black is associated with the Sephirot of Malkhut, that being linked with the
Shekinah (the "hidden one"), bride/kingdom. The color Sapphire, as well as "a
color that contains all colors" are also used in describing the Shekinah, as
Malkut, being the "last" of the Sephirot, "contains" all that came before it.

Note also the term, "Holy One, blessed be He," which we have seen is that of
Tipheret. There is also reference to chieftains (angels) having dominion over
certain heavens (spiritual realms) as seen in Daniel's account. Among the
"heavenly doors" is one main one leading to the throne, this door has seventy
other doors "inscribed upon it," and it is throught this door that God provides for
all of Israel's needs. As seen in an earlier study, this is the function of the
Sephirah or Yesod/Foundation. The text also speaks of a lower paradise (Yezirah)
and the expanse of heaven above it (Beriah). It should be noted that the
Sephirah of Malkut [Kingdom] is considered the "house of Tipheret." (i.e.,
Hebrews 3:3-6).2

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 209b - But the heaven which is
over the Holy Land is not ruled by any chieftain or any other power, but is in the
sole charge of the Holy One, blessed be He, who Himself directs the affairs of
that land from that heaven. Each heaven is provided with a certain number of
portals, and the charge of each chieftain extends from one portal to the next,
and he may not encroach on the sphere of his fellow-chieftain by even so much
as a hairbreadth, except he receive authorization to exercise dominion over his
neighbour; when this happens one king on earth obtains power over another.
There is, besides, in the centre of the whole of the heavens, a door called
G'bilon; underneath that door are seventy other doors, with seventy chieftains
keeping guard, at a distance from it of two thousand cubits, so that no one
should come near it. From that door, again, there is a path mounting
higher and ever higher until it reaches the Divine Throne. The same door
gives access to all quarters of heaven as far as the gate called Magdon,[Tr. note:
Al. Mandon] where is the end of the heaven that extends over the Land of Israel.
All the seventy doors that are inscribed on the door called G'bilan, are called
"gates of righteousness", being under the direct control of the Divine Throne,
and no other power; and it is through those gates that the Holy One provides the
Land of Israel with all that it needs; and it is from the residue of that provision
that the Chieftains take and transmit to all the lower chieftains. ‘In connection
with the firmament that is above the lower Paradise there are sublime mysteries.
When the Holy One was about to make the firmament, He took fire and water
out of His Throne of Glory, fused them into one, and out of them made the lower
firmament, which expanded until it reached the area of the Lower Paradise,
where it halted. The Holy One, blessed be He, then took from the holy and
supernal heaven fire and water of another kind, such as both are and are not,
are both disclosed and undisclosed, and of them He made a further expanse of
heaven which He spread over the lower Paradise where it joins the other
firmament. That expanse of heaven, above the lower Paradise, displays four
colours: white, red, green, and black, and correspondingly contains four
doors in its four sides.

Both the Midrash Rabbah and Zohar associate these four colors with the events
concerning the Tabernacle at Mount Sinai. Again, the term "the Holy One,
blessed be He," is associated with Tipheret.

Midrash Rabbah, Numbers XII:8 -When the Holy One, blessed be He,
commanded Moses, ‘Make Me a Tabernacle,’ he should have just put up four
poles and spread out the Tabernacle over them! We are therefore forced to infer
that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses on high, red fire, green fire,
black fire, and white fire, and said to him: Make it according to the fashion
thereof, which hath been shown thee in the mount (Ex. XXVI, 30).

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 241a - ‘Observe that when Moses
was commanded to make the Tabernacle, he could not comprehend its design
until God showed him an exact replica of every single part, a replica in white fire,
in black fire, in red fire, and in green fire. Scripture thus says: "And see that thou
make them after their pattern, which is being shown thee in the mount" (Ex. xxv,
40).

The "rainbow" seen around the throne is also associated with the same colors.
Again, we will divide this lengthy text from the Zohar into several sections, to
assist the reader. The following begins with a reference to Noah's rainbow,
associating it with the songs of praise coming from the "living creatures" found in
Ezekiel (and Revelation):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - AND GOD SAID TO NOAH...
THIS IS THE TOKEN OF THE COVENANT WHICH I MAKE BETWEEN ME AND YOU... I
HAVE SET MY RAINBOW IN THE CLOUD. The past tense "I have set" shows that
the bow had already been there. In connection with this passage R. Simeon
discoursed on the verse: And above the firmament that was over their heads
was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone (Ezek. I, 26).
‘Before this verse,’ he said, ‘we find the words, "And when they went I heard the
noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty"
(Ibid. 24). These are the four sacred and mighty beings called Hayyoth (animals),
by whom the firmament is upheld, and whose wings are usually joined together
to cover their bodies. When, however, they spread out their wings, a volume of
sound swells forth, and they break out into songs of praise, "as the voice of the
Almighty", which never becomes silent, as it is written, "so that my glory may
sing praise to thee, and not be silent" (Ps. XXX, 13). The tenour of their praises
is, "The Lord hath made known his salvation, his righteousness hath he revealed
in the sight of the nations" (Ps. XCVIII, 2). It says further: "A noise of tumult like
the noise of a host" (Ezek. I, 24), i.e. like the sound of the holy camps when all
the supernal armies assemble on high. What is it they declaim? "Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is. VI, 3). They turn to
the south and say "holy", they turn to the north and say "holy", they turn to the
east and say "holy", they turn to the west and say "blessed". And that firmament
rests upon their heads, and in whatever direction it turns, their faces turn also.
They turn their faces to the four cardinal points, and all revolve in a circle. The
firmament is imprinted, at the four corners of a square, with four figures, of a
lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man; and the face of a man is traced in all of them,
so that the face of Lion is of Man, the face of Eagle is of Man, and the face of Ox
is of Man, all being comprehended in him. Hence it is written: "As for the likeness
of their faces, they had the face of a man" (Ezek. I, 10). Eurther, the firmament
with its enclosed square contains the gamut of all the colours. Outstanding are
four colours, each engraved with four translucent signs, both higher and lower.
These when decomposed become twelve. They are green, red, white, and
sapphire, which is made up of all these colours.

The singing of these creatures proclaims the message, "Holy, holy, holy," as
found in both Isaiah and Revelation. Note that these three words are spoken in
the directions of south, north and east. The creatures then utter the word
"blessed" to the last direction of west. This is because the Sephirah of Malkut
(Kingdom) lies to the "west" in the Tree of Life, as did the earthly Holy of Holies.
(See our notes on Names and Arrangement of the Sephirot.)

This is a reflection of the mystery of the Shema, which states, "Blessed be His
glorious name whose Kingdom is forever and ever." The unity of the four keys
(see previous chapter) the four colors, the four cardinal directions and the four
living creatures, are all symbolic of the unification of the name of God and
establishment of His Kingdom.
Note also that these four colors are said to "decompose" forming twelve colors,
reflective of the twelve colors on the breastplate of the High Priest:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - What is it they declaim?

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is. VI,
3). They turn to the south and say "holy", they turn to the north and say "holy",
they turn to the east and say "holy", they turn to the west and say "blessed".
And that firmament rests upon their heads, and in whatever direction it turns,
their faces turn also. They turn their faces to the four cardinal points, and all
revolve in a circle. The firmament is imprinted, at the four corners of a square,
with four figures, of a lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man; and the face of a man is
traced in all of them, so that the face of Lion is of Man, the face of Eagle is of
Man, and the face of Ox is of Man, all being comprehended in him. Hence it is
written: "As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man" (Ezek. I,
10). Eurther, the firmament with its enclosed square contains the gamut of all
the colours. Outstanding are four colours, each engraved with four
translucent signs, both higher and lower. These when decomposed
become twelve. They are green, red, white, and sapphire, which is
made up of all these colours. Hence it is written, "As the appearance of the
bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the
brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of
the Lord" (Ibid. I, 28): containing, that is to say, all shades of all colours.

This text then goes on to link the rainbow to Joseph, the covenant and a tzaddik
(righteous person). All of these are associated with the Sephirah of Yesod,
(Foundation), and integral to one another. The rainbow represents the supernal
splendor of the heavenlies. Recall that Joseph, who represents Yesod and the
rainbow, had a coat of "many colors" (Genesis 37:3) given to him:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - The same is referred to in

the text I HAVE SET MY BOW IN THE CLOUD. The bow here has a parallel in the
text, "But his bow abode firm" (Gen. XLIX, 24), i.e. the covenant of Joseph,
because he was a righteous man, had for its symbol the bow, since the bow is
linked with the covenant, and the covenant and the righteous are integral in
one another. And because Noah was righteous, the sign of his covenant was the
bow. (The word vayophozu, mentioned in connection with Joseph, is akin to the
term paz (fine gold) in the passage, "More to be desired are they than gold, yea,
than much fine gold" (Ps. XIX, 11), and it means that his arms shone with the
lustre of the most desirable substance, they shone with the light supernal, since
he had observed the covenant; hence he is named "Joseph the righteous".) And
the rainbow is therefore called " covenant" because they embrace one another.
Like the firmament it is a supernal resplendent glory, a sight of all sights,
resembling the hidden one (the Shekinah), containing colours undisclosed and
unrevealable. Hence it is not permitted to gaze at the rainbow when it appears in
the heavens, as that would be disrespectful to the Shekinah, the hues of the
rainbow here below being a replica of the vision of the supernal splendour, which
is not for man's gaze ...
Hence when the earth saw the rainbow as a holy covenant, it was once more
firmly established, and therefore God said, AND IT SHALL BE FOR A TOKEN OF A
COVENANT BETWEEN GOD, ETC. The three primary colours and the one
compounded of them, which we mentioned before, are all one symbol, and they
all show themselves in the cloud. "And above the firmament that was over their
heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone"
(Ezek. I, 26). This alludes to the "foundation stone" (eben shethiah), which is the
central point of the universe and on which stands the Holy of Holies. "The
likeness of a throne", i.e. the supernal holy throne, possessing four supports, and
which is symbolic of the Oral Law. "And upon the likeness of the throne was the
likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above" (Ibid.); this symbolises the
Written Law. From here we learn that copies of the Written Law should rest on
copies of the Oral Law (and not vice versa), because the latter is the throne to
the former. "As the appearance of a man" refers to the image of Jacob, who sits
on it.’ ...

Remarkably, the text now links this rainbow and covenant to a "mark upon the
foreheads" of those who are following God (Revelation 7:3):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - ‘It is written: "And I will
look upon it (the rainbow) that I may remember the everlasting covenant." This
means that God's desire is constantly for the bow, and that he who is not visible
therein will not enter into the presence of his Master. The inner meaning of the
words, "And I will look upon it", is to be found in the words, "and set a mark upon
the foreheads, etc." (Ezek. IX, 4), so as to be clearly visible.’ (According to
others, the mark was symbolic of the holy mark in the flesh.) R. Judah said, ‘This
is assuredly so, but the rainbow that appears in the sky has a profound mystic
significance, and when Israel will go forth from exile that rainbow is destined to
be decked out in all the finery of its colours, like a bride who adorns herself for
her husband.’

Later in this section of the Zohar, we find a dialogue concerning the rainbow, and
its association to the Messiah.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 72b - The Judean said to him,
‘This is what my father said to me when he was on the point of departing this
world: "Do not expect the coming of the Messiah until the rainbow will appear
decked out in resplendent colours which will illumine the world. Only then expect
the Messiah." We learn this from the words, "And I will look upon it, that I may
remember the everlasting covenant" (Gen. IX, 16). That is, at present the bow
appears in dull colours, since it is only designed as a reminder that there shall be
no return of the Flood; but at that time it will appear in its full panoply of colours
as a bride does for her husband, and that will be "to remember the everlasting
covenant"’ The Holy One, blessed be He, will remember the covenant which is in
exile and He will raise her from the dust, as it is written, "and they will seek the
Lord their God and David their king" (Hos. III, 4); also, "But they shall serve the
Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise unto them" (Jer. XXX, 9),
i.e. raise from the dust, in accordance with the text: "I will raise up the
tabernacle of David that is fallen" (Amos IX, 11). The "everlasting covenant" will
thus be remembered to be raised from the dust. My father also said that it is for
that reason that in Scripture the redemption of Israel and the remembrance of
the rainbow are mentioned together, as it is written: "For as I have sworn that
the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I
would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee" (Is. LIV, 9).

The book of Enoch makes clear that the one exalted and made to sit in the
Throne of God is the Son of Man, God's Messiah:

Enoch 62:1-3 - And thus the Lord commanded the kings and the mighty and
the exalted, and those who dwell on the earth, and said: ' Open your eyes and
lift up your horns if ye are able to recognize the Elect One.' And the Lord of
Spirits seated him on the throne of His glory, And the spirit of righteousness was
poured out upon him, And the word of his mouth slays all the sinners, And all the
unrighteous are destroyed from before his face. And there shall stand up in that
day all the kings and the mighty, And the exalted and those who hold the earth,
And they shall see and recognize How he sits on the throne of his glory, And
righteousness is judged before him, And no lying word is spoken before him.
4
And around the throne [are] thrones twenty and four, and upon the thrones I
saw the twenty and four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and they had
upon their heads crowns of gold;

Based on the principle that what is in the heavenly Temple is mirrored on the
earth, it would seem that these 24 "elders" are a counterpart to the twenty-four
divisions of the Levitical priesthood. The question on whether these elders are
human or angelic beings is discussed in the notes to verse 10, below.

The Zohar also speaks of the eastern gate to the heavenly Holy of Holies, which
is guarded by twenty-four sentinels:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 241b - Hence it is written: "And

Moses reared up the tabernacle", signifying that it was raised by Moses every
time.’ R. Simeon discoursed in this connection on the verse: "When those went
these went, and when those stood these stood" (Ezek. 1, 21). ‘That means’, he
said, ‘that when the Hayoth (living creatures) went the Ofanim (Wheels) also
went, as we read, "and when the Hayoth went the Ofanim went hard by them"
(Ibid. 19). For the movements of the Ofanim are only induced by the movements
of the Hayoth, nor can they pause independently of the Hayoth, for the two
move together as one. Now the celestial gate of the east is provided with
twenty-four openings guarded by twenty-four sentinels who are surrounded by a
flaming fire. There are at the entrance of the gate twenty-four sockets
supporting twenty- four pillars. These pillars remain in their place and do not
soar into space; they are thus designated "standing ones", in the verse: "I will
give thee a place to walk among these standing ones" (Zech. III, 7). And as long
as those pillars remain immobile those that are above them go to and fro
through the world, survey things, and whatever they overhear they carry up on
high
The subject of heavenly garments has already been discussed as being
associated with righteousness, specifically in the Olam Haba. We will cite several
more interesting examples. This first passage, from the Zohar, associates the
spiritual garments with the resurrection of the dead and New Jerusalem:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 219b - As soon as they will rise
from the dead all those hosts will march, each man to the portion of his
ancestors, as Scripture says, "and ye shall return every man unto his possession"
(Lev. xxv, 10). They shall recognize each other, and God will clothe every one in
embroidered garments; and they will all come and offer up thanksgiving to their
Master in Jerusalem, where there will assemble multitudes upon multitudes.
Jerusalem itself will spread out in all directions, to a further extent even than
when the exiles returned there. When they assemble and offer up praises to
their Master the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in them. So Scripture says:
"And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the
goodness of the Lord", etc. (Jer. XXXI, 12), namely, every one to his portion and
the portion of his ancestors. And the possession of Israel will extend till it will
reach Damietta of the Romans, and even there they will study the Torah. All this
has already been stated, and it is in harmony with the Scriptural passage,
saying: "Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust", etc. (Isa. XVI, 19). Blessed be
the Lord for evermore! Amen and Amen!’

The following Midrash sounds very much like a combination of Yeshua's Kingdom
parables. (Also see notes in our Matthew study.):

Midrash Rabbah – Ecclesiastes IX:7 -7. LET THY GARMENTS BE ALWAYS

WHITE; AND LET THY HEAD LACK NO OIL (IX, 8). R. Johanan b. Zakkai said: If the
text speaks of white garments, how many of these have the peoples of the
world; and if it speaks of good oil, how much of it do the peoples of the world
possess! Behold, it speaks only of precepts, good deeds, and Torah. R. Judah ha-
Nasi said: To what may this be likened? To a king who made a banquet to which
he invited guests. He said to them, ‘Go, wash yourselves, brush up your clothes,
anoint yourselves with oil, wash your garments, and prepare yourselves for the
banquet,’ but he fixed no time when they were to come to it. The wise among
them walked about by the entrance of the king's palace, saying, ' Does the king's
palace lack anything?’ The foolish among them paid no regard or attention to the
king's command. They said, ‘We will in due course notice when the king's
banquet is to take place, because can there be a banquet without labour [to
prepare it] and company?’ So the plasterer went to his plaster, the potter to his
clay, the smith to his charcoal, the washer to his laundry. Suddenly the king
ordered, ' Let them all come to the banquet.’ They hurried the guests, so that
some came in their splendid attire and others came in their dirty garments. The
king was pleased with the wise ones who had obeyed his command, and also
because they had shown honour to the king's palace. He was angry with the
fools who had neglected his command and disgraced his palace. The king said, '
Let those who have prepared themselves for the banquet come and eat of the
king's meal, but those who have not prepared themselves shall not partake of it.’
You might suppose that the latter were simply to depart; but the king continued,
' No, [they are not to depart]; but the former shall recline and eat and drink,
while these shall remain standing, be punished, and look on and be grieved.’
Similarly in the Hereafter, as Isaiah declares, Behold, My servants shall eat, but
ye shall be hungry (Isa. LXV, 13). Ziwatai said in the name of R. Meir: These will
recline and eat and drink, while the others will recline without eating and
drinking; because the vexation of him who stands [at a banquet without
participating in it] is not the same as of him who reclines [without participating
in it]. He who stands without eating and drinking is like an attendant, but he who
reclines and does not eat suffers very much more vexation and his face turns
green.1 That is what the prophet says, Then ye shall I sit and discern between
the righteous and the wicked (Mal. III, 18). Bar Kappara and R. Isaac b. Kappara
said: It may be likened to the wife of a royal courier who adorned herself in the
presence of her neighbours. They said to her, ‘Your husband is away, so for
whom do you adorn yourself? ' She answered them, ' My husband is a sailor; and
if he should chance to have a little spell of [favourable] wind, he will come
quickly and be here standing above my head. So is it not better that he should
see me in my glory and not in my ugliness? ' Similarly, LET THY GARMENTS BE
ALWAYS WHITE [and unstained] by transgressions; AND LET THY HEAD LACK NO
OIL: [let it not lack] precepts and good deeds.

Just as their are heavenly garments for those who enter the spiritual realms of
God, their are also garments for those who do not:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 174a - AND THE LORD SAID TO
MOSES, SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL... THAT THEY MAKE THEMSELVES
FRINGES ON THE CORNERS OF THEIR GARMENTS, ETC. R. Hizkiah adduced here
the verse: "And he showed me Joshua the high priest", etc. (Zech. III, 1). ‘What
did he see? He saw him standing before the angel.’ R. Isaac said: ‘What does this
tell us? That every man who in this world does not wrap himself in the
ceremonial garb and clothe himself therewith, when he enters the other world is
covered with a filthy garment and is brought up for trial. Many are the garments
prepared for man in this world, and he who does not acquire the garment of
religious observance is in the next world clad in a garment which is known to the
masters of Gehinnom, and woe to the man who is clad therein, for he is seized
by many officers of judgement and dragged down to Gehinnom, and therefore
King Solomon cried aloud, "At all times let thy garments be white".’
5
and out of the throne proceed do lightnings, and thunders, and voices; and
seven lamps of fire are burning before the throne, which are the Seven Spirits of
God,

The mention of "lightnings, thunders, voices and fire," is a direct allusion to

Mount Sinai, and an indirect one to Yom Kippur, which is associated with Sinai, as
it was on Yom Kippur that Moses descended with the second set of Tablets. (The
first were given on Shavuot.)

As mentioned in our notes to Chapter 1, Scripture says the voices at Sinai were
"seen" (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 4:12). The "number" of voices is said to be
seven, taken from the seven voices mentioned in Psalms 29:3-9.
The Bahir (one of the oldest and most significant kabbalastic texts), makes the
following comment on these voices, as they were seen by the people at Sinai:

Bahir 45 - This teaches us that the Torah was given with seven voices. In each
of them the Master of the Universe revealed Himself to them, and they saw Him.
It is thus written, "And all the people saw the voices."

Bahir 48 - At first they saw the voices. What did they see? The seven voices
mentioned by David. But in the end they heard the word that emanated from
them all.

These seven voices are associated with the seven "lower" Sephirot. These in turn
parallel the seven days of creation. Thus it is taught that the people at Sinai had
a view of these seven Sephirot, but not those of the "upper three," those being:
Keter (crown), Chokhmah (wisdom) or Binah (understanding).3

The idea of the Sephirot being the linguistic expression of God, is based in the
fact that all beings reveal their essence through thought, that eventually takes
the form of speech.4

Further, the term "Sephirah" shares the same root as the word "tell,"
(mesapprim), in the following verse of Scripture:

Psalm 19:2 - The heavens tell of the glory of God.

The Zohar states that the combination of thunder and voices coming from God,
is representative of the judgmental and merciful pillars:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 186a - R. Judah discoursed here

on the text: The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave
forth his voice; hailstones and coals of fire (Ps. XVIII, 14). ‘When God’, he said,
‘created the world, He constructed for it seven pillars by which it was to be
upheld. So Scripture says: “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out
her seven pillars” (Prov. IX, 1). These in turn are upheld by one grade from
among them called “the Righteous One, the everlasting foundation” (Ibid. x, 25).
Further, when the world was created, it was started from that spot which is the
culmination and perfection of the world, the central point of the universe, which
is identical with Zion, as it is written: “A psalm of Asaph. God, God the Lord hath
spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down
thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth” (Ps. L, 2).
That is to say, God started the earth from Zion, from the spot where faith
culminates in its full perfection. Zion is thus the citadel and central point of the
universe, from which it began to be fashioned and from which the whole world is
nourished. This lesson is esoterically indicated in our text. For Zion and
Jerusalem, while one, represent two degrees, the one being the channel of
judgement, the other of mercy; first there issues from one the sound of mercy,
and afterwards there comes forth from the other the voice of judgement, the two
forming the source from which the paths of judgement and mercy issue and
diverge. Hence the expression “And the Lord also thundered in the heavens”
indicates judgement, while “the Most High gave forth his voice” refers to mercy,
and “hailstones and coals of fire” signify water and fire, that is, mercy and
judgement commingled.’
6
and before the throne [is] a sea of glass like to crystal, and in the midst of the
throne, and round the throne, [are] four living creatures, full of eyes before and
behind;
7
and the first living creature [is] like a lion, and the second living creature [is]
like a calf, and the third living creature hath the face as a man, and the fourth
living creature [is] like an eagle flying.
8
And the four living creatures, each by itself severally, had six wings, around and
within [are] full of eyes, and rest they have not day and night, saying, `Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is coming;'

The location of the four living creatures, who proclaim "Holy, Holy, Holy," is said
to be around the Throne, in the world of Beriah.

As RabbiYitzchak Ginsburgh states:

In each of the three lower worlds there exists a class of angles (messengers of G-
d to manifest His Presence and rule over the created entities of the lower
worlds). The world of Beriah is the spiritual abode of the serafim ("fiery angels").
These are the angles that the prophet Isaiah saw in his vision of the Divine
chariot. These are the angels that exclaim to G-d "Holy, Holy Holy is the G-d of
Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." 5

John's vision is similar to that of Ezekiel's, with an interesting variation. John

shows the creatures as having six wings and Ezekiel as having four. John is not
alone in this difference. Isaiah also recorded these same beings as having six
wings:

Isaiah 6:2 - Seraphs are standing above it: six wings hath each one; with two
[each] covereth its face, and with two [each] covereth its feet, and with two
[each] flieth.

This variation is discussed in the Talmud, which offers the solution that the living
creatures have six wings when the Temple is standing, and four when it is not.
The additional wings are used to create song. John (and evidently Isaiah), had a
vision including a Temple in place. Ezekiel did not:

Talmud - Mas. Chagigah 13b - One verse says: Each one had six wings; and
another verse says: And every one had four faces, and every one of them had
four wings! — There is no contradiction: the one refers to the time when the
Temple was no longer standing, [when] as it were, the wings of the living
creatures were diminished. Which of them were taken away? — R. Hananel said
that Rab said: Those with which they utter song. [For] here it is written: And with
twain he did fly. And one called unto another and said; and [elsewhere] it is
written: Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? It is gone. But our Rabbis said: Those
with which they cover their feet, for it is said: And their feet were straight feet,
and if [these wings] had not been taken away, whence could he have known! —
Perhaps, [the feet] were exposed and he saw them. For if you do not say so,
[then from the words], As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of
man, [one might infer] likewise that [the wings covering them] were taken away!
They must therefore have been exposed, and he saw them; similarly here, they
were exposed, and he saw them. But how can they be compared? Granted that it
is customary to expose one's face before one's master, but it is not customary to
expose one's feet before one's master!

The Zohar offers the following elaborate explanation of the difference in levels of
prophetic revelation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 82a - We have been taught that
when the Holy One revealed Himself on Mount Sinai all the Israelites saw the
Divine manifestation as one sees a light streaming through the glass of a lamp,
and by means of that light each one of them saw more than did the prophet
Ezekiel, since those celestial voices were all revealed together, whilst to Ezekiel
only the Shekinah was revealed in Her Chariot, and he but caught glimpses of it
as though through many barriers. Said R. Judah: ‘Blessed was Moses, concerning
whom it says: "And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai... and the Lord called
Moses up to the top of the mount", and blessed was that generation concerning
whom it says: "And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai before the eyes of the
whole people."

As the Torah, however, was given from the Right Hand ("from his right hand
went a fiery law for them", Deut. XXXIII, 2), what essential difference was there
between the manifestation to the people and the manifestation to Ezekiel?’ R.
Jose replied: ‘On Sinai the "Head" and the "Body" of the King were revealed, as it
is written: "He bowed the heavens and came down" (2 Sam. XXII, 10); but to
Ezekiel it was, as it were, only the "Hand" which was shown: "And the hand of
the Lord was there upon him" (Ezek. I, 3). And even the "Hand" has two aspects,
a higher and a lower. Observe that he says: "The heavens were opened and I
saw visions (maroth) of God" (Ezek. I, 1). "Maroth" is written in a defective form,
to indicate that he merely had a vision of the Shekinah.’ Said R. Jesse: ‘But is the
Shekinah not a representation of the whole of the Deity?’ R. Jose replied: ‘The
"Head" of the King is not to be compared to His "Feet", although both are in the
"Body" of the King.’ Observe that Isaiah said "I saw (eth) the Lord" (Isa. VI, 1),
but Ezekiel said "I saw visions of God".’ They meant, however, the same thing,
and both belonged to the same grade (of spiritual perception).

Why, then, did Isaiah not give a detailed account of his visions, like Ezekiel?
According to R. Jose, it was necessary that Ezekiel should speak in a detailed
manner in order to impress the people in exile with the fact that the Holy One
loved them, and that the Shekinah and Her Chariots had gone down into exile
also, to be present with them. R. Hiya asked, why did the Shekinah reveal
Herself in "the land of the Chaldeans" (Ezek. I, 3), of which it says: "Behold the
land of the Chaldeans, a people which is not" (Isa. XXIII, 13, i.e. degraded)? If it
was for Israel's sake, surely She could have been present among them without
manifesting Herself in that inauspicious place? However, had She not revealed
Herself the people would not have known that She was with them. Besides, the
revelation took place "by the river Chebar" (Ezek. I, 3), by undefiled waters
where impurity has no abode, that river being one of the four which issued from
the Garden of Eden. [Tr. Note: v. Zohar, Genesis, 85a.] It was there, and nowhere
else, then, that "the hand of the Lord was upon him", as is directly stated.

R. Hiya also expounded, in accordance with the esoteric teaching, Ezekiel's

vision: "Out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures
(Hayoth), and this was their appearance, they had the likeness of a man" (Ibid. v,
5), saying that there is a sacred Hall in which dwell four living Creatures, which
are the most ancient celestial beings ministering to the Holy Ancient, and which
constitute the essence of the Supernal Name; and that Ezekiel saw only the
likeness of the supernal Chariots, because his beholding was from a region which
was not very bright. He furthermore said that there are lower beings
corresponding to these upper ones, and so throughout, and they are all linked
one with another. Our teachers have laid down that Moses derived his prophetic
vision from a bright mirror (cf. Midr. Lev. R., p. 145d), whereas the other
prophets derived their vision from a dull mirror. So it is written concerning
Ezekiel: "I saw visions of God", whereas in connection with the difference
between Moses and all other prophets it says: "If there is a prophet among you, I
the Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision.... My servant Moses is not so,
who is faithful in all my house: and with him I will speak mouth to mouth" (Num.
XII, 7-8).

R. Jose remarked that all the prophets are in comparison with Moses like females
in comparison with males. The Lord did not speak to him in "riddles" (Ibid.), but
showed him everything clearly. Blessed, indeed, was the generation in whose
midst this prophet lived! Said R. Jose the son of R. Judah: ‘The Israelites saw the
splendour of the glory of their Lord face to face; and, moreover, there were
neither blind, nor lame, nor deaf, among them: they all saw (Ex. xx, 18); they all
stood (Ibid. XIX, 17); they all heard (Ibid. XIX, 8). And of the Messianic Age it
says: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped, then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the
dumb sing" (Isa. xxxv, 5-6).

As this Zohar section concludes, in the Messianic Age (the Kingdom), "the tongue
of the dumb sing." As the book of Revelation shows, there is much "speech,"
"praise," and "singing," coming from the mouths of angels and human beings,
that associated with the Millennial Kingdom -- the Supernal Shabbat. It is
interesting to note that Shabbat is also called "Malchut Peh," the "Kingdom of the
Mouth."
9
and when the living creatures do give glory, and honour, and thanks, to Him
who is sitting upon the throne, who is living to the ages of the ages,
10
fall down do the twenty and four elders before Him who is sitting upon the
throne, and bow before Him who is living to the ages of the ages, and they cast
their crowns before the throne, saying,
The question regarding these elders is, "Are they human or angelic figures?" The
text indicates that these elders have "crowns." This is often an allusion to
wisdom and the relationship with God that the righteous will receive in the Olam
Haba. By itself, this is not conclusive evidence that the elders are human, as this
does not preclude the possibility of angels having similar crowns.

The text of verse 5:10 SHOULD provide us with an answer, as here we see these
elders thanking God for making "someone" into priests -- a promise made to
humans and not angels. However the various "New Testament" translations are
in disagreement as to who is being spoken of.

The King James, NKJ and Young's Literal Translation, indicate the elders as being
human, as they thank God for what God has done for themselves:

and didst make us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign upon the
earth

However, the Nestle Greek, Syriac Peshito Version, Jewish New Testament, RSV,
NASB, NIV, Darby, and Worldwide English, show the elders as praising God for
what He has done for others, and not themselves, reading:

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they
will reign on the earth."

Evidence that points to the elders being angelic beings is seen in the fact that in
verse 9 and 10, these elders seem to automatically follow the lead of the angelic
"living creatures." Just as with the Ophanim in Ezekiel's vision, these elders seem
to move when the four living creatures move.
11
'Worthy art Thou, O Lord, to receive the glory, and the honour, and the power,
because Thou -- Thou didst create the all things, and because of Thy will are
they, and they were created.'

In the "New Testament," Yeshua is Lord and King, and given credit for creating
and sustaining all things. This creative aspect of God was discussed in our study
regarding the 42-letter name of God, which associates that name with
Tipheret/Metatron.Yeshua also said that He and the Father are "one."

The following commentary by author David Ariel sheds some fascinating light on
this:

Because Tipheret symbolizes the state of harmony among the Sefirot, it came to
be associated with the traditional name for God in rabbinic literature -- Ha-
Kadosh Barukh Hu (The Holy One Blessed be He). Tiferet was understood to be
the subject of many traditional prayers. Prayers that emphasized God as father
and king were usually prayers referring to Tiferet in particular or, through it, to
the Sefirot in general. In this way Tiferet was often portrayed as the
representative of the other Sefirot. Tiferet came to symbolize the aspect of God
that was known as the traditional God of Judaism, the God of the Hebrew Bible.
Tiferet was the Sefirah that most closely symbolized the transcendent deity. If
was the Sefirah that spoke at Sinai as the representative of the other Sefirot. 6

1. The Shema: Spirituality and Law in Judaism, Norman Lamm, The Jewish
Publication Society, Jerusalem, 1998. See inside jacket notes on the colors
(white, red, green) selected for the cover.

2. Ramban: Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc.,

Jerusalem, 1998, p. 189.

3. The Bahir: Translation, Introdiction and Comentary, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel

Weiser Inc., York Beach Maine, 1979, p. 118.

4. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson, London, 1988, p. 113.

5. Olam Ha'Beriah - The World of Creation, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,

http://www.inner.org/worlds/olamberi.htm

6. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson, London, 1988, p. 81

Revelation 5:1-6
Last update: February 19, 2002

1
And I saw upon the right hand ...

The "right hand" of God is generally associated with His mercy (i.e., the Sephirah
of Hesed). With regard to what follows in John's vision, it would seem that this is
not the case, as the opening of the scroll in this right hand is the beginning of
judgment (Gevurah).

The explanation for this (as mentioned earlier in this study), is that God's
judgment and His mercy are not distinct. (i.e., He chastises those He loves.) Each
Sephirah has aspects of the others within it, (i.e., the Fifty Gates of
Understanding)

For instance, the Zohar speaks of the Torah of Sinai coming from a combination
of the merciful right hand and judgmental left hand of God. Here, the color black
is associated with "tempered judgment," (as opposed to the color red, which is
linked to unmitigated judgment):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 84a - But are we not told that
"from his right hand (came) a fiery law to them" (Deut. XXXIII, 2)? The truth is
that although the Torah emanated from the side of Power-that is the Left-the
Left Side was included in the Right, and thus Justice was tempered by Mercy,
which was symbolized by the two fires: white for Mercy, black for Power and
Severity. It is written: "And the tablets were the work of God" (Ex. XXXII, 18).
They were indeed so, for, as R. Judah said: ‘The word ha-luhoth (the tablets)
being written in a defective form, indicates that although they were two they
appeared like one, and the Ten Words were engraved upon them, one section of
five being included in, or superimposed on, the other five, so that they should be
included in the emanations of the Right Side, that is, of Mercy; and in this way
they were indeed the very "work of God".’

The Zohar also mentions the idea of the two hands of God working as one in its
commentary on how God dealt with Egypt in the book of Exodus. It also links this
idea to another Divine action that will come at the end of days (the "Day of the
Lord"):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 56a - All the ten punishments
which the Holy One brought on Egypt were achieved by the power of one "hand",
for the "left hand" is included in the right, the ten fingers forming one entity in
correspondence to the Ten expressions by which the Holy One is designated.
Then came a punishment which was equal to all the rest, that of the sea: "The
last one was the hardest" (Isa. VIII, 23). And in the future the Holy One will deal
similarly with all the hosts, princes and chieftains of Edom (Rome), as it is
written: "Who is he who cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? I
that speak in righteousness, mighty to save" (Isa. LXIII, 1).’

The following text associates the action of the right and left hands of God with
the time of Messiah's arrival:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 57b - THY RIGHT HAND, O LORD,
GLORIFIED IN POWER, THY RIGHT HAND DASHES IN PIECES THE ENEMY. The
form "ne'ddari" (glorified) instead of "ne'ddar" suggests a plural, referring as it
does to the joining of the Left Hand with the Right. Said R. Simeon: ‘It is as we
have explained. Just as man was divided physically, in order that he should
receive a wife and both together form one body, so the Right Hand was divided,
as it were, in order that it might take unto itself the Left and both become one,
and therefore it is that God smites and heals with one and the same Hand. Note
that this whole song has a reference both to the time of its composition and to
the future; hence it does not say "hath dashed", but "dashes" (tirtaz, lit. will
dash), i.e. w hen the Messiah shall arise. The same applies to the following
verse: "In the fulness of thy majesty thou wilt overthrow (taharos) thine
opponents; thou wilt send forth (teshalah) thy wrath; it will devour them like
stubble." Thus the words, "Thy right hand, O Lord, glorified in power", refers to
this time, to this world; the words "Thy right hand will dash the enemy" to the
time of the Messiah; "ln the fulness of thy majesty thou wilt overthrow thine
opponents" to the time of Gog and Magog; "Thou wilt send forth thy wrath, it will
devour them like stubble" to the time of the resurrection, of which it says, "and
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. XII, 2).
Blessed are those who will be left in the world at that time.

The subject of God's "unity" is especially prevalent through this chapter. This
idea is reflected in the following verses from Song of Songs (Song of Solomon),
where God's right and left arms work together. There is an interesting warning in
this section, concerning not awakening "love" (mercy) ahead of its time (as
judgment comes with it):

Song of Songs 2:6-7 - His left arm is under my head, and his right arm
embraces me. Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the
does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

The Zohar interprets the above verse in light of the end of days, and offers this
interesting commentary:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 9a - Then said R. Simeon:

‘Eleazar, my son! Thou canst find all this in the mystery of the thirty-two paths of
the Holy Name. Before these wonders have taken place in the world, the
mystery of the Holy Name will not be manifested in perfection and love will not
be awakened: "Ye daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you by the gazelles and by
the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake the love until she pleases"
(Cant II, 7). The "gazelles" (zebaoth) symbolize the king, who is called Zebaoth;
the "hinds" represent those other principalities and powers from below; "that ye
stir not up, etc." refers to the "Right Hand" of the Holy One, called "Love"; "until
she pleases", namely She (the Shekinah) who lies at present in the dust and in
whom the King is well pleased. Blessed be he who will be found worthy to live at
that time! Blessed will he be both in this world and in the world to come.’

The following text from the Zohar links Song of Songs to a number of related
themes, including; the Jubilee (Yovel), the heavenly "mother" (i.e., Galatians
4:26), "father," and "son" -- the latter bearing the colors white, red and green,
symbolic of Metatron and Tipheret, the Sephirah of the Divine Son. (See previous
section for more on this symbolism.) Recall that another name for Tipheret is
(heavenly) Israel.

The text in several places also speaks of the relationship between the merciful
right hand of God, and His judgmental left hand:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 84a - ‘When the Israelites

received the Torah the Jubilee crowned the Holy One, blessed be He, even as a
king is crowned in the midst of his host, as it says, "Go forth, O ye daughters of
Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned
him in the day of his espousals" (S.S. III, 11). Who is His "mother"? The Jubilee.
And the Jubilee crowned itself with perfect joy, as it is written: "The mother of
the children rejoiced" (Ps. CXIII).’ R. Judah said: ‘Concerning this it is written:
"Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice"
(Prov. XXIII, 25).’ Said R. Isaac: ‘In the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He,
revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, that mountain began mightily to shake and all
the other hills and high places of the earth trembled in accord with it, so that
they heaved and quaked until the Holy One stretched out His hand and calmed
them, and a voice was heard: "What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest,
and thou Jordan that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains that ye skipped like
rams, and ye hills like young sheep?"
And the answer was: "Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the
presence of the God of Jacob" (Ps. CXIV, 5-7). Now, "the Lord" in this verse refers
to the "Mother" (Binah); "earth", to the "Mother" below (Malkuth); "the God of
Jacob", to the Father (Hohmah), whose "firstborn son is Israel" (Ex. IV, 23), whom
"his mother crowned in the day of his espousals": she crowned him with the
symbolic colours, white, red, and green, in which all other colours are included,
and in him they were all united.’ According to R. Judah, the "crown" symbolizes
Israel, who is God's glory, as it is written :"Israel, in whom I am glorified" (Isa.
XLIX, 3); "and I will glorify the house of my glory" (Ibid. LX, 7). Said R. Isaac: ‘The
Torah was manifested in a black fire which was superimposed upon a white fire,
signifying that by means of the Torah the "Right Hand" clasped the "Left Hand"
that the two might be fused, as it is written: "from his right hand a fiery law to
them" (Deut. XXXIII, 2).’

Said R. Abba: ‘When the smoke came out of Mount Sinai a fire ascended
enveloped therein, so that its flames were of a blue colour. They flared high and
dwindled again, and the smoke emitted all the aromas of Paradise, displaying
itself in the colours of white, red, and black, as it says, "perfumed with myrrh
and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant" (S.S. III, 6). It was the
Shekinah who manifested Herself thus at the giving of the Law in the wilderness
on Mount Sinai, as it says, "Who is this (zoth) that cometh up from the
wilderness like pillars of smoke?" (Ibid.)’ Said R. Judah: ‘But surely it is not
necessary to go so far afield to discover this. Have we not the direct statement
that "Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon
it in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace" (Ex. XIX,
18)? Blessed were the people who beheld this wondrous thing and apprehended
the mystery thereof!’

Said R. Hiya: ‘When the letters were engraved upon the two tablets of stone they
were visible on both sides of the tablets. The tablets were of sapphire [Tr. Note:
Heb. sanpirinon, prob. lapis-lazuli, v. Jastrow, s.v.] stone, and the letters were
formed of white fire and covered again with black fire, and were engraved upon
both sides.’ According to R. Abba, the tablets were not engraved, but the letters
fluttered on to them, being visible in two colours of fire, white and black, in order
to demonstrate the union of Right and Left, as it is written, "length of days is in
her right hand and in her left hand is riches and honour" (Prov. III, 16).

But are we not told that "from his right hand (came) a fiery law to them" (Deut.
XXXIII, 2)? The truth is that although the Torah emanated from the side of Power-
that is the Left-the Left Side was included in the Right, and thus Justice was
tempered by Mercy, which was symbolized by the two fires: white for Mercy,
black for Power and Severity. It is written: "And the tablets were the work of
God" (Ex. XXXII, 18). They were indeed so, for, as R. Judah said: ‘The word ha-
luhoth (the tablets) being written in a defective form, indicates that although
they were two they appeared like one, and the Ten Words were engraved upon
them, one section of five being included in, or superimposed on, the other five,
so that they should be included in the emanations of the Right Side, that is, of
Mercy; and in this way they were indeed the very "work of God".’
Song of Songs is considered one of the most important and revealing texts of all
Scripture. The text is even called "Holy of Holies" by the sages. (See Zohar
citation in notes to verse 9 below, on the subject of "singing.") Song of Songs is a
deeply mystical text concerning the reunion of the groom (Tipheret) and bride
(Malkut/Shekinah), which represents God and Israel (with the Shekinah among
them). A correct interpretation of this book is derived only at the Sod-level.

The one coming from the desert in Song of Songs (above) it the same one
coming from Botzrah, as seen in Isaiah 63. This passage also speaks of the end
times and redemption, alluding to God's judgment (i.e., "Thou hardenest our
heart from Thy fear"), in the context of His mercy:

Isaiah 63:1 - `Who [is] this coming from Edom? With dyed garments from
Bozrah? This that is honourable in his clothing, Travelling in the abundance of his
power?' -- `I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.' `Wherefore [is] thy
clothing red? And thy garments as treading in a wine fat?' -- `A wine-press I have
trodden by myself, And of the peoples there is no one with me, And I tread them
in mine anger, And I trample them in my fury, Sprinkled is their strength on my
garments, And all my clothing I have polluted. For the day of vengeance [is] in
my heart, And the year of my redeemed hath come. And I look attentively, and
there is none helping, And I am astonished that there is none supporting, And
give salvation to me doth mine own arm. And my wrath -- it hath supported me.
And I tread down peoples in mine anger, And I make them drunk in my fury, And
I bring down to earth their strength. The kind acts of YHVH I make mention of,
The praises of YHVH, According to all that YHVH hath done for us, And the
abundance of the goodness to the house of Israel, That He hath done for them,
According to His mercies, And according to the abundance of His kind acts. And
He saith, Only My people they [are], Sons -- they lie not, and He is to them for a
saviour. In all their distress [He is] no adversary, And the messenger of His
presence saved them, In His love and in His pity He redeemed them, And He
doth lift them up, And beareth them all the days of old. And they have rebelled
and grieved His Holy Spirit, And He turneth to them for an enemy, He Himself
hath fought against them. And He remembereth the days of old, Moses -- his
people. Where [is] He who is bringing them up from the sea, The shepherd of his
flock? Where [is] He who is putting in its midst His Holy Spirit? Leading by the
right hand of Moses, the arm of His glory, Cleaving waters from before them, To
make to Himself a name age-during. Leading them through the depths, As a
horse in a plain they stumble not. As a beast into a valley goeth down, The Spirit
of YHVH causeth him to rest, So hast Thou led Thy people, To make to Thyself a
glorious name. Look attentively from the heavens, And see from Thy holy and
beauteous habitation, Where [is] Thy zeal and Thy might? The multitude of Thy
bowels and Thy mercies Towards me have refrained themselves. For Thou [art]
our Father, For Abraham hath not known us, And Israel doth not acknowledge us,
Thou, O YHVH, [art] our Father, Our redeemer from the age, [is] Thy name. Why
causest Thou us to wander, O YHVH, from Thy ways? Thou hardenest our heart
from Thy fear, Turn back for Thy servants' sake, The tribes of Thine inheritance.
The theme of unity in relation to the voice of God, is the focus of this enigmatic
Zohar passage:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 246b - The Voice speaks to the
Utterance, there being no voice without utterance. This Voice is sent from a deep
recess above in order to guide the Utterance, the two being related as general
and particular. The Voice issues from the south and speaks to the west,
inheriting two sides, and therefore Moses said to Naphtali: “Possess thou the
west and the south” (Deut. XXXIII, 23). Observe that Thought is the beginning of
all. This Thought is recondite and inscrutable, but when it expands it reaches the
place where spirit abides and is then called Understanding (binah), which is not
so recondite as the preceding. This spirit expands and produces a Voice
composed of fire, water, and air, which corresponds to north, south, and east.
This Voice embraces in itself all forces, and speaks to Utterance, and this shapes
the word properly. When you examine the grades closely, you find that Thought,
Understanding, Voice, Utterance are all one and the same, and there is no
separation between them, and this is what is meant by the words: “The Lord is
one and His Name is One.”

The keys to unlocking the above text are as follows. (These descriptions are all
found in earlier background information):

Voice is associated with Tipheret, which is the Son/Bridegroom and the "V" in
YHVH

Utterance is associated with Malkut which is the Daughter/Bride and the last "H"
in YHVH

Thought is associated with Chokhah which is the Father and the "Y" in YHVH

Understanding is associated with Binah which is the Mother and the first "H" in
YHVH

South is the right (merciful) side of the Tree of Life

North is the left (judgmental) side of the Tree of Life

West is toward the earth (Malkut) on the Tree of Life

 •

East is toward the heavenlies on the Tree of Life

Fire is generally associated with the left (judgmental) pillar of the Tree of Life

Water is generally associated with the right (merciful) pillar

Air is associated with the center (balanced) pillar

The Voice (Tipheret) embraces all the aspects (see previous notes on Tipheret)

The Voice (Tipheret) is associated with the Written Torah

The Utterance (Malkut) is associated with the Oral Torah, which explains the
Written

The Lord's Name (YHVH in this case) is "one" in that "Father," "Mother,"
"Son/Bridegroom," and "Daughter/Bride," are all emanations of the One God.

The unification of the name "YHVH" will be an imporant theme as we go forward

into the text.
1
... of Him who is sitting upon the throne a scroll, written within and on the back,

Previous references in the Tenakh, associate the idea of a scroll with the themes
of warning, repentance, judgment, and the Temple:

In the book of Ezra (chapters 5 and 6) a scroll is found containing the decree of
King Cyrus to rebuild the Temple.

In Isaiah chapter 30, God's judgment against rebellious Israel is recorded on a

scroll.

•
Isaiah 34:4 speaks of the heavens being rolled up like a scroll (i.e., Revelation
6:14) due to the anger of the Lord against the nations. God's sword is specifically
said to come down upon Edom (Isaiah 34:5).

In Jeremiah 36 and 37 the prophet is told to issue God's warning and call for
repentance on a scroll, which is destroyed by the King, who then receives God's
curse in a second scroll.

Ezekiel (chapters 2 and 3) is told to "eat of the scroll" that has writing on both
sides. The eating of the scroll is associated with Ezekiel receiving and accepting
the Word of God (Ezekiel 3:10). John has a similar experience in Revelation 10:8-
10. Note the likeness to Yeshua's statements of, "eating His flesh and drinking
His blood," as having to do with acceptance of the Torah He taught, as part of
one's very inner being.

In Zechariah 5, the prophet is shown a scroll that represents a curse going out to
the nations. God makes it a point to mention that this curse is going out against,
"the house of the one who swears falsely by My name." (Zechariah 5:4) This is an
important point later in the study. This scroll accompanies a basket, which is
described as wickedness that goes out throughout the earth, having it "base" set
in Shinar, which is in Babylon (Zechariah 5:5-11).

Author James Trimm makes comparisons between this chapter of Revelation and
the book of Hebrews beginning with the idea of the slain Messiah being at the
right hand of God. He is therefore qualified to be the one to initiate certain
actions. Aside from opening the seals of the scroll in this chapter, the same one
at the right hand becomes mediator of the New Covenant. (Hebrews 8:3-15).
Trimm also draws a parallel to Leviticus 16:14, where blood is sprinkled on the
Mercy Seat seven times, and the fact that seven seals are opened. Thus, the
opening of the sealed book in this chapter is synonomous with becoming
mediator of the New Covenant, and the fulfillment of the the Yom Kippur
ceremony. 1
1
... sealed with seven seals;

As mentioned throughout earlier parts of this study, the number seven is

associated with both the idea of "completion" (in the physical world), as well as
the lower seven Sephirot. (See comment from Pinchas Winston in section on the
Moedim, below.)
2
and I saw a strong messenger crying with a great voice, `Who is worthy to open
the scroll and to loose the seals of it?'
3
and no one was able in the heaven, nor upon the earth, nor under the earth, to
open the scroll, nor to behold it.
4
And I was weeping much, because no one was found worthy to open and to
read the scroll, nor to behold it,

As mentioned, although the opening of the seals releases judgment, these

judgments are wrapped in God's mercy and the opportunity for repentance (i.e.,
Revelation 9:20-21; 16:9-11), all of which leads to the coming of His Kingdom
and fulfillment of His promises to those who come to trust and obey (i.e.,
Revelation 14:12; 22:14).

The one "worthy" to do this, is the one who brought the necessary heavenly
tikkun (rectification), enabling God's perfect will (the merging of mercy and
judgment as found in Tipheret), to come into the imperfect worlds of Beriah,
Yetzirah and Asiyyah. This is the Divine Tzaddik, also called the Suffering
Servant, and Lamb of God. (See previous study on this work of Messiah as Divine
Tzaddik, as well as notes to verse 9, below.)
5
and one of the elders saith to me, `Weep not; lo, overcome did the Lion, who is
of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, to open the scroll, and to loose the seven
seals of it;

The reference to the Lion of Judah goes back to Jacob's prophecy from the book
of Genesis, one containing numerous Messianic references:

Genesis 49:8-12 - Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your
hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down
before you. Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He
bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The
scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until
Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his
donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his
garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker
than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.
6
and I saw, and lo, in the midst of the throne ...

As mentioned earlier in this study, the one in the midst (or "beyond") the throne
is Metatron. The term for "midst" is mesos, which comes from the root meta
(Strong's #3326). The term for throne, is thronos (Strong's #2362). Placed
together, one has meta-thronos, or "Metatron."
6
... and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb hath
stood as it had been slain ...

The same being is called a lion in verse 5 is now called a lamb. Note that John
also sees the Lamb as being in the midst of the throne (verse 6) as well as
separate from the one in the throne in one verse (verse 7). As mentioned earlier,
the great theme of this chapter is the unity of God when He is perceived at the
higher realms.
John's vision is one coming from a high spiritual level (i.e., Beriah). He
experiences a much more unified view of God and of creation (the latter
including both space and time), than we do living in the physical world of Asiyya,
being "further away" from the ultimate "source," Eyn Sof.

As stated by Rabbi Moshe Miller:

"... the higher the world or plane of reality, the greater the unity and infinity of
God that is revealted or manifest there. Nevertheless, since all worlds are the
result of a constriction and lessening of the Infinite Light (the Eyn Sof), they are
all, in one sense or another, limited and defined. That is to say, the revelation of
God is less or more limited, depending on which world is referred to. Therefore
the word for "world" in Hebrew, "olam," is etymologically related to the word
"he'elem," meaning hiddeness, or concealment -- referring to the concealment of
God's Infinite Light, so that in the higher worlds the Infinite Light is more
revealed, and in the lower worlds the Infinite Light is less revealed. 2

Other teachings put it even more succinctly:

At the deepest levels of divinity, all opposites and distinctions vanish,

overwhelmed by oneness. 3

"There is a secular world and a holy world, secular worlds and holy worlds. These
worlds contradict one another. The contradiction, of course, is subjective. In our
limited perception we cannot reconcile the sacred and the secular, we cannot
harmonize their contradictions. Yet at the pinnacle of the universe they are
reconciled, at the site of the holy of holies." 4

As shown in an earlier background study, the book of Enoch also presents a very
unified view of God -also at the level of Beriah.) Also see notes to the next
section for how the Moedim (Feasts of the Lord), are associated with this theme.
6
... having seven horns ... and seven eyes, which are the Seven Spirits of God,
which are sent to all the earth

The "seven eyes" are said to be the seven Spirits of God, which are the lower
seven Sephirot, i.e.;

"There are seven eyes of God that transvers the entire earth." This metaphor
portrays G-d's Providence as "contracted" and revealed through the "eyes" of
the seven lower sefirot, which, in the soul of man, correspond to the seven
attributes of the heart, the seven ways of serving God ..." 5

The following teaching from Rabbi Ginsburgh expounds on the theme of the eyes
of God, associating them as well to the righteous ones who serve Him.

The word for "tree" in Hebrew, etz, is composed of two letters: ayin and tzadik.
Ayin means "eye"; tzadik means the "righteous one." Each and every Jew is in
essence a tzadik, as it is said: "And your people are all tzadikim, they shall
forever inherit the land, they are the sprout which I have planted, the workings
of My hands in which to take pride." The potential tzadik inherent, though
initially latent, in every Jew becomes activated when the "eye" of the Torah
enters his consciousness and becomes part of him. Just as the Torah is the "tree
of [eternal] life," so does the tzadik, when connected and one with the "eye" of
the Torah, become a "tree of [eternal] life." This is the secret of the word "tree,"
etz--ayin ("eye") tzadik ("righteous one"). And so do we find in Psalms: "The eyes
[einei] of G-d are to the righteous [tzadikim]." To each potential tzadik G-d gives
His "eyes," His ability to look into the Torah (the secret of the insight of His "right
eye") and His ability to thereby create (and rectify) reality (the secret of the
power of His "left eye"). 6

1. Seven Seals, Seven Thunders, James Trimm, Society for the Advancement of
Nazarene Judaism, Hurst Texas, 2000, p. 4.

2. Zohar: Selections translated and annotated by Moshe Miller, Moshe L. Miller,

Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars, Morristown, NJ, 2000, p.39.

3. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism, Daniel C. Matt,

HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1996, p.167.

4. ibid, p. 154.

5. The Hebrew Letters, Channels of Creative Consciousness, Rabbi Yitzchak

Ginsburgh, Gal Einai Publications, Jerusalem, 1990, p. 119.

6. A Torah Message for the Month of Shevat: The Tree of Life, The Tree - Man and
the Torah, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat58.htm.

Revelation 5:7-14
Last update: January 4, 2002

THE MOEDIM

One interesting aspect to the idea of "unity above" concerns the Moedim (the
Feasts of the Lord - i.e., Leviticus 23). As given in the Torah of Sinai, these
"Appointed Times" took place at throughout the year, involved very different
commandments, and seemed to have little in common. However, beyond the
physical world of Asiyyah in which we live, the Moedim are unified in both
purpose and how they are portrayed.

The Zohar links the offerings asked for by God (to Moses when he ascended the
mountain), to the Moedim, and states that these Feasts all point to the seventh
day, (i.e. Exodus 24:16), and are "united" above with the Supernal Sabbath:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135a-b - GOLD AND SILVER, AND
BRASS, AND BLUE AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND FINE LINEN, AND GOATS’
HAIR, AND RAMS’ SKINS DYED RED, AND SEALSKINS, AND ACACIA WOOD. Gold
symbolizes New Year's Day, the day of "gold", because it is a day of judgement,
and the side of judgement, symbolized by gold, dominates it; as it is written,
"gold cometh from the north" (Job XXXVII, 22), and "evil will be opened from the
north" (Jer. Vl, 2). Silver symbolizes the Day of Atonement, when the sins of
Israel are made "white as snow" (Isa. I, I8), for "on that day shall he make an
atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins
before the Lord" (Lev. XVI, 30). Brass is symbolic of the days of the Sacrifices of
the Feast of Tabernacles, which alluded to the powers and principalities of the
heathen nations, who are designated "mountains of brass". "Blue" (techeleth)
corresponds to Passover, which established the dominance of the true object of
Faith, symbolized by the colour blue, which could predominate only after the
punishment of the firstborn of Egypt was accomplished. So all colours seen in
dreams are of good omen, except blue. "Red-purple" (argaman) is connected
with Pentecost, symbolizing the giving of the written Law, consisting of two
sides, of the Right and of the Left, as it is written: "From his right hand went a
fiery law unto them" (Deut. XXXIII, 2). "Scarlet" (tola'ath shani) is connected with
the fifteenth day of Ab, a day on which the daughters of Israel used to walk forth
in silken dresses. So far six symbolic elements have been enumerated; the rest
symbolize the Ten Days of Repentance: [Tr. note: From New Year to the Day of
Atonement.] fine linen, goats’ hair, rams, skins dyed red, seal (tahash) skins,
acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense,
beryls and set jewels. These are nine, corresponding to nine days of Repentance,
and the Day of Atonement completes it and makes ten days. ‘From all of these
we take "the heave offering of the Lord"[Tr. note: Malkuth.] on each of these
special seasons, in order that it may rest upon us: on Passover by means of the
paschal lamb, on Tabernacles by means of the tabernacle, and so forth. The six
[Feast] Days are but a preparation for her. As they are united above in "One", so
she is unified below in the mystery of "one", to correspond to them above. The
Holy One, blessed be He, who is One above, does not take His seat upon the
Throne of Glory, until She has entered within the mystery of the One in
accordance with His very essence of Oneness, to be the One in One. This, as we
have said, is the significance of the words: "The Lord is One, and His Name is
One." It is the mystery of the Sabbath, which is united with the mystery of the
One so that it may be the organ of this Oneness.

In chapter 5 we begin to see aspects of the Moedim, which continue dispersed

throughout John's vision. Here we have the Lamb of God, an allusion to Pesakh
(Passover), being worthy to unleash the first set of judgments. Later, we have a
second set of judgments associated with Trumpets (i.e., Yom Teruah - "Rosh
haShana") and a final set associated with bowls (i.e., Yom Kippur).

The division of the "spring feasts" (Pesakh, Matzah, Shavuot) and the "fall feasts"
(Yom Teruah (also known as Rosh haShana), Yom Kippur, Sukkot), is key to
understanding the role of Messiah, and especially the events that occur during
the the seven years prior to the coming of Messiah.

A traditional Hebraic understanding of the spring feasts associates them with the
Exodus from Egypt and Mount Sinai. Passover (Pesakh) is associated with a
"limited" defeat of the evil realm (Egypt and its spiritual forces) and victory over
death (the 10th plague, where the angel of death passed over the homes of
those marked by the blood of the lamb.) Unleavened Bread (Matzah) is linked to
sanctification, through the purging of sin. The seven-week period between then
and the Feasts of Weeks (Shavuot), called the counting of the Omer, is a time of
learning and preparation. Finally, Shavuot, coming on the 50th day, is the time of
reward - the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

However, one does note get to the end (Shavuot) without having a beginning
(Pesakh). As Rabbi Pinchas Winston stated in a recent Torah commentary:

Pesach, specifically Seder Night, is a once-in-a-year opportunity. It is as if G-d, on

that night, picks us up and places us in His hand, and raises us up high so that
we can see life more the way G-d does. In fact, the first night of Pesach is like
the night of Shavuos, when G-d came down and revealed Himself to the Jewish
people, with one very big difference. And that is, whereas Shavuos comes at the
end of a process, Leil Seder comes in advance of it. Shavuos and "Kabbalos
HaTorah" (receiving of the Torah) comes after forty-nine days of Omer-Counting.
It is the fiftieth day, which corresponds to the fiftieth gate of the "Fifty Gates of
Understanding." Like the number eight, the number fifty represents rising above
physicality, which is represented by the number seven.

In other words, the first night of Pesach is a tremendous gift. It is a taste of

spiritual perfection, of closeness to G-d so intense that the yetzer hara is
completely neutralized by awe of G-d. It is a night on which one can, if taken
seriously, gain a taste of the final and eternal redemption, when the yetzer hara
will be no more and mitzvos will be performed purely out of love for G-d and
Torah. Then, by the next morning after the Seder, G-d gently returns us back to
our former realities, with the commandment to count the Omer on the following
eve, in order to build for ourselves what was given to us for free the night
before. After forty-nine days of Omer-Counting, on the fiftieth day and on holiday
of Shavuos itself, we are supposed to have risen back up to the level of Leil
Seder. However, since we have earned it this time, it is a higher experience than
what we underwent then without making an effort. 1

Had Israel not sinned with the golden calf, Shavuot may well have been the
"last" of the Feasts, and we quite possibly would have had the ushering in of the
Kingdom. That was not the case however, nor did any future generation of Israel
merit the coming of Messiah and Kingdom of God being established. Although
there were some highlites (the time of David, Solomon and the Temple), the
people continually fell away, to the point of being exiled in Babylon, at the time
of the prophet Daniel. This brings us to a critical time, as Daniel is key to
understanding the book of Revelation.

Daniel's famous prophecy of the "seventy weeks," is directly associated with the
fall feasts and coming judgment. These "weeks" are counted as shemita cycles,
each one being a period of seven years. Thus, Daniel is speaking of a time frame
of 490 years.
Daniel had sought God regarding why Israel was still in exile after their
prescribed 70 year punishment. Due to the unrepentance of the people, God
increased their punishment seven fold, (as He promised in Leviticus 26:18),
increasing it from 70 to 490 years:

Daniel 9:24 - `Seventy weeks are determined for thy people, and for thy holy
city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and
to bring in righteousness age-during, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to
anoint the holy of holies.

After sixty nine of these Shemita cycles, Daniel announced Messiah would come
but be killed:

Daniel 9:25-26 - And thou dost know, and dost consider wisely, from the going
forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem till Messiah the Leader is
seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks: the broad place hath been built again,
and the rampart, even in the distress of the times. And after the sixty and two
weeks, cut off is Messiah, and the city and the holy place are not his, the Leader
who hath come doth destroy the people; and its end is with a flood, and till the
end is war, determined are desolations.

Messiah is cut of after the seven and sixty-two shemita periods (a total of sixty-
nine of the seventy shemita "weeks"). The "seventieth shemita" however, lingers
unfulfilled in mystery. It has become known as the Time of Jacob's Trouble, a
final seven years of judgment, for Israel, and for the world (as depicted in the
book Revelation and other texts). This seven year period is identified with the
Days of Awe, the seven days of judgment between Yom Teruah (also called Rosh
haShana) and Yom Kippur.

The association of Yom Teruah ("day of blowing"), with the beginning of a time of
judgment, the Day of the Lord, (as marked by the sounding of the Shofar), is
linked to the prophet Joel:

Joel 2:1: Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who
live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming.

Joel goes on to speak of the end of this time of judgment, marked by a final
Shofar blast, God having mercy on His people, and the beginning of the Kingdom
(marked by the bride and groom coming together), themes related to Yom
Kippur:

Joel 2:15-18: Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred
assembly. Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders,
Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his
chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. Let the priests, who minister to
the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your
people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations
should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, "Where is their
God?"' Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people.
A verse that ties together the themes of the spring and fall Moedim is found in
the book of Hebrews. It speaks of Yeshua's work in terms of His first coming for
sin, (as the suffering Divine Tzaddik [i.e., Messiah ben Joseph], associated with
the "sin" and "weakening of the evil real" -- themes of the spring feasts), and His
second coming for salvation, (as Messiah ben David, associated with the
judgment, final victory, and Kingdom -- themes of the fall feasts.):

Hebrews 9:28: so Messiah was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those
who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for
salvation.

Revelation shows the intiation of God's judgment as being associated with

Pesakh/Passover (via the Lamb opening the scrolls), and continues to its climax
with allusions to Yom Kippur, as associated with the Jubilee. As mentioned above,
Hebraic scholars link Pesakh and Shavuot together as the beginning and end of a
process. The Zohar also makes a simialr connection between Pesakh and Yom
Kippur, explaining how each of these days is dependent on the other:

Below is an expanded version of the text presented earlier in this study:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 39-40b - ON THE TENTH DAY OF

THIS MONTH THEY SHALL TAKE TO THEM A LAMB. According to R. Abba, the
tenth day was chosen because on this day the Jubilee illumines the
Moon (i.e. Binah communicates light to Malkuth); for of the Jubilee it is
written: "On the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of
atonement" (Lev. XXIII, 27). "They shall take a lamb." Why a lamb? Because
it symbolized the power of the lowest "crown", which the Holy One broke, the
"crown" to which all the other inferior "crowns " cling, forming the unholy triad
signified by the phrase, "lambs, menservants, and womenservants", sent by
Jacob to Esau, as a sop, as it were, to the evil powers which the latter
represented. The Holy One said: "Do ye perform this act of slaughtering the
Passover lamb, and I myself will nullify its power above. Do ye let it pass through
fire (v. 8) here below, and I shall lead the impure principality which it represents
through the fiery Stream." And why was the lamb to be tied up on the tenth day
and slaughtered on the fourteenth? Because, according to R. Abba, the four days
corresponded to the four hundred years that Israel was subjected to the power of
Egypt.

And why was the slaughter performed in the evening? Because that is the time
when judgement predominates above and below, and also because it was at this
time ("between the evenings") that Israel's exiles were foretold to Abraham, as it
is written: "And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham,
and lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him" (Gen. xv, I 2). "Horror" signifies
one supernal "crown" which represents Egypt; "darkness" is a second such,
representing Babylon; and "great" refers to the Edomite (Roman) exile, which
was to be the hardest of all. Thus it is seen that the Israelites did not go out of
Egypt until all the supernal powers and principalities which were Israel's enemies
had been brought to nought; but when these things had come to pass the people
were freed from their domination and brought under the holy and heavenly sway
of the Holy One, blessed be He, and were joined to Him and to Him alone, as it is
written: "For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants
whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt" (Lev. xxv, 55). Similarly, R.
Simeon interpreted the verse: "Even the first day ye shall put away leaven
(hamez) out of your houses, for whosoever eateth leavened bread (mahmezeth),
etc." (Ex. XII, 15). Said he: ‘Seor,hamez, and mahmezeth all mean one and the
same thing, and are symbols of the same supernal grade, namely the powers
appointed to represent all the other nations, which are pagan and enemies of
Israel, and are termed variously "evil imagination", "foreign domination",
"strange god", and "other gods".’

Said God to Israel: ‘All these years ye have been subject to an alien power, but
now you are free men, you shall put away leaven, etc.’ Said R. Judah: ‘If so, why
is leaven prohibited on these seven days only?’ R. Simeon answered: ‘This
ceremony is only necessary when the Israelite requires to demonstrate the fact
of his freedom. If a king raises a man to a high office, the latter will celebrate his
elevation by rejoicing and donning costly festive garments for a few days; but
subsequently he merely celebrates the anniversary as it comes round. The same
is true of Israel: they, too, have each year their season of joy and gladness when
they celebrate the high honour which the Holy One, blessed be He, showed them
when He brought them out of the power of impurity into the invincible power of
His holiness. Therefore it is written, "seven days ye shall eat mazoth
(unleavened bread)".’ Said R. Simeon further: ‘The unleavened bread is called
"the bread of poverty " (Deut. XVI, 3), because at that time the moon was not at
full strength, the reason being that, although the Israelites were circumcised, the
rite had not been completed by "peri'ah", and therefore the seal of the covenant
was not revealed in its complete form. But later, when this completion had been
achieved-namely at Marah, where Moses "made for them a statute and an
ordinance" (Ex. xv, 25)- the Holy One spake unto them, saying: "Until now ye
have eaten the ‘bread of poverty’, but from now on your bread shall emanate
from a far other region: ‘I will rain bread from heaven for you’ " (Ibid. XVI, 4).
This phrase means literally "from heaven", that is, from the very centre of Grace,
and not, as previously, from the blemished "Moon". Therefore the holy Israelites
observe as a memorial the anniversary of the days when they came under the
wings of the Shekinah, and eat the bread which emanates from Her. And why
was the rite not brought to its completion in Egypt? Because the Exodus would
then have been delayed until those who had undergone this operation had
recovered.

Observe that when the Israelites were about to enter the Holy Land, Moses
described it as "a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness" (Deut.
VIII, 9), in contrast to the "bread of misery, of poverty", which was their food in
Egypt, when the moon did not derive blessing and light from the sun, when she
was not illumined by the Jubilee. And because they did not carry out the peritah
in Egypt, the unification and harmonization of the Divine attributes was not
manifested in its fulness. Why they continued to eat the "bread of poverty" in
the land of Israel was in remembrance of Egypt.’ R. Simeon also connected the
words, "Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day
of atonement" (Lev. XXIII, 27), with the words, "In the tenth day of this
month" (Ex. XII, 3), used in regard to the Passover lamb; for the one
"tenth day" is dependent on the other.

As Revelation is chiefly concerned with the events leading to the coming of

Messiah and establishment of the Kingdom and World to Come, we see
numerous references to Yom Kippur and Sukkot, the Feasts that in Judaism, are
associated with these themes:

• 6:11; 7:9,13; 19:14 - White Robes (Yom Kippur)

• 7:9 - "Palm Branches" (Lulavs - Sukkot)

• 7:10 - Hoshana Rabbah prayer (Sukkot)

• 7:17 - Living Waters (Sukkot)

• 8:3 - Golden censer (Yom Kippur)

• 8:4; 15:8 - Temple filled with smoke of the incense (Yom Kippur)

• 11:19 - Temple opened (Yom Kippur)

• 15:5 - Ark in view (Yom Kippur)

The Zohar gives explanation of another important "two-stage" process,

comparing the work of Moses, who united the Shekinah (called the "Matrona" in
this text) with the world below, to Solomon, who united the Shekinah to the
heavenly Groom above. Note that the latter of these could not have been done if
the former had not been completed:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page I45a-145b - David endeavoured

to prepare the virgins (the celestial grades) and to adorn them for the Matrona's
presence so that She and her maidens might be manifested in beauty and grace.
When Solomon came he found that Matrona and the virgins thus adorned, so he
in his turn aspired to lead the Bride to the Bridegroom. He brought the
Bridegroom to the place where beneath the marriage canopy the Bride awaited
Him, and drew them together with words of love, that they might be united as
One, in one perfection, in perfect love. Therefore Solomon produced a more
sublime song than all other men. Moses, by building the Tabernacle, brought
about the union of the Matrona with the world here below, Solomon brought
about the perfect union of the Matrona with the Bridegroom above: he first led
Him to the Canopy, and then brought them both down to this world and
prepared a habitation for them in the Sanctuary which he built. It might be
asked, How could Moses bring down the Shekinah alone? Would not this cause
separation above? The answer is that the Holy One first caused the Shekinah to
be united with Moses, and She became, as it were, Moses’ bride, as has already
been pointed out. As soon as She was united with Moses, She descended to this
world and united Herself with it, and She became firmly established in this world,
as never before. But no man since Adam was first created has ever brought
about love and union above except King Solomon, who, as we have said, first
prepared that union and then invited the Bridegroom and the Bride to the House
which he prepared for them. Blessed are David and Solomon his son who have
furthered the Supernal Union. Since the day when the Holy One said to the
Moon, Go and make Thyself small, She was never again joined! in perfect union
with the Sun until Solomon came. ‘Shir hashirim asher lishlomoh.' Here are five
grades which shall unite in the world to come: shir (song) is one; hashirim
(songs) are two, which together make three; asher (which) is four; lishlomoh
(Solomon's) is five. "Solomon" is in the fifth; for the fiftieth day is the mystery of
the Jubilee. Mark now. Solomon would not have been able to bring about the
union above had not union of the Shekinah with the world below been already
completed in Her union with Moses; one could not have been without the other.
All this is a supreme mystery, which yet is revealed to those of a wise heart.
8
And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell before the Lamb, having each one harps and golden vials full of
perfumes, which are the prayers of the saints,

As discussed in our background study of the Tabernacle/Temple, the prayers of

the saints are mixed with incense upon the altar, kabbalistically located at the
Yesod of Beriah, the midpoint of the extended Tree of Life. (See notes to chapter
6, verse 9.)
9
and they sing a new song, saying, `Worthy art thou to take the scroll, and to
open the seals of it, because thou wast slain, and didst redeem men to God in
thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,

The presence of the lamb with the scrolls being with the four living creatures
about the throne, and the golden vials of incense (verse 8 above), places the
origin of the first set of (seal) judgments in the third world of Beriah. This will be
important as we move forward.

The idea of the "lamb" (associated with the "suffering servant" personage of
Messiah ben Joseph), beginning the redemptive process at the heavenly level of
Beriah is reflected in the following teaching, that was cited earlier in our study on
Messiah and Tikkun):

In hindsight, it is clear that Yosef ended up in jail as a stepping stone to become

second-in-command of Egypt. Certainly, there are other more pleasant ways to
promote a person in life. However, Divine Providence chose this route for Yosef
for reasons that may be known only to Heaven. On the other hand, the fact that
Yosef was able to succeed and remain spiritually unscathed even in the lowest
part of the lowly Egypt, was a tremendous comment about Yosef's spiritual
stature. Furthermore, he did not lose his ability to reveal the unknown even
while he was there, evident by his ability to correctly interpret the dreams of
Paroah's servants who "happened" to be in prison at the same time he was
there.

This, perhaps, is the basis of Yosef's ability to play such an important role in the
Final Redemption of the Jewish people, when they seem to be at their spiritual
lowest. This, perhaps, is the basis of Yosef's ability to play such an important role
in the Final Redemption of the Jewish people, when they seem to be at their
spiritual lowest. If the first Moshiach to come - Moshiach ben Yosef - is a spiritual
heir to his illustrious ancestor, then a major part of his success will be his ability
to reveal the hidden ONLY FOR THE SAKE OF HEAVEN, (many can do it for their
own gain and glory), to act as a pure and successful channel for the Light of G-d.

... That is Moshiach ben Yosef, someone from whom the unadulterated truth will
flow like a stream of clear, refreshing, life-giving water. He will be a person so
pure, so devoted to the will of G-d, that the Light of G-d will be drawn to him like
metal filings to a magnet, and all that he does will be successful. His truth will be
like fire that will burn up the straw - the lie - of Eisav. If so, why must he die in
the process of bringing redemption (Succah 53a), only to be revived again by
Moshiach ben Dovid, the final Moshiach? 2

SONG

The theme of "song" is also associated with the unification of God's name:

"Then there is one who expands even further until he unites with all of existence,
with all creatures, with all worlds, singing a song with them all. There is one who
ascends with all these songs in unison -- the song of the soul, the song of the
nation, the song of humanity, the song of the cosmos -- resounding together,
blending in harmony, circulating the sap of life, the sound of holy joy." 3

The following text from the Zohar associates songs of praise with the concept of,
"as above, so below":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 164a-165b - When the Holy One
enters the synagogue, and the people are united in prayer and sing together
praises to the King, He is honoured and glorified, that is to say, the Holy King is
strengthened to ascend in glory and beauty. On the other hand, "in the want of
people is the confusion of the prince"; that is to say, when He enters a
synagogue and finds no congregation come to pray and praise, all the celestial
hosts and all the chieftains above are degraded from the high estate to which
they were raised by the glorification of that King. For when the Israelites worship
the Supernal King with prayer and praise, all the celestial hosts join them and
sing in unison with them, and are strengthened by that holy exercise, that the
Holy One may be exalted from above and from below in harmony; but when
Israel does not assemble to worship the Lord, they lose this dignity, since they
do not ascend and cannot praise their Master in fitting manner.

The time of the first (Solomon's) Temple was a high point in Israel's history,
symbolizing a unity between God and His people. The following section of the
Zohar, commenting on the "ultimate song" (the Song of Songs), offers great
insight into this, linking many of the concepts covered in this study to this point:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page I43a-145b - R. Jose thereupon

began to speak on the words: The song of songs, which is Solomon's (S.S.I,1).
Said he: ‘This song King Solomon poured forth when the Temple was erected and
all the worlds, above and below, had reached their perfect consummation. And
although concerning the exact time of its singing there is some difference of
opinion among the members of the Fellowship, we may be certain that it was not
sung until that time of absolute completion, when the Moon-the Shekinah-came
to her fulness and was revealed in the full perfection of her radiance, and when
the Temple had been erected in the likeness of the Temple that is above. The
Holy One, blessed be He, then experienced such joy as He had not known since
the creation of the world. When Moses set up the Tabernacle in the wilderness,
another such was raised in the heavenly spheres, as we learn from the words:
"And it came to pass... that the Tabernacle was reared up", the reference being
to the other Tabernacle, to that which was above, namely the Tabernacle of the
"Young Man", Metatron, and nothing greater. But when the first Temple was
completed another Temple was erected at the same time, which was the centre
for all the worlds, shedding radiance upon all things and giving light to all the
spheres. Then the world was firmly established, and all the supernal casements
were opened to pour forth light, and all the worlds experienced such joy as had
never been known to them before, and celestial and terrestrial beings alike
broke forth in song. And the song which they sang is the "Song of Songs", or, as
we might render, "Song of the Singers", of those musicians who chant to the
Holy One, blessed be He.

King David sang "A song of degrees": King Solomon sang "the Song of Songs".
Now what is the difference between the two? Do we not interpret both titles to
signify one and the same thing? Verily, this is so, for both things are certainly
one, but in the days of David all the singers of the spheres were not yet set in
their rightful places to chant the praises of their King, because the Temple was
not as yet in existence. For, as on earth, the levitic singers are divided into
groups, so is it likewise above, and the upper correspond to the lower. But not
before the Temple was erected did they assume these their due places, and the
lamp [Tr. note:Malkuth.] which before gave no light began then to shed radiance
abroad, and then this song was sung to the glory of the Supernal King, [Tr.
note:Tifereth.] the "King to whom peace belongs". This song is superior to all the
hymns of praise which had ever been sung before. The day on which this hymn
was revealed on earth was perfect in all things, and therefore the song is holy of
holies. [Tr. note:"R. Akiba says: ‘AII the Writings are holy, but the Song of Songs
is holy of holies". T. B. Yadaim, III, 5.] It is written in the Book of Adam that on
the day when the Temple would be erected the Patriarchs would awaken song
both above and below. Not that they would sing themselves, but they would
rouse to song those mighty singers who preside over all worlds.

On that day, it is said, Jacob the "perfect" one arose and entered the Garden of
Eden and caused it also to sing, and all the spices of the Garden likewise. He,
therefore, it is who gave utterance to the song, since but for him the Garden
would not have sung. This song comprises the whole Torah: it is a song in which
those that are above and those that are below participate; a song formed in the
likeness of the world above, which is the supernal Sabbath, a song through
which the supernal Holy Name is crowned. Therefore it is holy of holies. Why so?
Because all its words are instinct with love and joy. This is because the "cup of
blessing" was then given with the Right Hand; and when this is so all is joy and
love; therefore all the words of the Song of Songs are perfected with love and
with joy.

(Another significant "song" from the Tenakh, that will play a role in the
unification of the Name of God as found in the book of Revelation, is the Song of
Moses (Deuteronomy 32). This will be elaborated on in Chapter 15.)
10
and didst make them to our God kings and priests, and they shall reign upon
the earth.'

In fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah's words, which show that gentiles will also be
taken as priests:

Isaiah 66:19-21 - And I have set among them a sign, And have sent out of
them those escaping unto the nations, (Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, drawing bow,
Tubal and Javan, the isles that are far off,) Who have not heard My fame, nor
seen Mine honour, And they have declared Mine honour among nations. And
they have brought all your brethren out of all the nations, A present to YHVH, On
horses, and on chariot, and on litters, And on mules, and on dromedaries, Unto
My holy mountain Jerusalem, said YHVH, As the sons of Israel bring the present
in a clean vessel, Into the house of YHVH. And also of them I take for priests, For
Levites, said YHVH.

See previous notes to Revelation 4:10 on who is being made kings and priests.
11
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon
thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and
the living creatures and the elders.
12
In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive
power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

Among this large group of angels are numerous types, each with certain
functions. The book of Enoch alludes to this in the following section, which
mirrors the time John writes of:

Enoch 61:10-11 - And He will summon all the host of the heavens, and all the
holy ones above, and the host of God, the Cherubic, Seraphin and Ophannin, and
all the angels of power, and all the angels of principalities, and the Elect One,
and the other powers on the earth (and) over the water On that day shall raise
one voice, and bless and glorify and exalt in the spirit of faith, and in the spirit of
wisdom, and in the spirit of patience, and in the spirit of mercy, and in the spirit
of judgement and of peace, and in the spirit of goodness, and shall all say with
one voice: " Blessed is He, and may the name of the Lord of Spirits be blessed
for ever and ever."
13
and every creature that is in the heaven, and in the earth, and under the earth,
and the things that are upon the sea, and the all things in them, heard I saying,
`To Him who is sitting upon the throne, and to the Lamb, [is] the blessing, and
the honour, and the glory, and the might -- to the ages of the ages!'

A kabbalistic understanding of the "location" of the creatures in verse 13

includes everything "within creation," outlined as follows:

• "... in the heaven" = Beriah

• "... in the earth" = Asiyyah

• "... under the earth" = Gehenna (said to be "beneath" the Malkut of

Asiyyah)

• "... upon the sea" = Yetzirah (said to be the "watery" realm between the
heavens and earth)

Not only do these things (blessing, honor, glory, might), permeate all of space in
creation, they also pervade all of time ("to the ages of ages").

The idea of God being present not only in all places but through all of time, is
reflected in the concept of the "613 commandments" of Judaism. There has
never been a single, agreed upon list of the 613 commands. Rather, this number
represents an ideal that reflects upon God's presence in space and time.

The 613 commandments are divided into two groups; 365 "negative
commandments," representing the days of the year (and thus time), and 248
"positive commandments," which was somehow calculated as being the number
of bones in the body, (representing the physical aspect of man as he exists in
space). Thus the totality of the commandments was considered comprehensive
and represented all the possible actions that a human might actually perform in
the course of time.4

1. Perceptions on the Parsha, Parashas Tzav, The Supreme Sacrifice, Rabbi

Pinchas Winston, http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/tzav.html.

2. Zohar: Selections translated and annotated by Moshe Miller, Moshe L. Miller,

Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars, Morristown, NJ, 2000, p.39.. Parshas
Vayaishev - Yesod HaOlam, Rabbi Pinchas Winston (www.torah.org).

3. The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism, Daniel C. Matt,

HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1996, p.153.

4. The Mystic Quest, An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson Publishers, London, 1988, p. 145.

Revelation 6:1-8
Last update: February 19, 2002
UNIVERSAL TESHUVAH AND UNIFICATION OF THE NAME OF GOD

Beginning with this chapter (through chapter 16), we are told of a series of three
sets of judgments, commonly referred to as the "seal," "trumpet" and "bowl"
judgments. With regard to these events, most Revelation studies are typically
concerned with the effect these judgments have upon the earth and mankind. In
this study we offer an alternative view, that being that these judgments are part
of a process that effects teshuvah (return/repentance) to the worlds of Beriah,
Yetzirah and Asiyyah.

Key to understanding this sequence of judgments is a comprehension of the

Unification of the Name of God (a process called Yichud Hashem), and the
ushering in of the Messianic Kingdom. Among other Scriptures, the book of
Hebrews states that Messiah is heir of all things within creation. This includes not
only the physical earth, but those things in the spiritual realms of Beriah and
Yetzirah:

Hebrews 1:1-2 - God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time
past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the
worlds;

Hebrew 2:5-8 - For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in
subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man
that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? You
have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory
and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in
subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left
nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under
him.

Modern Orthodox Kabbalists make a link between Messiah and Metatron, (called
by the Hebrew acronym MemTet in the following text), of whom it is said will
come in the flesh and rule over all of creation:

MemTet rules over G-d’s entire universe, not just here on planet earth. Thus
when Melekh HaMashiah comes, he will be MemTet incarnate. As such, he will
serve as G-d’s regent over the entire universe and not just king here on earth.
Mashiah will be to HaShem what Yosef was to Pharaoh in Egypt. Thus, we see
that the role and authority of Mashiah is not merely limited to this world. 1

As discussed in our background studies on the Four Worlds, the three worlds
within "creation" (beginning with Genesis 1:1), those being Beriah, Yetzirah and
Asiyyah, all exhibit some form of "evil" within them. (Only the world of Atzilut is
purely Divine and free from any evil, as within it there is no division or change.)
We have also explained how the Shekinah itself is attached to the evil realm (the
"sitra atra"), until the time it is set free and reunited with the Godhead.

As stated by Rabbi Moshe Luzzatto, in his classic work, Derech Hashem ("The
Way of God"):
"Included in God's decree that the world contain both good and evil, He also
decreed that evil would be found throughout Creation at every degree and at
every level possible ..." 2

What must take place before all things are given to the Messiah (and God's
Name is unified), is a purging of evil from the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and
Asiyyah. This is considered to be their "return" (teshuvah) to God.

As explained by Rabbi Luzzatto:

The basis of the annihilation and removal of evil, as well as the perpetuation of
good in all creation, is therefore the revelation of God's unity ... we see that the
ultimate rectification of all creation depends on the revelation of God's unity. 3

The Zohar mentions the following with regard to the idea of celestial cleansing:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 173b - The spirit of impurity does
not mingle with the spirit of holiness, and therefore those angels that are called
"spirits" cannot enter into the Holy Presence because of that spirit of impurity.
Those angels, however, which are within are "fire", and that supernal holy fire
ejects the impurity so that it cannot enter into the innermost place. Thus all
combine to push out the impure power and prevent it from mingling with them;
and, as we have said, the celestials can only begin to praise the Holy One after
they have banished the "other side" from the heavenly courts.

As what occurs in any one of these worlds has effect on the others, when evil is
purged from the world of Beriah the impact is felt on the earth. The same goes
for when evil is abolished from Yetzirah. Finally, when evil is driven from Asiyyah
(the physical world) into Gehenna (which exists "beyond" Asiyyah), all worlds are
ready for unification, the great wedding feast, and Messianic kingdom. (Also see
section on "Evil" below.)

As stated by Kabbalistic teacher, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, all of creation will
undergo teshuvah at the end of days:

The first real sign that the End of Days is approaching is seen, we are told, when
the terrestrial and celestial Worlds begin to be profoundly troubled. Both in the
Heavens and on the Earth there will be major disturbances that indicate that a
vast change is under way. Wars and rumors of disorder will abound. It is to be a
period of trial, especially for those who are committed to aiding the process of
cosmic growth, as the forces of those who deny everything but their own will
seek to hold back the imminent transformation of the World. This crisis is
precipitated by the fact that the accumulating level of Yezirah and Beriah
present in Asiyyah is about to undergo a quantum jump of Teshuvah or
conversion and redeem the physical World. 4

What we are "seeing" in John's accounts of the seal, trumpet and bowl
judgments, is primarily the effect upon the earth of the three worlds being
rectified. What is not so explicit is that which the physical eye cannot see in the
spiritual realms.
A recent Chassidic commentary offers these insights on the teachings of the
Torah, which may well be applied to what is depicted in the book of Revelation:

The Torah speaks about the upper realms, and alludes to the lower realms. This
means that the narratives of the Torah are descriptions of the interrelation
between Divine attributes in the spiritual realms. Nevertheless, since material
existence is an outgrowth of spiritual existence, whatever happens in the
spiritual realms is reflected in this world. Thus, every narrative in the Torah is a
record of an actual event, but that event represents far more than what
transpires in the material world. It is a dynamic movement beginning within the
sublime spiritual planes and having ramifications on all levels of existence. This
approach expresses the positive dimensions of both the views mentioned. On
one hand, the historical integrity of the Torah is preserved. Conversely, the
relevance of the Torah is not as a book of records, but as a guide, reflecting
spiritual truths that should be applied in our Divine service. 5

Another way of looking at this process is examining the extended Tree of Life,
and considering all that lies between mankind (located at the Malkut of Asiyyah),
and the heavenly Temple (in the upper realm of Beriah). Picture that same
Temple being on the earth (as it will be in the Millennial Kingdom, i.e., Ezekiel
chapters 40-48), with the Sephirot between those two extremes no longer being
"present."

Rabbi Pinchas Winston comments on this idea, that leads to the Millennial
Kingdom:

The Sefiros work in a similar fashion. They are a system that G-d employs to
translate HIS will into OUR reality, so that creation can interact with us, and we,
with it, and through it all, earn our portion in the World-to-Come. And depending
on the command of G-d, a certain sefirah is activated to provide a certain effect
at precisely a certain time in a precise way. Just as with the computer, there can
be a chain of command where one signal triggers another, and so on until the
intention of the typist is executed. So too, does one sefirah give light over to
another, until the light reaches its Divinely intended and final destination. The
more conductors the electrical current has to pass through a computer, the
weaker the signal. The more sefiros the light passes through, the weaker, the
more physical the light. In Moshiach's time, may it be soon in our time, the lower
sefiros begin to move in the opposite direction from whence they originally
came, upward, and with them, human reality. Therefore, the light that will
sustain us will have less sefiros through which to travel, and therefore, it will be
less filtered. That is why evil will and must cease to exist, just as darkness is
banished with the introduction of light. 6

Winston also expresses the same idea in terms of God's "light" reversing its
direction at some predestined point in history:

The process of creation is really one of light moving through time, G-d's time,
and history is just the record of what that light has, is, and will do along its path
from its Source - Ain Sof - towards the center of the "hollow." It will continue
along its path until it reaches a point at which time the light is to begin changing
its direction, a point that only G-d knows and pre-determined when He first
thought to make creation. In other words, at a point in time, the light will begin
to back-track, and rather than move away from Ain Sof, it will begin to return
back in the direction of Ain Sof, and with it will go the levels of reality that it
created on the "way down." 7

The Zohar reminds us that Rosh haShana ("New Year's Day") marks the
beginning of this time ("the Day of the Lord"), where God judges each "sphere"
of creation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 183b-185a - ‘New Year's Day is

a day of judgement for those who have not accepted the healing food, and have
neglected the “medicine” of the Torah for the sake of another food, which is
leaven. For on this day that “leaven” ascends and accuses mankind and speaks
evil against all whom it can malign in any wise. And at that time the Holy One,
blessed be He, sits in judgement over all and pronounces His decrees in regard
to all the spheres.

Following the Day of the Lord, all of creation from the heavenly Jerusalem to the
physical world of earthly Jerusalem, will have undergone teshuvah. When the
earthly Jerusalem is thus "ready," the final stages of Yichud Hashem will be
enabled.

The Talmud expresses this idea as follows:

Talmud - Mas. Ta'anith 5a - The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I will not
enter the heavenly Jerusalem until I can enter the earthly Jerusalem’. Is there
then a heavenly Jerusalem? - Yes; for it is written, Jerusalem thou art builded as
a city that is compact together.

This time of unification, (the seventh Millennium), is also known as the Great
Sabbath, which as we have shown in our background studies, is closely
associated to the Shekinah itself. At this time, the Shekinah will be freed from
any connection to the sitra atra (evil realm), which is presently not the case.
Only with evil being "put aside" as such, does the unification process go forward.

The Zohar speaks of the weekly Sabbath giving us a picture of what is to come:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b - ‘In the prayer before the
entrance of the Sabbath the Throne of Glory is prepared for the Holy Heavenly
King. And when the Sabbath arrives the Shekinah is in perfect union with Him
and is separated from the "other side", and all the potencies of severe
judgement are severed from Her, She being in closest union with the Holy Light
and crowned with many crowns by the Holy King, and all the principalities of
severity and all the lords of judgement flee from Her, and no other domination
reigns in any of the worlds, and her countenance is illumined by the supernal
light, and she is crowned here below by the Holy People, all of whom are
invested with new souls. Then is the time for the commencement of prayer,
when the worshippers bless Her with joy and gladness, saying, "Bless ye the
Lord, the Blessed One!" (the beginning proper of the Sabbath Eve prayer). For
the holy people cannot be allowed at this moment to begin with a verse that
suggests judgement, as on weekdays, when "Bless ye" is preceded by "And He
being merciful, forgiveth iniquity and destroyeth not", because the Shekinah is
then entirely severed from the mystery of the "other side" and all the lords of
judgement have separated themselves and passed away from Her, and he who
rouses judgement in the lower spheres causes vibrations of doom and severity
also in the celestial regions, and while this disturbing element is in evidence the
Holy Throne cannot crown itself with the crown of holiness. Then the lords of
judgement who have severed themselves for the time being from the rest of
creation, hiding themselves away from all eyes in a deep and secret recess at
the bottom of the sea, are roused to return to the celestial habitations, and they
come back with violence and fury, so that the Holy Sphere, which requires above
all rest and peace for the entrance of the Sabbath, is hard pressed by these
potencies of judgement.

As also mentioned earlier in our study, both the Shekinah as well as faithful Israel
(and those gentiles who cleave to her), are considered the "bride" (Malkut). Thus
Israel's enemies must also, once and for, all be vanquished prior to Yichud
Hashem:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Section 2, Page 34b-35a -‘The

Community of Israel is called “bride”, as it says, “Thou art all fair, my love”
(Song of Songs 4:7.) She is also called “a kingdom of priests” when blessed by
the priests, since the priests enthrone her and give her power, making her queen
over all the treasures and armoury of the King, over higher and lower, over the
whole world.’ R. Jose said: ‘It is written, “He hath established his bond upon the
earth (Amos 9:6), namely, when the King joins her with all his holy Crowns in one
company, for then She rules over all and shines above and below; and this at the
time when the priest performs his service and brings the offering and burns the
incense, uttering fitting prayer the while.’ R. Jose said: ‘When Aaron raised his
hands, all raised with him, until the Community of Israel was blessed and higher
and lower angels with her. Hence it says, “Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, who
dwelleth in Jerusalem, Hallelukah” (Psalm 135:21).

The above theme is reflected in Rabbi Chayim Henoch's book on the great 13th
century kabbalist, Nachmanides, which relates the function of the divine World of
Atzilut in purging evil from the world in terms of the spiritual power of the
nations decreasing and that of Israel increasing -- a key topic to the book of
Revelation:

Certain kabbalists highlight in the law of actualization of the seven sefiroth of the
Atziluth edifice not only the evolutionary developmental aspect, but also the
cathartic cleansing aspect of the purification of evil, expressed by decreasing the
forces of the celestial chiefs of the nations, until the final ascendancy of the the
strength of Israel. 8
Scripture tells us that the final redemption of Israel and the ingathering of the
exiles to the Land of Israel is directly tied to the ultimate sanctification
(unification) of the Name of God:

Ezekiel 28:25-26 - Thus said the Lord YHWH-Elohim: When I gather in the
House of Israel from the peoples among whom they were scattered, then I will be
sanctified through them in the eyes of the nations, and they will dwell on their
land that I gave to My servant Jacob.
1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four
living creatures saying, as it were a voice of thunder, `Come and behold!'

Beginning with this verse, numerous metaphors are used to represent spiritual
concepts, including; Messiah as a "Lamb," a scroll with seals, horses, horsemen,
stars, the heavens as a scroll, mountains, islands, dens and rocks. These will be
discussed as they are encountered in the text.

As mentioned in the previous chapter, the setting for the initial set of events is
Beriah, the world of the "Throne" of God. As we will see, the second set of
trumpet judgments are mainly concerned with the world of Yetzirah, and the last
(bowl judgments), with Asiyyah, the physical world.

This initial set of judgments begins with four that are carried out by "horsemen"
who go from Beriah to afflict the earth. As mentioned, the language here is
metaphorical -- these are not literal men on flesh and blood horses that will be
riding around the globe. Keep in mind that in the world of Beriah we are dealing
things at the archetypal level of creation, which is a world of higher spiritual
concepts or forces, outside of the realm of physical experience. Everything is
Beriah however, is connected to that which we experience in the physical world
of Asiyyah.

As stated by Rabbi Moshe Luzzatto:

"... everything in the physical word has a counterpart among the transcendental
Forces. Every entity and process in the physical world is liked to these Forces,
following a system decreed by God's wisdom ... The physical and the spiritual
are thus bound together like links in a chain. We also know from tradition that
every physical entity and process is under the charge of some type of angel.
These angels have the responsibility of maintaining the natural order, as well as
bringing about changes, according to God's decree. The existence and state of
being of the physical universe thus emanate from these highest Forces and are
dependent upon them. Whatever exists in the physical world is a result of
something that takes place among these Forces. This is true of both what
existed in the beginning and what transpires with the passage of time." 9

"EVIL"

The concept of "evil" is important to understand at this point, as there is exists

more than one "kind" of evil. For instance, evil is found when human beings,
knowing both good and evil, choose to do the latter. There is also "evil" in terms
of spiritual forces, or beings, who simply exist as such. There is also evil in the
existence of a place such as Gehenna, which the sages say, is one of the seven
things that pre-existed the physical world. In Isaiah 45:7, God states that He
creates evil - a verse that troubles those who don't understand the role God has
given these forces and forms.

The four horsemen of Revelation may be considered "evil" in terms of their

function, but it is important to realize that all created beings, even "evil ones"
exist to serve God's purpose.

As described in the work, Derech Hashem:

There are many levels among the qualities of these evil forces and what results
from them. In general, their effects are called corruption (tumah), darkness,
pollution (zohamah), mundane (chol), and the like ... For each one of these
concepts however, there are Agents (or Overseers) belonging to the general
class of angels, appointed to translate them into action in the physical world.
This is true of both good concepts and their opposites. These angelic agents are
God's servants, obeying His word. God willed and organized things so that His
decrees should be translated into action through angels, each in its own
appointed area of influence. 10

The book of Enoch speaks of angels of Satan in terms of their accomplishing

God's will:

Enoch 53:3-6 - For I saw all the angels of punishment abiding (there) and
preparing all the instruments of Satan. And I asked the angel of peace who went
with me: ' For whom are they preparing these Instruments?' And he said unto
me: ' They prepare these for the kings and the mighty of this earth, that they
may thereby be destroyed. And after this the Righteous and Elect One shall
cause the house of his congregation to appear: henceforth they shall be no more
hindered in the name of the Lord of Spirits.

The "left side" of the Tree of Life is said to be the side from which evil emanates,
but this too must be seen in terms of God's justice and severity that act in order
to correct what is wrong, especially in the physical world of Asiyyah - where free
will exists. 11

The Zohar associates the sitra atra with being the counterpart to the "holy side"
of the Kingdom of Heaven:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 184b - That “other side” is the
central point of the waste places of the world, just as the central point of the
whole inhabited world is occupied by the “holy side”, and therefore Jerusalem is
in the centre of the inhabited world. The kingdom of heaven, which is the side of
holiness, is fixed at two points, one its own and one belonging to the world to
come. The upper point is hidden, and therefore it has two points. Under its own
point is Jerusalem, the centre of the inhabited world. The point which takes from
the hidden supernal Mother is the terrestrial Paradise, which is in the centre of
the whole world.
As stated by Rabbi Luzzatto:

It was therefore arranged that every good concept have its counterpart in evil.
This is what Scripture means when it says, "God has made one opposite the
other." 12

This concept is also reflected in the colors of these horses. The first three are
said to be white, red and black. The last is rendered as "pale" in most
translations, however, the Greek word used to describe this, (chloros - Strongs
#5514) denotes a pale green. These four colors - white, red, black and green,
mimic the divine colors, as mentioned previously. (Also see comments at end of
this study section.)

We give yet one more reference to this from the Zohar, commenting on these
colors of the "expanse of heaven above the lower Paradise," (i.e., Beriah, above
Yetzirah):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 209b - That expanse of heaven,

above the lower Paradise, displays four colours: white, red, green, and black,
and correspondingly contains four doors in its four sides.

The following passage from the Zohar shows that the connection between the
physical and spiritual realms, includes both a good and evil side:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 56a - Then He said to the angel:
"Exterminate all those hosts", and it then covered them, as it says, "the chariots
of Pharaoh and his host he cast into the sea".’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘Behold, how
many chariots, how many hosts, the Holy One has formed above! How many
camps, how many divisions! And all of them are linked to one another, all are
chariots one to another, manifold grades, diverse and yet united! From the left
side the chariots of the unholy principalities rise up. They also are linked one
with the other, grade to grade, the greatest of them being, as we have already
pointed out, "the firstborn of Pharaoh", whom the Holy One killed.

An especially interesting concept is that evil is necessary for "true good' to come
about:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 183b - for there is no light except
that which issues from darkness, for when that “other side” is subdued the Holy
One is exalted in glory. In fact, there can be no true worship except it issue forth
from darkness, and no true good except it proceed from evil. And when a man
enters upon an evil way and then forsakes it the Holy One is exalted in glory.
Hence the perfection of all things is attained when good and evil are first of all
commingled, and then become all good, for there is no good so perfect as that
which issues out of evil. The divine Glory is extolled and extended thereby, and
therein lies the essence of perfect worship.
2
and I saw, and lo, a white horse, and he who is sitting upon it is having a bow,
and there was given to him a crown, and he went forth overcoming, and that he
may overcome.
We know from other Scriptures and Hebraic writings that the world will be
overcome by a great deception in the last days, one that will precede a time of
awesome calamity. The text concerning the first of the four "horsemen" seems to
support this idea, particularly the idea of the crown, a symbol of authority.
Yeshua warned of a false Messiah that would come in his own "name" (i.e.,
"authority") who would be accepted by many (John 5:43).

The concept of "bow" also has allusions to Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter as
well as the force behind Babel, a precursor to Babylon. This also is consistent
with the rest of Revelation, as a modern "system of Babylon" will overcome the
earth.

What follows in the next several verses is a picture of war, famine and other
disasters, all brought about via the remaining "horsemen." As mentioned, these
horsemen are spiritual entities who serve God, and bring what we consider "evil"
to the earth, but with the purpose of giving mankind the opportunity for
teshuvah (i.e., Revelation 9:20; 16:9).

The relationship of horsemen to "evil" spiritual entities (called "fishes"), is

mentioned in this text from the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 243b - R. Isaac said: ‘Dan is

compared to a serpent lying in wait in the way. But there is also a reference to
another serpent above, lying in wait in ways and paths, from whom issue those
who lie in wait for the sons of men on account of the sins which they cast behind
their backs.’ R. Hiya said: ‘The primeval serpent above, before he is appeased
with gladdening wine, is "a serpent by the way". As there is a "way" above, so
there is a "way" below, and the sea is divided into various paths on every side.
There is one path which has abundance of water and breeds many kinds of evil
fishes, just as the waters below breed good and bad fishes. When they escape
from the path of the sea, they appear like riders on horseback, and were it not
that this serpent who is the rearward of all the tents lies in wait at the end of the
path and drives them back, they would destroy the world. It is from the side of
these that sorcerers come forth.

… In the hollow of the great abyss, which is on the north side, there are many
demons endowed with power to do mischief in the world.

A comparison may be made between the seal judgments of Revelation and

events prophecied in Matthew 24, Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 16. 13
3
And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature
saying, `Come and behold!'
4
and there went forth another horse -- red, and to him who is sitting upon it,
there was given to him to take the peace from the land, and that one another
they may slay, and there was given to him a great sword.
5
And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying,
`Come and behold!' and I saw, and lo, a black horse, and he who is sitting upon it
is having a balance in his hand,
6
and I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, `A
measure of wheat for a denary, and three measures of barley for a denary,' and
`The oil and the wine thou mayest not injure.'

As forecast throughout Hebraic writings, the days leading up to the coming of

the Messiah will be filled with war and famine.

The Talmud parallels the book of Revelation regarding a seven year period of
trials:

Sanhedrin 97a - The rabbis taught: The seven-year cycle during which
Moshiach will come, in the first year, the verse, "I caused it to rain on one city,
but on another city, I did not cause it to rain" (Amos 4:7). In the second year,
slight famine (Rashi: a slight famine so that no place will be completely
satisfied). In the third year, the famine will be great, and men, women, children,
pious people, and men of good deeds will die; Torah will be forgotten by those
who learned it. In the fourth year, some will be satiated while others will not, but
in the fifth year there will be plenty and people will eat, drink, and be joyous, and
Torah will return to those who learned it. In the sixth year, there will be voices ...
In the seventh year, there will be war.

BREAD, OIL AND WINE

The reference to wheat and barley (both used to make bread) in verse six, selling
for a "denary" indicates an "inflated cost" and thus scarcity. Though this may in
fact depict a physical famine, there is also a deeper meaning, related to a
scarcity of "spiritual bread," that being Torah, at this time.

This is refected in the end-time prophecies of the prophet Amos:

Amos 8:11-12 - "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will
send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of
hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from
north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall
not find it.

Note in the Talmudic reference above how the reference to physical famine is
linked to the idea of spiritual famine, where Torah is lacking. When Torah
"returns," it is said that the people will again "eat and drink." This may be
compared to Yeshua's words regarding following Torah, which He expressed
using similar metaphorical language:

John 6:53-57 - Then Yeshua said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless
you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him
up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He
who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living
Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live
because of Me.

God's sustenance will continue in the very last days, but not in great abundance.
This is based on the principle that as long as there is at least one righteous
person on the earth, that person acts in the role of God's tzaddik (see studies on
Yesod being the channel of heavenly provision). In the case of this seven year
tribulation, there will be 144,000 tzaddikim serving God and man as such. They
will bring the gospel (Torah) to the world, and then the end will come (i.e.,
Matthew 24:14).

Several sections of the Zohar (shown below), address the subjects of "oil and
wine" in close proximity, and lend to the idea of God's spiritual provision. This
first section shows how oil and wine represent the right and left sides of the
Godhead and how oil must be present on the "table below" in order for blessings
to come from above (Thus the instruction in Revelation to not "harm" the "oil" or
"wine" below.):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 88a,b - R. Judah discoursed on

the text: I am my beloved's and his desire is towards me (S. S. VII, 11). He said:
'The inner meaning of this verse is that the stirring below is accompanied by a
stirring above, for there is no stirring above till there is a stirring below. Further,
blessings from above descend only where there is some substance and not mere
emptiness. We learn this from the wife of Obadiah, to whom Elisha said, "Tell
me, what hast thou in the house" (II Kings, IV, 2), meaning that blessings from
above would not descend on an empty table or an empty place. When she said:
"Thy handmaid hath nothing in the house save a cruse of oil" - only enough to
smear her little finger-he said to her: "You have relieved me, for I did not see
how blessings were to descend from above on to an empty place, but since you
have some oil, this will provide a place sufficient for the purpose." (The
connection of "oil" with "blessing" is found in Psalm CXXXIII, where it says "like
the good oil,', etc., and then "for there the Lord commanded the blessing, life for
evermore". It is true, the immediate comparison in the passage is with dew, not
oil, but the two mean the same thing, as this dew was distilled by God from the
supernal oil. Wine and oil belong respectively to the Left and the Right sides, and
from the Right side blessings descend on the world, and from there the holy
kingdom is anointed. Thus because it was fixed upon below, oil was first
prepared above as the source of blessings. From the stirring of this supernal oil
the lower oil was poured on David and Solomon to bring blessings on their
descendants. This is derived from a collation of the text "and the oil stood", in II
Kings IV, 6, with the text "the root of Jesse which standeth for an ensign of the
nations", Is. XI, 10.) We derive the same lesson from the fact that the table of
shew-bread, from which issued blessings, was not to be left empty a single
moment; and on that account we do not say grace over an empty table, since
blessings from above do not rest on an empty table. To resume, then, the verse
"I am my beloved's and towards me is his desire" indicates that "first of all I am
my beloved's, and then, in consequence, his desire is towards me; first I prepare
for him a place, and then his desire is towards me". The verse may also be
explained by reference to the dictum that the Shekinah is not found in the
company of sinners, but when a man exerts himself to purify himself and to draw
near to God, then the Shekinah rests on him. So "I am my beloved's" to begin
with, and then "his desire is towards me".'

The following section links wine to both Torah, Messiah and the "spirit of
Messiah" present at the creation of the world. The subject of bread is linked
closely to wine and oil in terms of God's spiritual provision for the world:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 240a - "He hath washed his
garments in wine", even from the time of the Creation the reference being to the
coming of the Messiah on earth. "Wine" indicates the left side, and "the blood of
grapes" the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule above over all the
forces of the idolatrous nations and to break their power above and below. We
may also explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet typifies judgement, so
the Messiah will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to the Gentiles. The
"spirit of God which hovered over the face of the waters" (Gen. I, 2) is the spirit
of the Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he "washed his garments in
celestial wine". "His eyes shall be red with wine": this is the intoxicating celestial
wine from which the masters of the Torah drink. " And his teeth white with milk",
because the Torah is both wine and milk, the Oral and the Written Law. It is
written of wine that it "rejoiceth the heart of man" (Ps. CIV, 15). Wine at first
brings gladness, being the place from which all gladness issues, but afterwards it
brings punishment, because its end is the place where is gathered all
punishment. Hence the verse continues: "And oil to make the face shine", to wit,
from the place from which all gladness issues. It then says: "And bread that
strengtheneth man's heart", bread being the support of mankind. It is not,
however, the only support, because there is no night without day, and they must
not be separated. If so, it may be asked, why did David say that "bread supports
the heart of man"? The answer is that this is why he added the word "and"
before "bread", to show that the others are included. Observe that grace after
meals should not be said over an empty table, but there should be bread on it
and a cup of wine, and the wine should be taken in the right hand, in order to
join the Left hand to the Right, and in order that the bread should be blessed by
them and linked with them, so that the whole should be linked together to bless
the Holy Name fittingly. For the bread being joined with the wine, and the wine
with the right hand, blessings rest on the world and the table is duly perfected.'

This next section again speaks of the right and left sides of the Godhead, and the
association of water, oil and wine to the priesthood. Note that in chapter 7 of
Revelation, there are 144,000 members of the "royal priesthood" bringing
witness ("oil" and "wine") to the world. (Thus, "oil and wine" in the context of
Revelation 6:6 could speak of the witness, or the witnesses, or both.) There is
also mention of a "bad wine," which corresponds to the wine of Babylon
discussed later in Revelation:
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3 Page 39a - "Wine rejoiceth the heart of
man" (Ps. CIV, 15). 'If', he said, the priest requires to be glad and smiling more
than other men, why is he forbidden wine, which creates joy and smiles? The
truth is that wine rejoices at first and saddens afterwards, and the priest must be
glad throughout. Also wine is of the side of the Levites, but the side of the priests
is pure and clear water.' R. Jose said: 'Each lends to the other, and therefore
wine gladdens at first because it contains water, but afterwards it reverts to its
own nature and brings gloom.' R. Abba said: 'Wine, oil and water issue from the
same place. Water and oil, which are on the right, are taken by the priests,
especially oil, which is joy first and last, as it is written: "Like the goodly oil upon
the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard" (Ps. CXXXIII, 2).
Wine, which is on the left, is inherited by the Levites, that they may raise their
voices in song and not be silent, for wine is never silent, but oil is always
noiseless. The difference between them is this. Oil comes from the side of
Thought, which is always silent and unheard, whereas wine, which is for raising
the voice, comes from the side of the Mother. Therefore the priest, when he
entered the Sanctuary to perform divine service, was forbidden to drink wine,
because his service is carried out quietly.'R. Judah and R. Isaac were once going
from Be Merunia to Sepphoris, and with them was a youth leading an ass, on
which was a jar of honey. Said R. Judah: 'Let us discourse on the Torah as we go.'
R. Isaac began by quoting the verse: "And thy palate is like the best wine that
goeth down smoothly for my beloved" (S.S. VII, 9). 'This wine', he said, 'is the
wine of the Torah, which is in truth good, because there is another wine which is
not good. But the wine of the Torah is good for all-good for this world and good
for the world to come. This, too, is the wine that pleases the Holy One, blessed
be He, more than all, and therefore he who quaffs deeply of the wine of the
Torah will wake in the world to come and will come to life when God shall raise
the righteous.' Said R. Judah: 'We have learnt that even in that world he will be
able to study the Torah, as it is written, "He causeth to mutter the lips of the
sleepers" (Ibid.).' The youth hereupon remarked: 'If it had been written, "thy
palate is from the best wine", your explanation would have been correct, but it is
written "like the best wine".' They looked at him, and R. Judah said: 'Speak on,
for your remark is a good one.' He continued: 'I have heard that if a man who
studies the Torah diligently allows his expositions to be heard and does not
merely whisper them.

This next text links the oil and wine to "the world to come" (Olam Haba) and to
"repentance," both of which are associated with the Sephirah of Binah
(understanding), the source of spiritual provision for the lower seven Sephirot
and the world. (Binah is the "Supernal Mother" mentioned in the Zohar, Shemoth,
Page 184b reference in verse 1 above):

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3 Page 40b - The youth then followed,
taking as his text: "The king by judgement establisheth the land, but a man of
offerings overthroweth it" (Prov. XXIX, 4). 'The king here', he said, 'is the Holy
One, blessed be He. "Judgement" is Jacob, who is the epitome of the patriarchs.
"A man of offerings" is Esau, who used to ask questions about offerings, but
never bring any. Or again, I can say that 'offerings" is the negation of judgement,
being the elevation of mercy, and therefore "a man of offerings overthroweth it".
But was not David "a man of offerings", and yet the land was established by
him? This was because it is written of him, "the sure mercies of David"; as he
clung to one quality, so did he cling to the other. All his days David strove that
this "offering" should be united with judgement. Solomon came and wedded
them together, so that the moon became full and the land was established.
Zedekiah came and parted them, and the land was left without judgement, and
the moon was impaired and the land was devastated. Note that oil was for the
priests and wine for the Levites-not because they require wine, but from the
"treasured wine" some comes to their side to link the whole together and make
all worlds glad, right and left being found clasped together in them, so that they
should be beloved of the true believers. Whoso concentrates his thought on this
is perfect in this world and in the world to come, and all his days clings to
repentance, the place where oil and wine are found. In this way he will not
hanker after this world or its delights, for another kind of wealth is stored up for
him, and he has a share in the future world, the place where oil and wine are
stored. And he who loves this place does not require wealth or strive for it.
Happy are the righteous who all their days strive after the celestial wealth of
which it is written, "Gold and glass cannot equal it, neither shall the exchange
thereof be jewels of fine gold" (Job XXVIII, 17).He further discoursed on the
verse: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me, and I will give thee... the
law and the commandment which I have written to teach them" (Ex. XXIV, 12).
'The word lehorotham (to teach them) may be read lehoratham (to her that
conceived them), the "them" referring to the law and the commandment. "She
that conceived them" is the place of "treasured wine", because all writing of the
Supernal Book commences there, and from thence issues the Torah which we
call the Written Torah. The other Torah is called the Oral Torah (Torah of the
mouth), the "mouth" being Knowledge which is the mouth of book and writing.'It
is written: "Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne shall be
established in lovingkindness " (Prov.xxv, 3). When sinners are numerous in the
world, the throne of the holy King is established in judgement and flames play
around the world. But when the wicked are removed from the world, His throne
is established in lovingkindness and not in judgement. This shows that the lower
world depends on the higher, and the higher is disposed according to the
conduct of the lower.

This final reference ties the concept of supernal wine back to the idea of God's
left and right hands "working together," as discussed at the beginning of chapter
five's notes. Again we encounter the concept of having something present below
(in this case bread), to assure blessing from above:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 250a,b - Rab Hamnuna the

Elder would not allow anyone else to take the cup of blessing, but he himself
took it in his two hands and said the blessing. We have affirmed that the cup
should be taken in the right hand, and not in the left. It is called "cup of
salvations" (Ps. CXVI, 13), because through it blessings are drawn from the
supernal salvations, and in it is collected the supernal wine. Also, the table over
which the blessing is said should not be devoid of both bread and wine. The
Community of Israel is called "cup of blessing", and therefore the cup should be
raised both by the right hand and the left hand, so as to be set between. It
should be filled with wine, because of the wine of the Torah which issues from
the future world. There is a mystic allusion in this cup of blessing to the holy
chariot. The right and left hands correspond to the north and south, between
which is "the couch of Solomon". He who says the blessing should fix his eye
upon the cup to bless it with four blessings. Thus the cup contains the emblem of
faith, north, south, east, and west, and so the holy chariot. There should be
bread on the table in order that the lower bread may be blessed, and the "bread
of poverty" may become the "bread of luxury". In this way the Community of
Israel will be blessed in all four directions, above and below-above by the bread
of blessing and the cup of blessing through which King David is joined to the
patriarchs, and below, that bread should never be lacking from the Israelite's
table.’
7
And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living
creature saying, `Come and behold!'
8
and I saw, and lo, a pale green horse, and he who is sitting upon him -- his
name is Death, and Hades doth follow with him, and there was given to them
authority to kill, (over the fourth part of the land,) with sword, and with hunger,
and with death, and by the beasts of the land.

In summation, we can make the following comparison between the colors of the
Sephirot and those of the Horsemen:

Color Sephirah Horsemen

White Hesed - Mercy/Shalom False peace
Red Gevurah - Perfect Judgment War
Black Malkhut - Oral (teaching of) Torah Lack of Torah teaching
Green Tipheret - Written Torah of Life Death
Note also, that as Tipheret is said to be the synthesis of the other Sephirot, so is
the fourth green Horse a synthesis of all four, as it contains the authority of the
first, the sword (war) of the second, the hunger of the third, and its own forms of
death.

1. Identifying Shiloh - The Secret Soul of the Mashiah, Parashat Vayehi, 5762,
www.koshertorah.com/vayehi.html

2. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated
and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 207.

3. ibid, p. 275.

4. A Kabbalistic Universe, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach Maine, 1977, p. 199.

5. In the Garden of Torah: Parshat Mikeitz, An End and a Beginning, December

13, 2001, www.chabadonline.com
6. Perceptions On The Parsha, Parshas Ki Saitzai, "Out & Up," Rabbi Pinchas
Winston, http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/kiseitzei.html

7. Perceptions On The Parsha - Parashas Shoftim: Judging by the Situation, Rabbi

Pinchas Winston, http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/shoftim.html

8. Ramban, Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc.

Jerusalem, 1998, p. 261.

9. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated
and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, pp. 78-
79.

10. ibid, p. 87.

11. See A Kabbalistic Universe, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach Maine, 1977, p. 92

12. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated
and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 207.

13. See Seven Seals, Seven Thunders, James Trimm, Society for the
Advancement of Nazarene Judaism, Hurst Texas, 2000, pp. 5-6.

Revelation 6:9-14
Last update: March 1, 2002

9
And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slain
...

How does one see a soul? How can they be "under an altar?" This verse
especially reveals the deep kabbalistic concepts found in the text of Revelation.

As shown in our background studies, the heavenly incense altar on the extended
Tree of Life is located exactly at the midpoint of the central column, at the Yesod
of Beriah. This Sephirah is at a critical juncture, just above the Keter of Asiyyah
(the upper limit of the physical realm), and just below the Malkut of Atzilut, (the
lowest limit of the Divine realm). Here is the Divinely designated place in the
Sanctuary, where the incense would burn, placed by man below, rising to God
above. (Revelation 8:3-4).

This Sephirah is also the place where the Divine manifests to man in some form,
and is associated in kabbalistic literature with such things as; the voice in the
burning bush as heard by Moses, the cloud and pillar of fire that followed the
Children of Israel in the desert, the figure of Melkizadek, who served as a priest
to God (thus connecting God and man) prior to the establishment of the Levitical
priesthood, and the angel Gabriel who would give guidance to men.
This Sephirah lies above the "Triad of the Soul," found between the Tipheret,
Hesed and Gevurah of Yetzirah on the extended Tree of Life. Thus, these souls
are said to be "under" this heavenly altar until the time of the resurrection. 1

The Zohar offers the following commentary on altars - both heavenly and
earthly:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 30a - R. Abba said: ‘There are two
altars below and two altars above. Of the latter one, the innermost of all, is that
on which is offered the inner fine incense, which is the bond of faith, and the
most high Priest of all offers this incense with the bond of faith. This is called the
Altar of Gold, the place where all the threads of faith are bound together. There
is another altar called the Altar of Brass, which is more external and on which
Michael the great chief brings the pleasing offering of the Holy One, blessed be
He. On earth there are correspondingly the altar of gold and the altar of brass,
on the one of which was offered incense and on the other fat and limbs. It is
written, "Oil and incense rejoice the heart" (Prov. XXVII, 9), but not fat and limbs,
although these, too, allay wrath. The altar which is the innermost of all, the
linking of faith, is called "a still silent voice", and in relation to this the other altar
is called the "outer" one. The inner one is called "the altar of the Lord" and the
other one "the altar of brass". Said R. Abba: ‘When Moses built an altar (Ex. XVII,
15), he meant it to correspond to that inner one, and therefore he called it "The
Lord is my banner", because it was stamped with the sign of the holy covenant.
This is the inner Altar, the "still silent voice", and on this "fire shall be burnt
continually", that is, the perpetual Fire, the Fire of Isaac. The proper name for
this is Adonai, but when the priest puts wood on the altar we call it by the name
of mercy, YHWH; sometimes it answers to one and sometimes to the other.’ R.
Simeon said that there were two, the inner supported on the outer and fed from
it, the two being thus linked together.

GEMMATRIA

Gemmatria (from where we get the word "geometry"), is the study of the
numerical values of the letters and words of the Torah. Gemmatria plays a role in
understanding the book of Revelation. For instance, numbers are used in
"measuring" things. In both chapter 11 of Revelation, as in the book of Ezekiel,
someone is told to measure the Temple. In chapter 21, the city of New Jerusalem
is measured.

As gemmatria plays a role with the Temple, this is true for those things related to
the Temple, such as the altar mentioned in Revelation 6:9. The altar of the
Sanctuary was where the Ketores - the Incense-Offering, a special mixture of
eleven spices – was burned every morning and every night.

Kabbalistically, the number eleven alludes to "Da’at" – Knowledge (from God).

Although there are only ten Sefirot, there is also considered to be an "eleventh"
one, that being Da’at. As Da’at is linked to our own worthiness, it can come and
go, and is considered to be a "pseudo-sefirah." This does not diminish it’s
importance as Da'at is the light of Keter as we can experience it. (Keter is
beyond the realm of understanding and experience in this life.)

Da'at, is associated with the Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) and is thus strongly
tied to redemption. The greater the "light" passing through Da’at, the more
redemption becomes a reality. As the Da’at in Yetzirah (where the altar in
Revelation 6:9 is located) overlays the Yesod of Beriah, this is also identified with
"tzaddik" (righteous one) and particularly Joseph, who was the eleventh son of
Jacob. In turn, Messiah ben Joseph is said to be someone that would play a role in
bringing in the Messianic Kingdom – a time of universal Da’at.

This Kingdom comes into being when the heavenly "groom" is joined with His
bride (the Shekinah and Community of Israel). As mentioned in earlier studies,
these are associated with the last two letters of the Divine name of YHVH. The
groom is identified with the the Vav, which has a numerical value of six. The
bride is linked to the last Hey, with a value of five. When they are joined (and the
final redemption of Messiah comes) we have the sum of six and five, which is
eleven.

(We will continue this discussion on gemmatria and the Temple in chapter 7.)
9
... because of the word of God, and because of the testimony that they held,

Just as Yeshua spoke greatly of Torah in the first chapters of Revelation, John
continues this theme. To "serve God," "follow Yeshua," "act righteously," "be
born again," etc., are all equivalent to being a "hearer and doer" of God's Torah.

As stated above, these souls are located in the proximity of the Yesod (the
foundation) of Beriah. As mentioned previously, when man becomes established
at this Sephirah, he is said to be born of of the spirit (Beriah) as well as of water
(Yetzirah), and thus "born again." (i.e., John 3:5)
10
and they were crying with a great voice, saying, `Till when, O Master, the Holy
and the True, dost Thou not judge and take vengeance of our blood from those
dwelling upon the land?'

The book of Enoch contains a similar reference to a place of souls, who until the
day of judgment comes, cry out to heaven for justice:

Enoch 22:1-7 And thence I went to another place, and the mountain [and] of
hard rock. And there was in it four hollow places, deep and wide and very
smooth. How smooth are the hollow places and deep and dark to look at. Then
Raphael answered, one of the holy angels who was with me, and said unto me:
'These hollow places have been created for this very purpose, that the spirits of
the souls of the dead should assemble therein, yea that all the souls of the
children of men should assemble here. And these places have been made to
receive them till the day of their judgement and till their appointed period [till
the period appointed], till the great judgement (comes) upon them.' I saw (the
spirit of) a dead man making suit, and his voice went forth to heaven and made
suit. And I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: 'This
spirit which maketh suit, whose is it, whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit to
heaven ?' And he answered me saying: 'This is the spirit which went forth from
Abel, whom his brother Cain slew, and he makes his suit against him till his seed
is destroyed from the face of the earth, and his seed is annihilated from amongst
the seed of men.'
11
and there was given to each one white robes, and it was said to them that
they may rest themselves yet a little time, till may be fulfilled also their fellow-
servants and their brethren, who are about to be killed -- even as they.

As discussed in our background studies, white robes are associated with the idea
of an additional or "higher" soul, or as Paul calls it, a celestial/spiritual body (1
Corinthians 15:35-54).

The book of Enoch also speaks of the garments of the righteous:

Enoch 62:15-16 - And the righteous and elect shall have risen from the earth,
And ceased to be of downcast countenance. And they shall have been clothed
with garments of glory, And these shall be the garments of life from the Lord of
Spirits: And your garments shall not grow old, Nor your glory pass away before
the Lord of Spirits.

The "rest" these souls are given is in preparation for the "great rest" (the
Millennial Sabbath, when Ezekiel's Temple will be placed in Jerusalem), when
their cries will be turned to words of thanksgiving:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 219b - As soon as they will rise
from the dead all those hosts will march, each man to the portion of his
ancestors, as Scripture says, "and ye shall return every man unto his possession"
(Lev. xxv, 10). They shall recognize each other, and God will clothe every one in
embroidered garments; and they will all come and offer up thanksgiving to their
Master in Jerusalem, where there will assemble multitudes upon multitudes.
Jerusalem itself will spread out in all directions, to a further extent even than
when the exiles returned there. When they assemble and offer up praises to
their Master the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in them. So Scripture says:
"And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the
goodness of the Lord", etc. (Jer. XXXI, 12), namely, every one to his portion and
the portion of his ancestors. And the possession of Israel will extend till it will
reach Damietta of the Romans, and even there they will study the Torah. All this
has already been stated, and it is in harmony with the Scriptural passage,
saying: "Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust", etc. (Isa. XVI, 19). Blessed be
the Lord for evermore! Amen and Amen!’

It would also seem that the group "about to be killed" in this verse, shares a fate
with those of the Assembly of Smyrna (Chapter 2), who are told that many of
them will be killed (during the final days of "great tribulation.")
12
And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and lo, a great earthquake came,
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood,
Although it may be possible for the literal sun to go dark and moon to turn red,
the verse implies a metaphorical interpretation in light of the surrounding text.
(i.e., see notes to verse 13 below.) Kaballistically, the sun represents Tipheret,
the "bridegroom" and the moon is Malkut (the bride -- the Shekinah and people
of God).

As the earth will turn from the true bridegroom to a false one (the "anti-
messiah," who may also be considered a false tzaddik who comes between the
bride and groom), the sun turns dark, no longer giving its light, and the bride
turns to the judgmental color of red, as she prepares to unleash unmitigated
judgment on the earth. (This concept was discussed in our background studies
on the Shekinah, Tipheret and Yesod.)

The Zohar associates these events with the land of Israel falling under control of
the evil realm:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 210a - NOW THOU ART

COMMANDED, THIS DO YE: TAKE YE WAGONS OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, ETC .
R. Hiya opened a discourse with the text: Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad
with her, all ye that love her rejoice for joy with her, etc. (Ibid. LXVI, 10). ‘When’,
he said, ‘the Temple was destroyed and Israel on account of their sins were
driven from their land, God removed Himself, as it were, to the height of heights
and regarded not the destruction of the Temple nor the exile of His people, and
so the Shekinah was exiled with them. When God again descended, He observed
His House that was burnt down. He looked at His people and behold, they were
in exile. He inquired concerning the Matron (Shekinah) and found that she had
been driven out. Then, "in that day did the Lord, the God of hosts, call to
weeping, and lamentation, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth" (Ibid.
XXII, 12); and the Matron was called upon to "lament like a virgin girded with
sackcloth for the husband of her youth" (Joel I, 8), because He had removed
Himself from her and they were separated. The very heaven and the very earth
lamented, as it is written: "I clothe the heaven with blackness, and I make
sackcloth their covering" (Is. L, 3). The celestial angels all raised their voices in
lamentation, as it says: "Behold, the angels cry without; the angels of peace
weep bitterly" (Is. XXXIII, 7). The sun and the moon mourned and their light was
darkened, as we read: "The sun shall be darkened in his going forth, etc." (Ibid.
XIII, 10). For what reason? Because the other side had obtained sway over the
Holy Land.

There are numerous references to such end-time cosmic disturbances in other

Hebraic literature. Note the following texts from the Zohar which ties the moon's
color turning to blood to the "waters" below. This of course is an allusion to the
Egypt and the Exodus:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 29a - ‘Observe that when the
Holy One, blessed be He, prepares to inflict chastisement upon the idolatrous
nations, the “Left Side” awakens and changes the whiteness of the moon to
blood; then the ponds and the pools below are also filled with blood. So the
punishment of the unrighteous is indeed blood. Further, when the doom of blood
impends upon a people, it is the blood of slaughter executed by another people
whom God brings against them. But against Egypt the Holy One, blessed be He,
did not choose to raise up another nation, lest Israel, who dwelt in her midst,
might also suffer. Therefore He punished the Egyptians by causing their streams
to be changed into blood so that they could not drink from them. And as Egypt's
supramundane power was centred in the Nile, the Holy One enforced His will first
on that principality, so that-the Nile being one of their divinities-their highest
power might first of all be humbled. From the lesser idols also blood gushed out,
as it is written: “And there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in
vessels of wood and in vessels of stone” (Ibid.).’

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 28b - THE WATERS OF EGYPT,

UPON THEIR STREAMS, UPON THEIR RIVERS... THAT THEY MAY BECOME BLOOD.
Said R. Judah: ‘How was this possible? Could one rod so be stretched over all this
extent? Moreover, it says later, “And seven days were fulfilled after the Lord had
smitten the river” (v. 25), only mentioning the river, and leaving out the other
waters of Egypt upon which Aaron had stretched out his hand. The explanation is
that the reference is to the River Nile, for out of this all the other rivers, streams,
ponds, and pools are filled, so that Aaron needed but to smite that river and all
the other waters were smitten. The proof is that it says, “And the Egyptians
could not drink of the water of the river” (v. 2I).’ R. Abba said: ‘Observe that the
lower waters diverge and spread on every side, but the upper waters draw
together and are concentrated in one place,’ [Tr.note: Yesod.] as it says: “Let the
waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place” (Gen. I, 9); and
again, “And the gathering together of the waters called He seas”- as we have
explained. The firmament in which the sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets
are suspended is the great meeting place where the upper waters are gathered,
and whence the earth, or lower world, is watered. She thereupon scatters and
distributes these waters far and wide, in order that all things may be watered by
them. When, however, chastisement impends over the world, then the lower
world does not imbibe from that upper firmament of sun and moon, but from the
“left side”, concerning which it says: “The sword of the Lord is full of blood” (Isa.
XXXIV, 6). Woe unto them who must drink from this cup! At such times the sea
imbibes from both sides and divides itself into two parts, white and red (mercy
and justice). Thus it was the lot of Egypt which was cast into the Nile, and the
blow was inflicted both above and below. Therefore Israel drank water, but the
Egyptians blood.

Not surprisingly, the subject of Metatron comes up in the context of the shaking
of the heavens (see comments to verse 13 below), and resumption of the moon's
light:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 181b - The time, however, will
come for the moon to resume her primordial light, and in allusion to this it is
written: "Behold, my servant will prosper." That is to say, there will be a stirring
in the upper realms as of one who catches a sweet odour and stands alert. "He
shall be exalted", from the side of the most exalted luminaries; "and lifted up",
from the side of Abraham; "and shall be high", from the side of Isaac; "very",
from the side of Jacob. At that time, then, the Holy One will cause a stirring on
high with the object of enabling the moon to shine with her full splendour, as we
read: "Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the
light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days" (Ibid. XXX, 26).
There will thus be added to the moon an exalted spirit whereby all the dead that
are in the dust will be awakened. This is the esoteric meaning of "my servant",
[Metatron] viz. the one that has in his hand the key of his Master.

As mentioned, Rosh haShana, is associated with the beginning of the Day of the
Lord, the final judgment of God upon the earth. What is interesting in the
following text is the mention of the importance of the number "seven" with
regard to sanctifications, as the judgments of Revelation come in three sets of
seven:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 184a -The old man then
proceeded to discourse on the verse: “Blow the trumpet in the new moon, in the
time appointed on our solemn feast-day” (Ps. LXXXI, 4). He said: ‘Now is the time
when the mighty supernal judgement is awakened, and with it the “other side”
also gathers force. And with this access of force it ascends and veils the Moon
that She may no more shine, and She falls entirely under the influence of stern
Justice. Then all the worlds and spheres come under the aegis of judgement,
both celestial and terrestrial beings, and a herald makes proclamation
throughout all the firmaments, saying: “Prepare the Throne of Judgement for the
Lord of all, since He cometh to judge all worlds!” Here is a mystery which was
revealed to us during our sojourn in the desert. Why is supernal justice roused to
activity just on this day? Because all mysteries and all glorious sanctifications
are centred in the mystery of seven. And the supernal Seventh, the upper world,
called “the world to come”, is the realm whence all lights derive their brightness.
And when the time arrives when those blessings and sanctifications are to be
renewed with fresh light, all the conditions in the different worlds are passed in
review. Then all these preparations ascend from earth if they are fitting, but if
not, then it is decreed that the Moon is not to shine till the sinners have been
separated from the righteous.
13
and the stars of the heaven fell to the earth -- as a fig-tree doth cast her winter
figs, by a great wind being shaken --

Many commentaries insist on taking this verse at a literal level, while stating
other things in the book, such as the "Horsemen," "Beast" or "Dragon," are
allegory. The concept of "stars" has been mentioned earlier in the study as being
associated with spiritual entities (as it is throughout Hebraic literature), and
should also be understood in the same fashion here. If these were literal stars,
just one "falling to the earth" would destroy the planet and the story would end
here.

Moses Maimonides (Rambam), who was not considered a kabbalist, but a great
Talmudic mind, also used the term "stars" for spiritual entities:

Speaking on the topic of "foreign deities," Maimonides writes:

That of a prophet who arises and declares, a certain star cast its spirit upon me,
telling me to worship it in a certain way, so that it will save me ... 2

The book of Enoch refers to "stars" who were punished for transgressing the
ways of God:

Enoch 18:12-16 - And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no firmament
of the heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it: there was no water
upon it, and no birds, but it was a waste and horrible place. I saw there seven
stars like great burning mountains, and to me, when I inquired regarding them,
The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth: this has become a
prison for the stars and the host of heaven. And the stars which roll over the fire
are they which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord in the
beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed
times. And He was wroth with them, and bound them till the time when their
guilt should be consummated (even) for ten thousand years.'

Enoch goes on to say that in the last days (as depicted in Revelation) there will
once again be "stars" who transgress their domain and who will be sought after
as Gods by men:

Enoch 80:1-8 - And in those days the angel Uriel answered and said to me: '
Behold, I have shown thee everything, Enoch, and I have revealed everything to
thee that thou shouldst see this sun and this moon, and the leaders of the stars
of the heaven and all those who turn them, their tasks and times and
departures. And in the days of the sinners the years shall be shortened, And
their seed shall be tardy on their lands and fields, And all things on the earth
shall alter, And shall not appear in their time: And the rain shall be kept back
And the heaven shall withhold (it). And in those times the fruits of the earth shall
be backward, And shall not grow in their time, And the fruits of the trees shall be
withheld in their time. And the moon shall alter her order, And not appear at her
time. [And in those days the sun shall be seen and he shall journey in the
evening on the extremity of the great chariot in the west] And shall shine more
brightly than accords with the order of light. And many chiefs of the stars shall
transgress the order (prescribed). And these shall alter their orbits and tasks,
And not appear at the seasons prescribed to them. And the whole order of the
stars shall be concealed from the sinners, And the thoughts of those on the earth
shall err concerning them, [And they shall be altered from all their ways], Yea,
they shall err and take them to be gods. And evil shall be multiplied upon them,
And punishment shall come upon them So as to destroy all.'

Other verses in Revelation, such as 9:1 clearly associate "stars" with spiritual
entities. (Also see notes to verse 16 below.)

The Zohar contains the following esoteric text regarding the end times, where
spiritial entities called both stars and flames (i.e., Hebrews 1:7), do battle in view
of the entire world. This leads to the coming of Messiah, who Himself takes
vengeance on behalf of His spouse (The Shekinah and Israel) and the "shaking"
of the earth and heavenly realms. 3
Note in the latter part of this text that the crown which God adorns Himself is
also the crown of Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 8b-9a - ‘At the time when the
Holy One shall arise to renew all worlds, and the letters of his Name shall shine
in perfect union, the Yod with the He, and the He with the Vau, a mighty star will
appear in the heavens of purple hue, which by day shall flame before the eyes of
the whole world, filling the firmament with its light. And at that time shall a
flame issue in the heavens from the north; and flame and star shall so face each
other for forty days, and all men will marvel and be afraid. And when forty days
shall have passed, the star and the flame shall war together in the sight of all,
and the flame shall spread across the skies from the north, striving to overcome
the star, and the rulers and peoples of the earth shall behold it with terror, and
there will be confusion among them. But the star will remove to the south and
vanquish the flame, and the flame shall daily be diminished until it be no more
seen. Then shall the star cleave for itself bright paths in twelve directions which
shall remain luminous in the skies for the term of twelve days. After a further
twelve days trembling will seize the world, and at midday the sun will be
darkened as it was darkened on the day when the holy Temple was destroyed,
so that heaven and earth shall not be seen.

Then out of the midst of thunder and lightning shall a voice be heard, causing
the earth to quake and many hosts and principalities to perish. On the same day
when that voice is heard throughout the world, a flame of fire shall appear
burning in Great Rome; it will consume many turrets and towers, and many are
the great and mighty who shall perish then. All shall gather against her to
destroy her, and no one will have hope to escape. From that day on, for twelve
months, all the kings (of the world) will take counsel together and make many
decrees to destroy Israel; and they shall prosper against him, as has been said.
Blessed is he who shall live in that time, and blessed is he who shall not live in
that time! (i.e., Revelation 14:13)

And the whole world then will be in confusion. At the end of the twelve months
the "sceptre of Judah", namely the Messiah, will arise, appearing from Paradise,
and all the righteous will surround him and gird him with weapons of war on
which are inscribed the letters of the Holy Name (YHWH). Then a voice will burst
forth from the branches of the trees of Paradise: "Arise, O ye saints from above,
and stand ye before the Messiah! For the time has come for the Hind (Shekinah)
to be united with her Spouse, and he must avenge her on the world and raise her
from the dust". And all the saints from above will arise and gird the Messiah with
weapons of war, Abraham at his right, Isaac at his left, Jacob in front of him,
while Moses, the "faithful shepherd" of all these saints, shall dance at the head
of them in Paradise.

As soon as the Messiah has been installed by the saints in Paradise, he will enter
again the place which is called "the Bird's Nest’, there to behold the picture of
the destruction of the Temple, and of all the saints who were done to death
there. Then will he take from that place ten garments, the garments of holy zeal,
and hide himself there for forty days, and no one shall be able to see him. At the
end of those forty days a voice shall be heard from the highest throne calling the
Bird's Nest and the Messiah who shall be hidden there. Thereupon he shall be
carried aloft, and when the Holy One, blessed be He, shall behold the Messiah
adorned with the garments of holy zeal and girded with weapons of war, he will
take him and kiss him upon his brow. At that moment three hundred and ninety
firmaments shall begin to shake.

The Holy One shall command one of these firmaments, which has been kept in
waiting since the six days of creation, to approach, and He shall take out from a
certain temple in it a crown inscribed with holy names. It was with this crown
that the Holy One adorned Himself when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and
He avenged Himself on all the chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen. With this
same crown will He crown King Messiah. As soon as he is crowned, the Holy One
will take him and kiss him as before. All the holy multitude and the whole holy
army will surround him and will bestow upon him many wonderful gifts, and he
will be adorned by them all. Then will he enter into one of the temples and
behold there all the upper angels, who are called "the mourners of Zion"
because they continually weep over the destruction of the Holy Temple. These
angels shall give him a robe of deep red in order that he may commence his
work of revenge. (i.e., Revelation 14:14-16)

The Holy One will again hide him in the "Bird's Nest" and he will remain there for
thirty days. After the thirty days he will again be decked with those adornments
from above and from below, and many holy beings will surround him. The whole
world then shall see a light extending from the firmament to the earth, and
continuing for seven days, and they will be amazed and not comprehend: only
the wise will understand, they who are adepts in the mystic lore, blessed is their
portion. All through the seven days the Messiah shall be crowned on earth.
Where shall this be? "By the way", to wit, Rachel's grave, which is on the cross-
road. To mother Rachel he will give glad tidings and comfort her, and now she
will let herself be comforted, and will rise and kiss him. (i.e., Matthew 2:18)

The light will then move from that place and shall stand over Jericho, the city of
trees, and the Messiah will be hidden in the light of the "Bird's Nest" for twelve
months. After the twelve months that light will stand between heaven and earth
in the land of Galilee, where Israel's captivity began, and there will he reveal
himself from the light of the "Bird's Nest", and return to his place. On that day
the whole earth will be shaken from one end. to the other, and thus the whole
world will know that the Messiah has revealed himself in the land of Galilee. (i.e.,
Matthew 3:13)

And all who are diligent in the study of the Torah-and there shall be few such in
the world-will gather round him. His army will gain in strength through the merit
of little infants at school, symbolized by the word ephroah-"young bird" (cf. Deut.
XXII, 6). And if such will not be found at that time it will be through the merit of
the sucklings, "the eggs" (Ibid), "those that are weaned from the milk, and drawn
from the breasts" (Isa. XXII, 9), for whose sake the Shekinah dwells in the midst
of Israel in exile, as indeed there will be few sages at that time. (i.e., Luke 18:8)

This is the implication of the words "And the dam sitting upon the young, or upon
the eggs", which, allegorically interpreted, means that it does not depend upon
the Mother to free them from exile, but upon the Supreme King; for it is the
young ones and the sucklings that will give strength to the Messiah, and then
the Supernal Mother, which "sits upon them", will be stirred up towards Her
Spouse. He will tarry for twelve months longer, and then he will appear and raise
her from the dust: "I will raise up on that day the tabernacle of David that is
fallen" (Amos IX, II). On that day the Messiah will begin to gather the captives
from one end of the world to the other: "If any of thine be driven out unto the
utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee" (Deut.
xxx, 4). From that day on the Holy One will perform for Israel all the signs and
wonders which He performed for them in Egypt: "As in the days of thy coming
out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto him wonders" (Micah Vll, I5).’.

The "earthquake" mentioned by John in verse 12 is connected to verse 13, where

the "stars of heaven" are said to fall, and compare to fig trees. This is
reminiscent of Yeshua's language in Luke's account:

Luke 21:25-31 - And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in
the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the
waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable;
Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and
know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when
ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at
hand.

Other Scriptures speak of both the heavens and earth being "shaken" by God in
the last days, along with other signs in the heavenlies:

Hebrews 12:26 - Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised,
saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

Isaiah 13:9-13 - Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath
and fierce anger, And for the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give
their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not
cause its light to shine. "I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for
their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the
haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man
more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, And
the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And in the
day of His fierce anger.
Joel 3:14-16 - Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the
LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened,
and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion,
and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake:
but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of
Israel.
14
and heaven departed as a scroll rolled up, and every mountain and island --
out of their places they were moved;

The idea of the heavens being "rolled up" sounds very much like Rabbi Pinchas
Winston's concept of the Sephirah being withdrawn back toward God, as outlined
in the notes prior to verse 1. The text implies that the "mountains" and "islands"
being moved out of their places are themselves in the world of Beriah. (See
notes to verse 17 below.)

The books of Isaiah and Hebrews allude to the same concept:

Isaiah 34:4 - All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be
rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down. As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as fruit falling from a fig tree.

Hebrews 1:10-12 - And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the
earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You
remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them
up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail."

15 and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich, and the chiefs of
thousands, and the mighty, and every servant, and every freeman, hid
themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains,
16
and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, `Fall upon us, and hide us
from the face of Him who is sitting upon the throne, and from the anger of the
Lamb,'
17
because come did the great day of His anger, and who is able to stand?

Again, these verses must be understood metaphorically. Men do not generally

speak to mountains, much less ask rocks to hide them from God. The idea of
mountains (and islands) in the angelic/spiritual realms carries with it the concept
of "separation" -- that which is in opposition to the (coming) unity of God and His
creation. They are therefore associated with the sitra atra - the evil realm. These
mountains, islands and rocks are similar to the "principalities and powers"
mentioned in the "New Testament" (i.e., Romans 8:38; Ephesians 3:10, 6:12;
Colossians 1:16, 2:15).

The Zohar speaks of a mighty "rock" associated with the sitra atra, that is
responsible for covering up the moon, a sign of judgment:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 184a - But that “other side” is
encased in a powerful shell which cannot be broken, except by means of that
counsel which the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Israel when He said: “Blow
the trumpet in the new moon, in the covering (ba-kese) of our solemn feast-
day”, in order to break that “covering” (kese) which prevents the Moon from
shining. And when the Israelites blow the trumpet here below the voice thereof
smites the air and breaks through all firmaments until it reaches the mighty rock
which covers up the Moon through the evil power of the “other side”, and when
Satan, who has ascended and stands above, perceives that Mercy has been
roused he becomes confused, and the trumpet's voice causes the strength of the
Accuser to depart from him, and the voice of judgement to be hushed and
rigorous punishments to be revoked.

As for "mountains," these would seem to indicate evil "high places" just as their
are righteous high places. The book of Enoch associates spiritual mountains as
such, even comparing one to the Throne of God. It also brings forth the idea of
spiritual "trees" as is seen later in Revelation:

Enoch 24:1-25:3 - And from thence I went to another place of the earth, and he
showed me a mountain range of fire which burnt day and night. And I went
beyond it and saw seven magnificent mountains all differing each from the
other, and the stones (thereof) were magnificent and beautiful, magnificent as a
whole, of glorious appearance and fair exterior: three towards the east, one
founded on the other, and three towards the south, one upon the other, and
deep rough ravines, no one of which joined with any other. And the seventh
mountain was in the midst of these, and it excelled them in height, resembling
the seat of a throne: and fragrant trees encircled the throne. And amongst them
was a tree such as I had never yet smelt, neither was any amongst them nor
were others like it: it had a fragrance beyond all fragrance, and its leaves and
blooms and wood wither not for ever: and its fruit is beautiful, and its fruit n
resembles the dates of a palm. Then I said: 'How beautiful is this tree, and
fragrant, and its leaves are fair, and its blooms very delightful in appearance.'
Then answered Michael, one of the holy and honoured angels who was with me,
and was their leader. And he said unto me: 'Enoch, why dost thou ask me
regarding the fragrance of the tree, and why dost thou wish to learn the truth?'
Then I answered him saying: 'I wish to know about everything, but especially
about this tree.' And he answered saying: 'This high mountain which thou hast
seen, whose summit is like the throne of God, is His throne, where the Holy
Great One, the Lord of Glory, the Eternal King, will sit, when He shall come down
to visit the earth with goodness.

Thus, these final verses of the chapter would indicate that men will call upon
various (evil) spiritual forces and entities ("mountains" and "rocks"), rather than
turning to God.

Eventually, these kings of the earth will have to face the one on the Throne.
According to the book of Enoch, only then will they offer a token form of
repentance to the Messiah -- one that will be firmly rejected:

Enoch 62:9-16 - And all the kings and the mighty and the exalted and those
who rule the earth Shall fall down before him on their faces, And worship and set
their hope upon that Son of Man, And petition him and supplicate for mercy at
his hands. Nevertheless that Lord of Spirits will so press them That they shall
hastily go forth from His presence, And their faces shall be filled with shame, And
the darkness grow deeper on their faces. And He will deliver them to the angels
for punishment, To execute vengeance on them because they have oppressed
His children and His elect And they shall be a spectacle for the righteous and for
His elect: They shall rejoice over them, Because the wrath of the Lord of Spirits
resteth upon them, And His sword is drunk with their blood.

1. See Kabbalah and Exodus, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser Inc. York
Beach Maine, 1980, p. 26 ff.

2. Maimonides' Introduction to the Talmud, translated and annotated by Zvi

Lampel, The Judaica Press, Brooklyn, NY, 1998, p. 48.

3. For a fascinating opinion on spiritual entities and UFOs, see, "An Authoratative
Torah View on Extraterrestrial Life," by Ariel Bar Tzadok, at
http://www.koshertorah.com/ufo.html

Revelation 7:1a
Last update: March 6, 2002

Within this section, we will focus attention on the following themes:

• The significance of the number "four"

• The "connectivity" between the upper and lower worlds

• The relationship between the first six and the seventh judgments in each
series

• Gemmatria concerning the "Vav" and final "Hey" of the Divine name,
YHVH

1a
And after these things I saw four messengers, standing upon the four corners
of the land, holding the four winds of the land ...

The number "four" hold a great deal of mystical significance, especially

regarding things beyond the physical world (Asiyyah):

Four letters of the Divine Name, YHVH

•
Four keys associated with these letters (see Zohar Shemot 133b-136a on the
angel "Boel")

Four "heavenly colors" of white, red, green and black (or sapphire)

• Four worlds of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyyah

Four elements of the physical world; earth, water, fire, air

• Four holy creatures (Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4)

Four figure of a lion, eagle, ox and man

Four horsemen of Revelation chapter 6

• Four sides of the camp around the Tabernacle (see previous study on the
Tribes)

• Four heads of the river of Eden into which it was divided (Genesis 2:10)

• Four horns that scatter Judah in Zachariah 2:1

• Four levels of spiritual hierarchy in Israel (High Priests, Priests, Levites,

Israelites)

• Four garments worn by the High Priest on Yom Kippur

• Four rows of stones on the breastplate of the High Priest

• Four corners of the altar

• Four cups of wine, four types of sons and four questions asked at the
Passover Seder

• Four species used at Sukkot; lulav, etrog, myrtle and palm branches

• Four steps in God's plan of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7 - also see

"Torah Etz Chaim")

• Four steps in the creation of man (Isaiah 43:7)

Four blessings given after a meal (prayers for; food, Israel, Jerusalem and God's
goodness)
The number four is associated with that which upholds the heavenlies as well as
connects to the earth. As seen in the following series of texts, it plays a role from
the heavenly throne room down to our dinner table in this physical world.

In this first citation, the heavenly firmament is shown to be upheld by the four
Holy Creatures (Hayoth). Note the reference to how the four divine colors (green,
red, white, sapphire) are said to "decompose" into twelve. This may be
associated with the twelve colors of the foundations of the walls of New
Jerusalem on earth (Revelation 21:19-20).

Note the angels singing of "holy, holy, holy," is toward the directions of east,
south and north. To the west, the direction of Malkut, they say "blessed." This is
comparable to what is usually cited with the Shema, where the first verse is
associated with God in the heavenly realms (Shema Israel Adonai Elohenu,
Adonai Echad), and the second verse links "blessed" with the Kingdom on earth.
("Baruch Shem K'vod Malkhuto L'olam Va'ed - Blessed is His Name whose
glorious Kingdom is forever and ever."):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - AND GOD SAID TO NOAH...
THIS IS THE TOKEN OF THE COVENANT WHICH I MAKE BETWEEN ME AND YOU... I
HAVE SET MY RAINBOW IN THE CLOUD. The past tense "I have set" shows that
the bow had already been there. In connection with this passage R. Simeon
discoursed on the verse: And above the firmament that was over their heads
was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone (Ezek. I, 26).
‘Before this verse,’ he said, ‘we find the words, "And when they went I heard the
noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty"
(Ibid. 24). These are the four sacred and mighty beings called Hayoth (animals),
by whom the firmament is upheld, and whose wings are usually joined together
to cover their bodies. When, however, they spread out their wings, a volume of
sound swells forth, and they break out into songs of praise, "as the voice of the
Almighty", which never becomes silent, as it is written, "so that my glory may
sing praise to thee, and not be silent" (Ps. XXX, 13). The tenour of their praises
is, "The Lord hath made known his salvation, his righteousness hath he revealed
in the sight of the nations" (Ps. XCVIII, 2). It says further: "A noise of tumult like
the noise of a host" (Ezek. I, 24), i.e. like the sound of the holy camps when all
the supernal armies assemble on high. What is it they declaim? "Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is. VI, 3). They turn to
the south and say "holy", they turn to the north and say "holy", they turn to the
east and say "holy", they turn to the west and say "blessed". And that firmament
rests upon their heads, and in whatever direction it turns, their faces turn also.
They turn their faces to the four cardinal points, and all revolve in a circle. The
firmament is imprinted, at the four corners of a square, with four figures, of a
lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man; and the face of a man is traced in all of them,
so that the face of Lion is of Man, the face of Eagle is of Man, and the face of Ox
is of Man, all being comprehended in him. Hence it is written: "As for the likeness
of their faces, they had the face of a man" (Ezek. I, 10). Eurther, the firmament
with its enclosed square contains the gamut of all the colours. Outstanding are
four colours, each engraved with four translucent signs, both higher and lower.
These when decomposed become twelve. They are green, red, white, and
sapphire, which is made up of all these colours. Hence it is written, "As the
appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the
appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the Lord" (Ibid. I, 28): containing, that is to say, all shades
of all colours.

As discussed in our study of Ezekiel's vision, the Hayoth (holy creatures)

"support" the spiritual realm beneath them, that being the Ofanim. (The Hayoth
support the Ophanim, even though we think of the former as being "above." This
is explained in the text below.) The Ophanim in turn "connect" to the "four
corners" of the physical world. Thus, that which is above is said to "diffuse"
below and guide the world:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 241b,242a - R. Simeon

discoursed in this connection on the verse: "When those went these went, and
when those stood these stood" (Ezek. 1, 21). ‘That means’, he said, ‘that when
the Hayoth (living creatures) went the Ofanim (Wheels) also went, as we read,
"and when the Hayoth went the Ofanim went hard by them" (Ibid. 19). For the
movements of the Ofanim are only induced by the movements of the Hayoth,
nor can they pause independently of the Hayoth, for the two move together as
one. Now the celestial gate of the east is provided with twenty-four openings
guarded by twentyfour sentinels who are surrounded by a flaming fire. There are
at the entrance of the gate twenty-four sockets supporting twenty- four pillars.
These pillars remain in their place and do not soar into space; they are thus
designated "standing ones", in the verse: "I will give thee a place to walk among
these standing ones" (Zech. III, 7). And as long as those pillars remain immobile
those that are above them go to and fro through the world, survey things, and
whatever they overhear they carry up on high. So Scripture says: "For a bird of
the air shall carry the voice" (Eccles. x, 20). Now observe that the Ofanim
(Wheels) are carried by the Hayoth (living creatures). For that which is of a
higher grade, though it seems to be carried by that which is of a lower grade,
really carries it. It was the same with the Ark, which also carried its carriers. [Tr.
note: T. B. Sotah, 35a.] We must distinguish between the Hayah, "the spirit of
which was in the Of anim", and the Hayoth, with which the Ofanim went. This
one turned towards all four quarters of the globe. In regard to this it says: "This
is the Hayah that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar" (Ibid. x, 20);
it is the same which forms a throne to the likeness of Man, and is below the
superior holy Hayoth. For they are in grades, one above the other. The Throne
immediately underneath the God of Israel is in the form of Jacob, and the Throne
below in that of David; this is the one that turns to the four corners of the world.
It follows that the spirit of the highest diffuses through the lower, and directs and
guides the whole. There was similar direction in the lower world. Just as in
connection with the upper world we read that "the spirit of the Hayah is in the
Ofanim", so of the lower world it is written, "And Moses reared up the
tabernacle", he being the guiding spirit below; wherefore it is written: "And he
reared up, fixed, put."
The above text mentions the Temples above and below. The creation of Adam is
associated with the four corners of the world, as well as both Temples. Man is
both a physical and spiritual being:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 130b - ‘When the Holy One,
blessed be He, created Adam, He took his dust from the site of the Temple and
built his body out of the four corners of the world, all of which contributed to his
formation. After that He poured over him the spirit of life, as it says, "and he
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Gen. II, 7).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 205b - Observe that when the
Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, He gathered his earthly matter from the
four corners of the world and fashioned him therefrom on the site of the Temple
here below and drew to him a soul of life out of the Temple on high.

As there are Temples above and below, it is the same with the altars. These
altars have four corners, that are also associated with the "four corners" of the
earth:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 30a - FIRE SHALL BE KEPT

BURNING UPON THE ALTAR CONTINUALLY; IT SHALL NOT GO OUT. R. Hiya said:
This fire is the fire of Isaac, who said (at the time of the binding), "Behold the fire
and the wood" (Gen. XXII, 7), which perpetually exists. We have learnt that from
the fire of Isaac there issue forth to the altar certain coals, one to the east side,
one to the west side, one to the north side, and one to the south side. Now there
is on the altar a footway with a certain number of steps, and the lowest step
reaches to the abyss which is the highest of six, and when the coals mentioned
above reach the four corners of the altar a spark shoots forth and descends to
that highest abyss. In that place there are numerous hosts who proclaim "holy"
with a loud voice, and on another side they say "holy" with a soft and wondrous
voice, and on another side there are yet other hosts which say "holy". There are
six hundred thousand myriads in each corner, all under one commander, and all
clad in an ephod, who are there to carry out the service of the altar in
correspondence with those on earth. In another place the waves of the sea roar
and descend a certain number of degrees, and there other hosts proclaim with
the voice of song: "Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place" (Ezek. III, 12).
Their song of praise is not stilled day or night, and all make melody. In another
place are hosts who stand in fear and trembling. All look towards that supernal
altar. When the fire of Isaac reaches the altar sparks fly about on every side, and
from them many mighty beings are set aflame. And did not the priest stand by
the altar and lay in order the wood, the world could not stand before them. From
the sparks which issue the backs of those "living creatures" are set aflame (Ezek.
I, 13). On the right side of those "living creatures" a certain wind stirs from
above which blows upon that fire, so that it settles down with a steady flame and
gives light to the hosts standing on the right side. Then on the left side rises a
strong wind breaking the rocks which blows upon that fire and makes it burn
fiercely, till it gives light to the hosts on that side. And so on all four sides for the
four camps. But all are appeased when the priest goes up to the altar.’
The following passage associated the number four with Judah, the fourth son of
Leah, through whom would come the Messiah, linking his name to the name
YHVH and the throne of God. (Note that the letter Daleth has a numerical value
of four):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 156a - R. Jose then took the
passage: "This time will I praise the Lord." ‘Was it not’, he asked, ‘equally
incumbent on her to praise God for the birth of her other sons? But the truth is
that Judah, in virtue of being the fourth son, was the completion of the Heavenly
Throne. Judah alone is thus the mainstay of the Heavenly Throne and is its truest
support. For this very reason, moreover, was he called Judah (YHVDH), a word
which contains the Divine Name with the addition of the letter Daleth (four),
pointing to the four supports of the Heavenly Throne.

Just as we saw four "horsemen" of judgment in the previous chapter, the number
four is found elsewhere regarding divine retribution. The Midrash Rabbah offers
the following interesting insight on the four heads of the river that went forth
from Eden. The nations are said to drink from this "cup of reeling" in the "time to
come," which is linked to Babylon. This would seem to parallel Revelation 14;10;
16:19; 17:4; 18:6.

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XIII:5 - This is alluded to in what is written, And a

river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it parted and
became four heads (Gen. II, 10). R. Tanhuma, and some say R. Menahema, in the
name of R. Joshua b. Levi, said: The Holy One, blessed be He, will, in the Time to
Come, cause the heathen nations to drink the cup of reeling. This is indicated by
what is written, ’ And a river went out of Eden (‘eden),’ i.e. from the place
whence judgment (din) is to go forth. ’And from thence it parted and became
four heads.’ By this is meant four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon (ib. 11),
that is Babylon, in view of its having been said thereof.

The above mention of Babylon being the "first" source of judgment, is hinted at
in this Scripture, which shows wickedness proceeding from Babylon going to all
the earth. (Note that Shinar is Babylon):

Zechariah 5:5-11 - Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said
unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said,
What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This
is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a
talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he
said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast
the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and
looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their
wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah
between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me,
Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in
the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.
The mystical reference to the number four descend all the way into the reality of
our physical world. There are four traditional blessings said after meals. The
Zohar places extreme importance on these, associating them with the support of
the angelic realm that watch over the "four corners" of the world:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 218a - R. Jose began a discourse

on the verse: "And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry",
etc. (Ruth III, 7). ‘His heart was merry,’ he said, ‘by reason of his having
pronounced a benediction over his food; and there is, further, a deeper
significance here, to wit, that whoever says a blessing after his meal satisfies his
"heart", that which is by him alluded to in the words: "In thy behalf my heart
hath said" (Ps. XXVII, 8), also in, "but God is the rock of my heart" (Ibid. LXXIII,
26). For, since the blessing offered up for one's food is precious before the Holy
One, blessed be He, whoever pronounces such a blessing after he is satisfied
does good and brings joy to "another region". So here "another region" derived
enjoyment from the blessing after the meal that the righteous Boaz pronounced,
and thus we read, "and his heart was merry". Why pronounce a blessing? It is
because the sustenance of man is troublesome, so to speak, for the Almighty,
but when the words of the benediction pronounced by a man after eating and
drinking ascend on high, that place derives an enjoyment from those words, and
so benefit is drawn from the food, both below and above. This is a recondite
teaching known to the Companions. Furthermore, on weekdays "that region"
enjoys only the words of the after-meal benediction that ascend on high. On
Sabbath days, however, there is an enjoying on high of the very food enjoyed on
earth by man in virtue of this being part of the holy joy of the Sabbath. There is
thus here a merging of the heavenly and the earthly. This recondite teaching is
indicated in the passage, "for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we
given thee" (I Chron. XXIX, 14), alluding to the enjoyment in heaven of the holy
joy in the Sabbath repasts partaken of below. Whoever pronounces the after-
meal benediction must do so devotedly, and in a joyful mood unmingled with
any tinge of sadness, inasmuch as in giving thanks he is giving of his own to
someone else; and thus, as he gives thanks joyfully and unstintedly, so will
sustenance be given to him joyfully and unstintedly. By the benedictions, each
commencing with "Blessed art Thou", are sustained the four legions that rule
over the four corners of the world. Hence we ought to recite them with
heartiness. So Scripture says: "He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for
he giveth of his bread to the poor" (Prov. XXII, 9),

A DEEPER LOOK AT THE UNION OF

THE SHEKINAH AND HER SPOUSE

Not surprisingly, the Shema holds a central place regarding all of the above
themes. The following text from the Zohar, connects the three themes of; a)
unity of all worlds, b) the four "quarters" of the universe and, c) the union of the
Shekinah and Spouse, through the Shema:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 216a - This is the recondite

significance of the declaration: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
one" (Deut. VI, 4). The term SH e M a’ (hear) is esoterically analysed into SH e M
(name) and the letter ‘Ain (= 70), that is, one Name comprising seventy names
whilst remaining a unity. "Israel" here signifies "Ancient Israel", in contrast to
"Little Israel", of whom it is written: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him"
(Hos. XI, 1). "Ancient Israel" symbolizes the union of the Shekinah with her
Spouse, and in pronouncing that name we have to concentrate our mind on the
principle of unity, on the union of the two habitations; we have to put all our
being, all the members of our body, our complete devotion, into that thought so
as to rise and attach ourselves to the En-sof (Infinite), and thus achieve the
oneness of the upper and the lower worlds. The words, "the Lord our God" are to
reunite all the Members to the place from which they issued, which is the
innermost Sanctuary. The same thought is continued in the words, "the Lord is
one", in the recital of which we have to make our thoughts range throughout all
the grades up to the Infinite (En-sof) in love and fear. This is the method of
avowing the unity of God practised by Rab Hamnuna the Venerable, who learnt it
from his father, who had it from his master, and so on, till it came from the
mouth of Elijah. And it is the correct and proper method. The same Rab
Hamnuna further said, that to concentrate the whole idea of unification in the
term "one" (ehad) is a still better way; and it is for this reason that we dwell long
over the enunciation of the word "one" (ehad), during which we effect the fusion
into one of the upper and the lower worlds. As we have learnt, "one" alludes to
above, below, and the four quarters of the universe, these being the supernal
Chariot, so that all are embraced in a single unity reaching out to the En-sof
(Infinite). After the recital of "Hear, O Israel...", we have to recite the section
containing mention of the Exodus from Egypt (Num. xv, 37-41), for the reason
that the Shekinah was in the Egyptian exile, and as long as She is in exile there
is no union between the upper and the lower worlds. But the redemption from
Egypt, attended by all those signs and wonders, set Her free; and that
redemption has to be mentioned by us to show that though She was in chains
She is now free, so as to join her heavenly Spouse.

The idea of union between the Shekinah and her spouse is a critical (and very
deep), theme to the book of Revelation. In a sense, it is what the book of
Revelation is all about - the Unification of the Name of God via the union of the
divine bride and groom, haSatan's bid to interfere with this plan, and man's
choice as to which "side" he will serve.

The following passage was cited in an earlier study. We quote it again here, this
time to show the relationship of the letter "Vav" to the bride/Shekinah, the four
corners of the earth, and also the idea of a "pause" of silence. The latter point is
significant regarding the "pause" found between the sixth and seventh
judgements in this first set of "seal" judgments and again in the "trumpet" and
"bowl" judgments. 1

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b, 134a - At the time when
Israel is proclaiming the unity-the mystery contained in the Shema-with a perfect
intention, a light comes forth from the hidden supernal world, which divides into
seventy lights, and those seventy lights into the seventy luminous branches of
the Tree of Life. Then the Tree and all the other trees of the Garden of Eden emit
sweet odours and praise their Lord, for at that time the Matrona prepares Herself
to enter under the shade of the canopy, there to unite herself with her Spouse;
and all the supernal potencies unite in one longing and one will to be united in
perfect union, without any separation soever. Then the Spouse makes ready
likewise to enter the Canopy in order to unite Himself with the Matrona.
Therefore we proclaim loudly: "Hear, O Israel; prepare thyself, for thy Husband
has come to receive thee." And also we say: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one",
which signifies that the two are united as one, in a perfect and glorious union,
without any flaw of separation to mar it. As soon as the Israelites say, "The Lord
is One", to arouse the six aspects, these six unite each with each and ascend in
one ardour of love and desire. The symbol of this is the letter Vau (because its
numerical value is six) when it stands alone without being joined to any other
letter. Then the Matrona makes herself ready with joy, and adorns herself with
delight, and Her attendants accompany Her, and in hushed silence She
encounters her Spouse; and Her handmaids proclaim, "Blessed be the Name of
the Glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever." These words are said in a whisper,
for so she must be introduced to her Spouse. Blessed is the people which
perceives these things, ordering its prayers in accordance with this mystery of
the Faith! At the time when the Spouse is united with the Matrona a herald
comes forth from the south, crying: "Awaken, O ye supernal hosts, and unfurl the
banners of love in honour of your Lord!" Then one of the leaders of the celestial
array-he whose name is Boel (God is in him)- stands forth, and in his hands are
four keys which he obtained one from each of the four corners of the earth. One
key has upon it the sign of the letter Yod engraved; the second the letter He’;
and the third the letter Vau; and these three keys he lays beneath the boughs of
the Tree of Life. Then these three become one. Then the fourth and last key,
which bears upon it the second letter He’, joins the three which have become
one. And all the angelic hosts enter by means of those keys into the Garden of
Eden, where with one voice they proclaim the Divine unity at the selfsame
moment as it is proclaimed here below. Then the Shekinah, the Bride, is
conducted to the Palace of the King, Her Bridegroom, for now He stands
complete in all His supernal goodness and can supply Her with all that She
needs. Thus her attendants bring Her in unto Him in silence. Why in silence? In
order that no "stranger" (evil potencies) should participate in her joy. As He
united Himself above according to six aspects, so also She unites Herself below
according to six other aspects, so that the oneness may be completed, both
above and below, as it is written: "The Lord will be One, and his Name One"
(Zech. XIV, 9): Six words above-Shema Israel YHVH Elohenu YHVH ehad,
corresponding to the six aspects, and six words below-baruk shem kebod
malkuto le'olam waed (Blessed be the Name, etc.)-corresponding to the six other
aspects. The Lord is one above; and His Name is One below. We say this reponse
silently, although it is a triumphant expression of the Oneness, because of the
"evil eye", which still has power under the present dispensation; but in the future
(Messianic Age) when the "evil eye" will have ceased to exist and will have no
dominion whatsoever over this world, then we shall proclaim the Divine Unity
and its full accomplishment openly and in a loud voice. At present, as the "other
side" still cleaves to the Shekinah, She is not entirely One, and therefore,
although even in this present time we proclaim the unity, we do so silently,
symbolizing it by the letters of the word wa'ed (ever), which are equivalent by
certain permutations to those of the word ehad (one). But in the time that is to
be, when that other side shall be removed from the Shekinah and pass away
from the world, then shall that unity be proclaimed openly. When She enters the
canopy and is united with the Supernal King, then we awaken the joy of the
Right and of the Left, as it is written: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart", etc. -that is, without any fear or foreboding, because the "other side"
comes not near and has no power here. But whilst Her servants are bringing Her
to the King they must keep a great and solemn silence.

GEMMATRIA

We again turn to the subject of Gemmatria (the study of the numerical values of
the letters and words of the Torah), as mentioned earlier in comments to
Revelation 6:9.

As has been discussed in our previous studies, the union between the letter Vav
(the "Son" which is attached to the letter Yod ["Father"] and letter Hey
["Mother"]) and the bride (Shekinah/Malkut, the final Hey of YHVH), results in the
coming of the Kingdom and the heavenly (third) Temple being established on
earth.

This theme of unification between the Vav and the Hey is central to Rabbi Moshe
Chaim Luzzatto's, classic work on the third Temple, Mishkney Elyon. Luzzatto
specifically associates the union of the Vav with the He' (its mate, the Shekinah)
with the Eastern Gate of the third Temple, from which flow all blessings of the
heavenly Holy of Holies. Note how Luzzatto places great significance on the
union of the numbers 6 and 7, which are the dimensions of the Eastern Gate:

As the great and powerful letter Vav asserted itself (for it was from the Vav that
the light [of the heavenly Holy of Holies] emerged, its force was so great that it
broke through the wall and made there a gate as high as the measure of the vav
(=6): six cubits. And since the Vav was joined with its mate (6+1=7), the width
of the gate was seven cubits. 2

The relationship between the numbers 6 and 7 (as they correspond to the
dimensions of the Eastern Gate), are explained in the overview to Mishkney
Elyon, by Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum, who illustrates the mathematics of the
Temple in Luzzatto's work:

... interactions between the Divine Names of the Partzufim ["qualities" of the
Sefirot], all of which are also numbers, "create" the "space" of the Holy Temple.
Consider an exampe of how numbers create space: A room that is forty feet in
length, twenty feet wide and twenty feet high is "created" by walls of
appropriate length and height. In the language of Mishkney Elyon, the floor
space of such a room is created through the "joining" (Chibur) of forty and
twenty. Chibur is the Hebrew word for the mathematical relationship expressed
by x, the multiplication sign.

... As Ramchal (an acronymn for RAbbi Moshe CHAim Luzzatto) proceeds with
his "tour" of the various areas of the Temple, he shows how each individual Hall,
Chamber, Wall, Gate and Courtyard "appears" as a result of the "joining
together" of some or all of the letters of various Divine Names. These names
correspond to the Sefirot and Partzufim, which are the Middot, "qualities" or
"measures." Chibur, "joining" and "multiplication" of the "measures," brings into
being three dimensional "spaces" where the axes of "length," "breadth" and
"height" are the three "lines" or "columns" of Chesed (Kindness), Din (Judgment)
and Rachamim (Mercy and Balance). 3

What is significant in the relationship between the numbers 6 and 7 as

associated with the Eastern Gate, is when we apply the chibur
(joining/multiplication) of these numbers, we get "42," which as has been
discussed in previous studies, is associated with "the forty-two letter Name of
God."

The number 42 and the forty-two letter Name are usually associated with the
idea of an connection being made between the spiritual and physical realms.
This can even be an unholy connection as seen by Balaam offering forty-two
sacrifices against Israel.

1. The fact of this "pause" appearing between the sixth and seventh judgments
in all three series of judgments, with an indication of "completeness" following
each time, would give cause to believe that all three sets of judgments are
simultaneous/overlapping. However, as the seven trumpet judgments seem to
come "out of" the seventh seal, and the seven bowl judgments come "out of" the
seventh trumpet, this would seem to indicate that they are not concurrent. As
much as anything else, this shows us how our view of time and space from our
physical world is different than that which exists in the higher worlds.

2. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato,
translated by Avraham Greenbaum, Temple Institute and Azamra Institute,
Jerusalem, 1999, pp. 74.

3. ibid, pp. 41,42.

Revelation 7:1a
Last update: March 6, 2002

Within this section, we will focus attention on the following themes:

• The significance of the number "four"

• The "connectivity" between the upper and lower worlds

 • The relationship between the first six and the seventh judgments in each
series

• Gemmatria concerning the "Vav" and final "Hey" of the Divine name,
YHVH

1a
And after these things I saw four messengers, standing upon the four corners
of the land, holding the four winds of the land ...

The number "four" hold a great deal of mystical significance, especially

regarding things beyond the physical world (Asiyyah):

Four letters of the Divine Name, YHVH

Four keys associated with these letters (see Zohar Shemot 133b-136a on the
angel "Boel")

Four "heavenly colors" of white, red, green and black (or sapphire)

• Four worlds of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyyah

Four elements of the physical world; earth, water, fire, air

• Four holy creatures (Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4)

Four figure of a lion, eagle, ox and man

Four horsemen of Revelation chapter 6

• Four sides of the camp around the Tabernacle (see previous study on the
Tribes)

• Four heads of the river of Eden into which it was divided (Genesis 2:10)

• Four horns that scatter Judah in Zachariah 2:1

• Four levels of spiritual hierarchy in Israel (High Priests, Priests, Levites,

Israelites)

• Four garments worn by the High Priest on Yom Kippur

 • Four rows of stones on the breastplate of the High Priest

• Four corners of the altar

• Four cups of wine, four types of sons and four questions asked at the
Passover Seder

• Four species used at Sukkot; lulav, etrog, myrtle and palm branches

• Four steps in God's plan of redemption (Exodus 6:6-7 - also see

"Torah Etz Chaim")

• Four steps in the creation of man (Isaiah 43:7)

Four blessings given after a meal (prayers for; food, Israel, Jerusalem and God's
goodness)

The number four is associated with that which upholds the heavenlies as well as
connects to the earth. As seen in the following series of texts, it plays a role from
the heavenly throne room down to our dinner table in this physical world.

In this first citation, the heavenly firmament is shown to be upheld by the four
Holy Creatures (Hayoth). Note the reference to how the four divine colors (green,
red, white, sapphire) are said to "decompose" into twelve. This may be
associated with the twelve colors of the foundations of the walls of New
Jerusalem on earth (Revelation 21:19-20).

Note the angels singing of "holy, holy, holy," is toward the directions of east,
south and north. To the west, the direction of Malkut, they say "blessed." This is
comparable to what is usually cited with the Shema, where the first verse is
associated with God in the heavenly realms (Shema Israel Adonai Elohenu,
Adonai Echad), and the second verse links "blessed" with the Kingdom on earth.
("Baruch Shem K'vod Malkhuto L'olam Va'ed - Blessed is His Name whose
glorious Kingdom is forever and ever."):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 71b - AND GOD SAID TO NOAH...
THIS IS THE TOKEN OF THE COVENANT WHICH I MAKE BETWEEN ME AND YOU... I
HAVE SET MY RAINBOW IN THE CLOUD. The past tense "I have set" shows that
the bow had already been there. In connection with this passage R. Simeon
discoursed on the verse: And above the firmament that was over their heads
was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone (Ezek. I, 26).
‘Before this verse,’ he said, ‘we find the words, "And when they went I heard the
noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty"
(Ibid. 24). These are the four sacred and mighty beings called Hayoth (animals),
by whom the firmament is upheld, and whose wings are usually joined together
to cover their bodies. When, however, they spread out their wings, a volume of
sound swells forth, and they break out into songs of praise, "as the voice of the
Almighty", which never becomes silent, as it is written, "so that my glory may
sing praise to thee, and not be silent" (Ps. XXX, 13). The tenour of their praises
is, "The Lord hath made known his salvation, his righteousness hath he revealed
in the sight of the nations" (Ps. XCVIII, 2). It says further: "A noise of tumult like
the noise of a host" (Ezek. I, 24), i.e. like the sound of the holy camps when all
the supernal armies assemble on high. What is it they declaim? "Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is. VI, 3). They turn to
the south and say "holy", they turn to the north and say "holy", they turn to the
east and say "holy", they turn to the west and say "blessed". And that firmament
rests upon their heads, and in whatever direction it turns, their faces turn also.
They turn their faces to the four cardinal points, and all revolve in a circle. The
firmament is imprinted, at the four corners of a square, with four figures, of a
lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man; and the face of a man is traced in all of them,
so that the face of Lion is of Man, the face of Eagle is of Man, and the face of Ox
is of Man, all being comprehended in him. Hence it is written: "As for the likeness
of their faces, they had the face of a man" (Ezek. I, 10). Eurther, the firmament
with its enclosed square contains the gamut of all the colours. Outstanding are
four colours, each engraved with four translucent signs, both higher and lower.
These when decomposed become twelve. They are green, red, white, and
sapphire, which is made up of all these colours. Hence it is written, "As the
appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the
appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the Lord" (Ibid. I, 28): containing, that is to say, all shades
of all colours.

As discussed in our study of Ezekiel's vision, the Hayoth (holy creatures)

"support" the spiritual realm beneath them, that being the Ofanim. (The Hayoth
support the Ophanim, even though we think of the former as being "above." This
is explained in the text below.) The Ophanim in turn "connect" to the "four
corners" of the physical world. Thus, that which is above is said to "diffuse"
below and guide the world:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 241b,242a - R. Simeon

discoursed in this connection on the verse: "When those went these went, and
when those stood these stood" (Ezek. 1, 21). ‘That means’, he said, ‘that when
the Hayoth (living creatures) went the Ofanim (Wheels) also went, as we read,
"and when the Hayoth went the Ofanim went hard by them" (Ibid. 19). For the
movements of the Ofanim are only induced by the movements of the Hayoth,
nor can they pause independently of the Hayoth, for the two move together as
one. Now the celestial gate of the east is provided with twenty-four openings
guarded by twentyfour sentinels who are surrounded by a flaming fire. There are
at the entrance of the gate twenty-four sockets supporting twenty- four pillars.
These pillars remain in their place and do not soar into space; they are thus
designated "standing ones", in the verse: "I will give thee a place to walk among
these standing ones" (Zech. III, 7). And as long as those pillars remain immobile
those that are above them go to and fro through the world, survey things, and
whatever they overhear they carry up on high. So Scripture says: "For a bird of
the air shall carry the voice" (Eccles. x, 20). Now observe that the Ofanim
(Wheels) are carried by the Hayoth (living creatures). For that which is of a
higher grade, though it seems to be carried by that which is of a lower grade,
really carries it. It was the same with the Ark, which also carried its carriers. [Tr.
note: T. B. Sotah, 35a.] We must distinguish between the Hayah, "the spirit of
which was in the Of anim", and the Hayoth, with which the Ofanim went. This
one turned towards all four quarters of the globe. In regard to this it says: "This
is the Hayah that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar" (Ibid. x, 20);
it is the same which forms a throne to the likeness of Man, and is below the
superior holy Hayoth. For they are in grades, one above the other. The Throne
immediately underneath the God of Israel is in the form of Jacob, and the Throne
below in that of David; this is the one that turns to the four corners of the world.
It follows that the spirit of the highest diffuses through the lower, and directs and
guides the whole. There was similar direction in the lower world. Just as in
connection with the upper world we read that "the spirit of the Hayah is in the
Ofanim", so of the lower world it is written, "And Moses reared up the
tabernacle", he being the guiding spirit below; wherefore it is written: "And he
reared up, fixed, put."

The above text mentions the Temples above and below. The creation of Adam is
associated with the four corners of the world, as well as both Temples. Man is
both a physical and spiritual being:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 130b - ‘When the Holy One,
blessed be He, created Adam, He took his dust from the site of the Temple and
built his body out of the four corners of the world, all of which contributed to his
formation. After that He poured over him the spirit of life, as it says, "and he
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" (Gen. II, 7).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 205b - Observe that when the
Holy One, blessed be He, created Adam, He gathered his earthly matter from the
four corners of the world and fashioned him therefrom on the site of the Temple
here below and drew to him a soul of life out of the Temple on high.

As there are Temples above and below, it is the same with the altars. These
altars have four corners, that are also associated with the "four corners" of the
earth:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 30a - FIRE SHALL BE KEPT

BURNING UPON THE ALTAR CONTINUALLY; IT SHALL NOT GO OUT. R. Hiya said:
This fire is the fire of Isaac, who said (at the time of the binding), "Behold the fire
and the wood" (Gen. XXII, 7), which perpetually exists. We have learnt that from
the fire of Isaac there issue forth to the altar certain coals, one to the east side,
one to the west side, one to the north side, and one to the south side. Now there
is on the altar a footway with a certain number of steps, and the lowest step
reaches to the abyss which is the highest of six, and when the coals mentioned
above reach the four corners of the altar a spark shoots forth and descends to
that highest abyss. In that place there are numerous hosts who proclaim "holy"
with a loud voice, and on another side they say "holy" with a soft and wondrous
voice, and on another side there are yet other hosts which say "holy". There are
six hundred thousand myriads in each corner, all under one commander, and all
clad in an ephod, who are there to carry out the service of the altar in
correspondence with those on earth. In another place the waves of the sea roar
and descend a certain number of degrees, and there other hosts proclaim with
the voice of song: "Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place" (Ezek. III, 12).
Their song of praise is not stilled day or night, and all make melody. In another
place are hosts who stand in fear and trembling. All look towards that supernal
altar. When the fire of Isaac reaches the altar sparks fly about on every side, and
from them many mighty beings are set aflame. And did not the priest stand by
the altar and lay in order the wood, the world could not stand before them. From
the sparks which issue the backs of those "living creatures" are set aflame (Ezek.
I, 13). On the right side of those "living creatures" a certain wind stirs from
above which blows upon that fire, so that it settles down with a steady flame and
gives light to the hosts standing on the right side. Then on the left side rises a
strong wind breaking the rocks which blows upon that fire and makes it burn
fiercely, till it gives light to the hosts on that side. And so on all four sides for the
four camps. But all are appeased when the priest goes up to the altar.’

The following passage associated the number four with Judah, the fourth son of
Leah, through whom would come the Messiah, linking his name to the name
YHVH and the throne of God. (Note that the letter Daleth has a numerical value
of four):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 156a - R. Jose then took the
passage: "This time will I praise the Lord." ‘Was it not’, he asked, ‘equally
incumbent on her to praise God for the birth of her other sons? But the truth is
that Judah, in virtue of being the fourth son, was the completion of the Heavenly
Throne. Judah alone is thus the mainstay of the Heavenly Throne and is its truest
support. For this very reason, moreover, was he called Judah (YHVDH), a word
which contains the Divine Name with the addition of the letter Daleth (four),
pointing to the four supports of the Heavenly Throne.

Just as we saw four "horsemen" of judgment in the previous chapter, the number
four is found elsewhere regarding divine retribution. The Midrash Rabbah offers
the following interesting insight on the four heads of the river that went forth
from Eden. The nations are said to drink from this "cup of reeling" in the "time to
come," which is linked to Babylon. This would seem to parallel Revelation 14;10;
16:19; 17:4; 18:6.

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XIII:5 - This is alluded to in what is written, And a

river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it parted and
became four heads (Gen. II, 10). R. Tanhuma, and some say R. Menahema, in the
name of R. Joshua b. Levi, said: The Holy One, blessed be He, will, in the Time to
Come, cause the heathen nations to drink the cup of reeling. This is indicated by
what is written, ’ And a river went out of Eden (‘eden),’ i.e. from the place
whence judgment (din) is to go forth. ’And from thence it parted and became
four heads.’ By this is meant four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon (ib. 11),
that is Babylon, in view of its having been said thereof.
The above mention of Babylon being the "first" source of judgment, is hinted at
in this Scripture, which shows wickedness proceeding from Babylon going to all
the earth. (Note that Shinar is Babylon):

Zechariah 5:5-11 - Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said
unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said,
What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This
is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a
talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he
said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast
the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and
looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their
wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah
between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me,
Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in
the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

The mystical reference to the number four descend all the way into the reality of
our physical world. There are four traditional blessings said after meals. The
Zohar places extreme importance on these, associating them with the support of
the angelic realm that watch over the "four corners" of the world:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 218a - R. Jose began a discourse

on the verse: "And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry",
etc. (Ruth III, 7). ‘His heart was merry,’ he said, ‘by reason of his having
pronounced a benediction over his food; and there is, further, a deeper
significance here, to wit, that whoever says a blessing after his meal satisfies his
"heart", that which is by him alluded to in the words: "In thy behalf my heart
hath said" (Ps. XXVII, 8), also in, "but God is the rock of my heart" (Ibid. LXXIII,
26). For, since the blessing offered up for one's food is precious before the Holy
One, blessed be He, whoever pronounces such a blessing after he is satisfied
does good and brings joy to "another region". So here "another region" derived
enjoyment from the blessing after the meal that the righteous Boaz pronounced,
and thus we read, "and his heart was merry". Why pronounce a blessing? It is
because the sustenance of man is troublesome, so to speak, for the Almighty,
but when the words of the benediction pronounced by a man after eating and
drinking ascend on high, that place derives an enjoyment from those words, and
so benefit is drawn from the food, both below and above. This is a recondite
teaching known to the Companions. Furthermore, on weekdays "that region"
enjoys only the words of the after-meal benediction that ascend on high. On
Sabbath days, however, there is an enjoying on high of the very food enjoyed on
earth by man in virtue of this being part of the holy joy of the Sabbath. There is
thus here a merging of the heavenly and the earthly. This recondite teaching is
indicated in the passage, "for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we
given thee" (I Chron. XXIX, 14), alluding to the enjoyment in heaven of the holy
joy in the Sabbath repasts partaken of below. Whoever pronounces the after-
meal benediction must do so devotedly, and in a joyful mood unmingled with
any tinge of sadness, inasmuch as in giving thanks he is giving of his own to
someone else; and thus, as he gives thanks joyfully and unstintedly, so will
sustenance be given to him joyfully and unstintedly. By the benedictions, each
commencing with "Blessed art Thou", are sustained the four legions that rule
over the four corners of the world. Hence we ought to recite them with
heartiness. So Scripture says: "He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed, for
he giveth of his bread to the poor" (Prov. XXII, 9),

A DEEPER LOOK AT THE UNION OF

THE SHEKINAH AND HER SPOUSE

Not surprisingly, the Shema holds a central place regarding all of the above
themes. The following text from the Zohar, connects the three themes of; a)
unity of all worlds, b) the four "quarters" of the universe and, c) the union of the
Shekinah and Spouse, through the Shema:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 216a - This is the recondite

significance of the declaration: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
one" (Deut. VI, 4). The term SH e M a’ (hear) is esoterically analysed into SH e M
(name) and the letter ‘Ain (= 70), that is, one Name comprising seventy names
whilst remaining a unity. "Israel" here signifies "Ancient Israel", in contrast to
"Little Israel", of whom it is written: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him"
(Hos. XI, 1). "Ancient Israel" symbolizes the union of the Shekinah with her
Spouse, and in pronouncing that name we have to concentrate our mind on the
principle of unity, on the union of the two habitations; we have to put all our
being, all the members of our body, our complete devotion, into that thought so
as to rise and attach ourselves to the En-sof (Infinite), and thus achieve the
oneness of the upper and the lower worlds. The words, "the Lord our God" are to
reunite all the Members to the place from which they issued, which is the
innermost Sanctuary. The same thought is continued in the words, "the Lord is
one", in the recital of which we have to make our thoughts range throughout all
the grades up to the Infinite (En-sof) in love and fear. This is the method of
avowing the unity of God practised by Rab Hamnuna the Venerable, who learnt it
from his father, who had it from his master, and so on, till it came from the
mouth of Elijah. And it is the correct and proper method. The same Rab
Hamnuna further said, that to concentrate the whole idea of unification in the
term "one" (ehad) is a still better way; and it is for this reason that we dwell long
over the enunciation of the word "one" (ehad), during which we effect the fusion
into one of the upper and the lower worlds. As we have learnt, "one" alludes to
above, below, and the four quarters of the universe, these being the supernal
Chariot, so that all are embraced in a single unity reaching out to the En-sof
(Infinite). After the recital of "Hear, O Israel...", we have to recite the section
containing mention of the Exodus from Egypt (Num. xv, 37-41), for the reason
that the Shekinah was in the Egyptian exile, and as long as She is in exile there
is no union between the upper and the lower worlds. But the redemption from
Egypt, attended by all those signs and wonders, set Her free; and that
redemption has to be mentioned by us to show that though She was in chains
She is now free, so as to join her heavenly Spouse.
The idea of union between the Shekinah and her spouse is a critical (and very
deep), theme to the book of Revelation. In a sense, it is what the book of
Revelation is all about - the Unification of the Name of God via the union of the
divine bride and groom, haSatan's bid to interfere with this plan, and man's
choice as to which "side" he will serve.

The following passage was cited in an earlier study. We quote it again here, this
time to show the relationship of the letter "Vav" to the bride/Shekinah, the four
corners of the earth, and also the idea of a "pause" of silence. The latter point is
significant regarding the "pause" found between the sixth and seventh
judgements in this first set of "seal" judgments and again in the "trumpet" and
"bowl" judgments. 1

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 133b, 134a - At the time when
Israel is proclaiming the unity-the mystery contained in the Shema-with a perfect
intention, a light comes forth from the hidden supernal world, which divides into
seventy lights, and those seventy lights into the seventy luminous branches of
the Tree of Life. Then the Tree and all the other trees of the Garden of Eden emit
sweet odours and praise their Lord, for at that time the Matrona prepares Herself
to enter under the shade of the canopy, there to unite herself with her Spouse;
and all the supernal potencies unite in one longing and one will to be united in
perfect union, without any separation soever. Then the Spouse makes ready
likewise to enter the Canopy in order to unite Himself with the Matrona.
Therefore we proclaim loudly: "Hear, O Israel; prepare thyself, for thy Husband
has come to receive thee." And also we say: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one",
which signifies that the two are united as one, in a perfect and glorious union,
without any flaw of separation to mar it. As soon as the Israelites say, "The Lord
is One", to arouse the six aspects, these six unite each with each and ascend in
one ardour of love and desire. The symbol of this is the letter Vau (because its
numerical value is six) when it stands alone without being joined to any other
letter. Then the Matrona makes herself ready with joy, and adorns herself with
delight, and Her attendants accompany Her, and in hushed silence She
encounters her Spouse; and Her handmaids proclaim, "Blessed be the Name of
the Glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever." These words are said in a whisper,
for so she must be introduced to her Spouse. Blessed is the people which
perceives these things, ordering its prayers in accordance with this mystery of
the Faith! At the time when the Spouse is united with the Matrona a herald
comes forth from the south, crying: "Awaken, O ye supernal hosts, and unfurl the
banners of love in honour of your Lord!" Then one of the leaders of the celestial
array-he whose name is Boel (God is in him)- stands forth, and in his hands are
four keys which he obtained one from each of the four corners of the earth. One
key has upon it the sign of the letter Yod engraved; the second the letter He’;
and the third the letter Vau; and these three keys he lays beneath the boughs of
the Tree of Life. Then these three become one. Then the fourth and last key,
which bears upon it the second letter He’, joins the three which have become
one. And all the angelic hosts enter by means of those keys into the Garden of
Eden, where with one voice they proclaim the Divine unity at the selfsame
moment as it is proclaimed here below. Then the Shekinah, the Bride, is
conducted to the Palace of the King, Her Bridegroom, for now He stands
complete in all His supernal goodness and can supply Her with all that She
needs. Thus her attendants bring Her in unto Him in silence. Why in silence? In
order that no "stranger" (evil potencies) should participate in her joy. As He
united Himself above according to six aspects, so also She unites Herself below
according to six other aspects, so that the oneness may be completed, both
above and below, as it is written: "The Lord will be One, and his Name One"
(Zech. XIV, 9): Six words above-Shema Israel YHVH Elohenu YHVH ehad,
corresponding to the six aspects, and six words below-baruk shem kebod
malkuto le'olam waed (Blessed be the Name, etc.)-corresponding to the six other
aspects. The Lord is one above; and His Name is One below. We say this reponse
silently, although it is a triumphant expression of the Oneness, because of the
"evil eye", which still has power under the present dispensation; but in the future
(Messianic Age) when the "evil eye" will have ceased to exist and will have no
dominion whatsoever over this world, then we shall proclaim the Divine Unity
and its full accomplishment openly and in a loud voice. At present, as the "other
side" still cleaves to the Shekinah, She is not entirely One, and therefore,
although even in this present time we proclaim the unity, we do so silently,
symbolizing it by the letters of the word wa'ed (ever), which are equivalent by
certain permutations to those of the word ehad (one). But in the time that is to
be, when that other side shall be removed from the Shekinah and pass away
from the world, then shall that unity be proclaimed openly. When She enters the
canopy and is united with the Supernal King, then we awaken the joy of the
Right and of the Left, as it is written: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart", etc. -that is, without any fear or foreboding, because the "other side"
comes not near and has no power here. But whilst Her servants are bringing Her
to the King they must keep a great and solemn silence.

GEMMATRIA

We again turn to the subject of Gemmatria (the study of the numerical values of
the letters and words of the Torah), as mentioned earlier in comments to
Revelation 6:9.

As has been discussed in our previous studies, the union between the letter Vav
(the "Son" which is attached to the letter Yod ["Father"] and letter Hey
["Mother"]) and the bride (Shekinah/Malkut, the final Hey of YHVH), results in the
coming of the Kingdom and the heavenly (third) Temple being established on
earth.

This theme of unification between the Vav and the Hey is central to Rabbi Moshe
Chaim Luzzatto's, classic work on the third Temple, Mishkney Elyon. Luzzatto
specifically associates the union of the Vav with the He' (its mate, the Shekinah)
with the Eastern Gate of the third Temple, from which flow all blessings of the
heavenly Holy of Holies. Note how Luzzatto places great significance on the
union of the numbers 6 and 7, which are the dimensions of the Eastern Gate:

As the great and powerful letter Vav asserted itself (for it was from the Vav that
the light [of the heavenly Holy of Holies] emerged, its force was so great that it
broke through the wall and made there a gate as high as the measure of the vav
(=6): six cubits. And since the Vav was joined with its mate (6+1=7), the width
of the gate was seven cubits. 2

The relationship between the numbers 6 and 7 (as they correspond to the
dimensions of the Eastern Gate), are explained in the overview to Mishkney
Elyon, by Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum, who illustrates the mathematics of the
Temple in Luzzatto's work:

... interactions between the Divine Names of the Partzufim ["qualities" of the
Sefirot], all of which are also numbers, "create" the "space" of the Holy Temple.
Consider an exampe of how numbers create space: A room that is forty feet in
length, twenty feet wide and twenty feet high is "created" by walls of
appropriate length and height. In the language of Mishkney Elyon, the floor
space of such a room is created through the "joining" (Chibur) of forty and
twenty. Chibur is the Hebrew word for the mathematical relationship expressed
by x, the multiplication sign.

... As Ramchal (an acronymn for RAbbi Moshe CHAim Luzzatto) proceeds with
his "tour" of the various areas of the Temple, he shows how each individual Hall,
Chamber, Wall, Gate and Courtyard "appears" as a result of the "joining
together" of some or all of the letters of various Divine Names. These names
correspond to the Sefirot and Partzufim, which are the Middot, "qualities" or
"measures." Chibur, "joining" and "multiplication" of the "measures," brings into
being three dimensional "spaces" where the axes of "length," "breadth" and
"height" are the three "lines" or "columns" of Chesed (Kindness), Din (Judgment)
and Rachamim (Mercy and Balance). 3

What is significant in the relationship between the numbers 6 and 7 as

associated with the Eastern Gate, is when we apply the chibur
(joining/multiplication) of these numbers, we get "42," which as has been
discussed in previous studies, is associated with "the forty-two letter Name of
God."

The number 42 and the forty-two letter Name are usually associated with the
idea of an connection being made between the spiritual and physical realms.
This can even be an unholy connection as seen by Balaam offering forty-two
sacrifices against Israel.

1. The fact of this "pause" appearing between the sixth and seventh judgments
in all three series of judgments, with an indication of "completeness" following
each time, would give cause to believe that all three sets of judgments are
simultaneous/overlapping. However, as the seven trumpet judgments seem to
come "out of" the seventh seal, and the seven bowl judgments come "out of" the
seventh trumpet, this would seem to indicate that they are not concurrent. As
much as anything else, this shows us how our view of time and space from our
physical world is different than that which exists in the higher worlds.
2. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato,
translated by Avraham Greenbaum, Temple Institute and Azamra Institute,
Jerusalem, 1999, pp. 74.

3. ibid, pp. 41,42.

Revelation 8:1-6
Last update: April 12, 2002

Beginning with this chapter, the focus of John's vision shift from Beriah (the
heavenly world of the Throne, archangels and higher forces), to Yetzirah, the
world of angels and souls. This is a very complex realm as it lies between heaven
above and the earth below.

1
... And when he opened the seventh seal

As briefly discussed in the previous chapter, the seventh of each of the three
series of seven judgments (seals, trumpets, bowls), offers the idea of
"completion" to it (i..e., Revelation 8:1; 11:15; 16:17). However, in the case of
the seals and trumpets, more judgments follow in what seems to be an order of
succession. In each of the sets of judgments, the "seventh" in the sequence is
less of a specific judgment than it is the segue to something else.

This is explained by the idea (presented earlier in this study), that the first series
of seal judgements primarily affected the heavenly world of Beriah, while the
next set (trumpets) mostly impact the angelic world of Yetzirah, and the final
group (bowl judgemnts) is directly upon the physical world of Asiyyah. You can
therefore have a "conclusion" at the end of each set, while maintaining a
sequence from beginning to end. Note that as part of the rectification of Beriah
and Yetzirah, the "fallout" from these judgments effects the lower world of
Asiyyah (the earth and mankind).

An example of this can be seen with the judgment that came upon Egypt in the
book of Exodus. Although the earthly effects are plainly seen in the physical
realm, with the ten plagues and the destruction of Egypt's army at the Red Sea,
their spiritual powers above were dealt with (by God) first.

This is reflected in the following section of the Zohar. First it mentions how God
slew the first born "on high" as well as below. It then shows how both sacrifices
and the blowing of the trumpet (shofar) take away the power of the Sitra Atra,
the evil realm:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 149a - ‘Happy’, he said, ‘are

Israel to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Holy Law and whom He
taught His ways, how to cleave unto Him and observe the precepts of the Torah
whereby to merit the world to come; and whom He brought near to Himself at
the time when they went forth from Egypt. For then He took them away from a
strange dominion and caused them to be united to His Name. Then they were
called “the children of Israel”, to wit, free men entirely emancipated from any
strange power, and united to His Name that is supreme over all, that rules over
the upper beings and the lower; and out of His love for them He designated
them “Israel my firstborn” (Ex. IV, 22), on the celestial pattern. Then He slew
every firstborn on high and below, set free the bondmen and prisoners, the
upper and the lower ones, so as to free Israel completely. Hence the Holy One,
blessed be He, did not send an angel or a seraph, but performed the deed
Himself. Furthermore, He alone, being all-knowing, could distinguish and discern
and set free the bondmen, things not within the power of any messenger but
only within His own. Now on that night when the Holy One, blessed be He, was
about to slay all those firstborn, the angels came forward to sing their song of
praise before Him. He said to them: “This is not the time for it, as another song
my children on earth are about to sing.” Then at the division of the night the
north wind bestirred itself, and the Holy One, blessed be He, executed
judgement and Israel broke forth in loud songs of praise. Then He made them
free men, freed from every bondage; and the angels and all the celestial hosts
hearkened unto the voice of Israel. After Israel had circumcised themselves they
marked their houses with that blood and with the blood of the paschal lamb in
three spots, to wit, “the lintel and the two side-posts” (Ibid. XII, 22). For when the
destroying angel went forth and saw the mark of the holy sign on that door he
had compassion on Israel, as it is written: “the Lord will compassionately pass
over the door” (Ibid. 23). There is a certain difficulty here. For since the Holy One
Himself was to come and slay in the land of Egypt, what need was there for a
sign on the door, seeing that all is revealed before Him? Further, what signifies
“and [He] will not suffer the destroyer” (Ibid.)? We should have expected “and
[He] will not destroy”. But the truth is as follows. It is written, and “the Lord
smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” (Ibid. 29). Now “and the Lord” (V-
YHVH) everywhere denotes “He together with His tribunal”, and on any such
occasion it behoves man to exhibit some visible act in order to be saved. It is
thus of importance to have sacrifices offered on the altar so as to keep at a
distance the Destroyer during a service. The same applies to the New-Year Day,
the Day of Judgement, when the lords of the evil tongue rise up against Israel; it
is then that we need prayer and supplication, and, in addition, some outward
and visible act. This act consists in blowing the trumpet, the sound of which
wakes into action another trumpet. We thereby bring about the working of Mercy
and Rigour at one and the same time, like the celestial trumpet that emits a
combined sound. Our object is to awaken Mercy and to bring about the
subjection of the Masters of Rigour so that they may be impotent on that day.
And so when the powers of Mercy are awakened, all the celestial lamps are lit on
both sides, and then “In the light of the King's countenance is life” (Prov. XVI,
15). So at the moment when the priest is about to kindle the lamps here below
and offers up the perfumed incense, the celestial lights are kindled and all is
linked together so that joy and gladness pervade all the worlds. So Scripture
says: “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart” (Prov. XXVII, 9). This, then, is the
full import of “When thou lightest the lamps”.’
The Zohar offers this interesting analysis of how the worlds of creation are
"connected." Note in the following text how the forces of the Sitra Atra are said
to emanate from the"left side" (the side of judgment of the Tree of Life) as
mentioned in earlier studies. Observe also the reference to the upper worlds as
the "sea." This section of the Zohar also speaks of a similar, and final, judgment
against "Rome."

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 56a - PHARAOH’ S CHARIOTS AND

HIS MIGHT HE CAST INTO THE SEA AND THE CHOSEN ONES OF HIS KNIGHTS
WERE DROWNED IN THE RED SEA. R. Judah said: When the Israelites were about
to cross the sea, the Holy One said to the angel who is appointed over the sea:
"Divide thy waters!" "Why?" said the angel. "So that My children may pass
through." "Do they really deserve this redemption?" said the angel. "Wherein lies
the difference between them and the Egyptians?" Said the Holy One: "I made
this condition with the sea when I created the world! " Thereupon He exerted His
power and the waters were piled up, wherefore it is written: "The waters saw
thee, O God, the waters saw thee, they were afraid; the depths also were
troubled" (Ps. LXXVII, 17). Then He said to the angel: "Exterminate all those
hosts", and it then covered them, as it says, "the chariots of Pharaoh and his
host he cast into the sea".’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘Behold, how many chariots, how
many hosts, the Holy One has formed above! How many camps, how many
divisions! And all of them are linked to one another, all are chariots one to
another, manifold grades, diverse and yet united! From the left side the chariots
of the unholy principalities rise up. They also are linked one with the other, grade
to grade, the greatest of them being, as we have already pointed out, "the
firstborn of Pharaoh", whom the Holy One killed. All of these unholy powers are
delivered unto the judgement of the Kingdom, the which is called "the great
sea", in order that they may be uprooted each in his own grade, and be utterly
cast down, and when they are broken above, all their counterparts below are
also broken and lost in the "lower sea". As to the "captains" (shalishim) who
were drowned in the Red Sea, it has already been made clear that all these
grades consist of three (shalosh) attributes each (two and one, the triad,
corresponding to the holy triad above). They were all delivered unto Her (the
Shekinah's) hand, that their power might be broken. All the ten punishments
which the Holy One brought on Egypt were achieved by the power of one "hand",
for the "left hand" is included in the right, the ten fingers forming one entity in
correspondence to the Ten expressions by which the Holy One is designated.
Then came a punishment which was equal to all the rest, that of the sea: "The
last one was the hardest" (Isa. VIII, 23). And in the future the Holy One will deal
similarly with all the hosts, princes and chieftains of Edom (Rome), as it is
written: "Who is he who cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? I
that speak in righteousness, mighty to save" (Isa. LXIII, 1).’ PHARAOH'S
CHARIOTS AND MIGHT HE CAST INTO THE SEA. R. Isaac referred to the verse:
"When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens" (Jer.
X, 13), and said: ‘According to tradition, the Holy One created seven heavens,
and in each heaven stars and planets are fixed. Arabot is above them all. The
length of each heaven is such that it would take two hundred years to traverse,
and the distance between each heaven and the next would take five hundred
years to traverse. As for Arabot, one would need one thousand five hundred
years to cover its whole length, and the selfsame number for traversing its
breadth. All the heavens are lighted from the radiance of Arabot. Above Arabot is
the heaven of the Hayoth, and above this latter sphere another heaven, brighter
than all, as it is written: "And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of
the Hayoth" (Ezek. I, 22). And below there are many chariots at the right hand
and at the left, of many grades, each with its own name. And beneath them are
others, smaller and yet more varied, which are the smallest ranks of this
celestial but unholy order; as it is written: "The sea is great... small beasts and
great are there" (Ps. CIV, 25), as we have affirmed, that on the left side below
there is a ruler, the "other side", attached to those above, but they are crushed
by the great holy power, according to our interpretation of the words, "Pharaoh's
chariots and his might he cast into the sea".’
1
... there came silence in the heaven about half-an-hour,

The meaning behind this "silence in heaven" (Beriah), was mentioned earlier in
this study. The Zohar speaks of this as the time of the wedding of the Shekinah
to her groom, as it occurs in the higher realms, coming at a time when their is
still an evil presence about.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 134a - Then the Shekinah, the
Bride, is conducted to the Palace of the King, Her Bridegroom, for now He stands
complete in all His supernal goodness and can supply Her with all that She
needs. Thus her attendants bring Her in unto Him in silence. Why in silence? In
order that no "stranger" (evil potencies) should participate in her joy. As He
united Himself above according to six aspects, so also She unites Herself below
according to six other aspects, so that the oneness may be completed, both
above and below, as it is written: "The Lord will be One, and his Name One"
(Zech. XIV, 9): Six words above-Shema Israel YHWH Elohenu YHWH ehad,
corresponding to the six aspects, and six words below-baruk shem kebod
malkuto le'olam waed (Blessed be the Name, etc.)-corresponding to the six other
aspects. The Lord is one above; and His Name is One below.

(Click here for complete context of the above Zohar text.)

The Zohar is consistent with John's vision, as he presents this silence as occuring
at the time of the seventh seal judgement, which "concludes" the rectification of
the (higher) world of Beriah. This rectification has not yet come to the worlds of
Yetzirah or Asiyyah, thus elements of evil still exist within creation. (Keep in mind
that all of the Sephirot are present in each of the four worlds of Atzilut, Beriah,
Yetzirah and Asiyyah.) As the Zohar states above, this silence takes place as to
not "stir up" any of this evil realm during the unification of the Name at the level
of Beriah.
2
and I saw the seven messengers who before God have stood, and there were
given to them seven trumpets,
The following sequence of seven trumpet judgments will bring rectification to the
world of Yetzirah. The impact of these things, as mentioned, will affect the lower
physical world.

There are several "clues" in the text that indicated the trumpet judgments
evolve around the world of Yetzirah:

• "Angels" are specifically involved in these judgements. The realm of the

angels is Yetzirah. This is different than the "higher forces" of the Beriatic
judgments, or the ensuing bowl judments relegated to Asiyyah, the
physical world.

• The judgments proceed from below the Altar of Incense (at the Yesod of
Beriah, which "overlays" the Da'at of Yetzirah), as opposed to the previous
ones which were from the higher level of the Holy Creatures, in proximity
of the Da'at of Beriah, just below the Throne. The souls of men are
beneath this altat, and souls are in the realm of Yetzirah.

• The concept of the "trumpet," and "voice of the trumpet," as discussed in

earlier studies, is associated with Tipheret, the central Sephirah of Ze'er
Anpin, which is made up of the six Sephirot of the spacial world of
Yetzirah. Those six being Hesed, Gevurah, Tipheret, Netzah, Hod and
Yesod. (The Sephirah of Chokhmah/Wisdom is linked to the world of
Atzilut, Binah/Understanding with the world of Beriah and
Malkhut/Kingdom with the world of Asiyyah. The Sephirah of Keter is the
unknowable bridge between the Sephirot and Eyn Sof.)

• These trumpet judgments affect things that can be understood

(metaphorically) to represent that which exists in the angelic world of
Yetzirah, (i.e., trees, grass, mountains, seas, ships, stars, rivers, waters,
sun, moon, locusts, scorpions, chariots). These will be reviewed as we
encounter them.

As in Revelation, the Zohar also speaks of seven angels of destruction in the

context of prayer (i.e., Revelation 6:10):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 23b - Prayer which is not whole-
hearted is pursued by numbers of destructive angels, according to the Scriptural
expression: “all her pursuers have overtaken her, etc.” (Lam. I, 3).Therefore it is
well to preface one's prayer with the verse, “but he is merciful and forgiveth
iniquity, etc.” (Ps. LXXVIII, 38). The word “iniquity” signifies Samael, who is the
serpent; “he will not destroy” signifies the destroyer; “he turneth his anger
away” refers to the demon Af (anger); “and doth not stir up all his wrath” refers
to the demon Hemah (wrath). To these powers are attached many destructive
angels, which are under seven chiefs with seventy under-chiefs, dispersed in
every firmament, and under them are myriads of others. When an Israelite
wearing fringes and phylacteries prays with devotion, then the words of the
Scripture are fulfilled: “All the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the
Lord is called upon thee and they shall fear thee” (Deut. XXVIII, 10). We have
agreed that “the name of the Lord” refers to the phylactery of the head; and
when the destructive angels see the name of YHVH on the head of him who is
praying, they at once take to flight, as it is written, “a thousand shall fall at thy
side” (Ps. XCI, 7).
3
and another messenger did come, and he stood at the altar, having a golden
censer, and there was given to him much perfume, that he may give [it] to the
prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar that [is] before the throne,
4
and go up did the smoke of the perfumes to the prayers of the saints out of the
hand of the messenger, before God;

The identity of this other messenger (angel) is not specifically given, but it can
be deciphered. Kabbalisically, the archangel Gabriel is located at the Yesod of
Beriah, where the incense altar is placed. Gabriel is often associated with prayer
(i.e., Daniel 10:11), judgment, and is referred to as “the man clothed in linen”
(Daniel 12:7), an allusion to the High Priest, who serves at the altar of incense
(Leviticus 16:12-13). The intimate link shown between the angels Michael and
Gabriel is reflective of that found between Tipheret and Yesod (Jacob and Joseph)
as discussed in an earlier study, and seen in this selection from the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 231a - It may here be asked:

Seeing that Michael was the High Priest and belonged to the “right side”, why is
Gabriel referred to as “the man clothed in linen” (Dan. XII, 7), seeing that such
robes could only be worn by the High Priest? But the truth is that the “left” is
always embraced within the “right”, and hence Gabriel (although of the left) was
clothed in these robes. Furthermore, Gabriel is the messenger for this world,
hence he had to put on the garments of this world. The same has already been
explained in regard to the soul which, whilst in the upper world, has to put on
heavenly garments, but in descending below assumes lowly garments.

Midrash Rabbah states the following about the various roles of Gabriel:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations II:3 - It is written, And, behold, six men

came forth from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every
man with his weapon of destruction in his hand; and one man in the midst of
them clothed in linen, with a writer's ink-horn on his side. And they went in, and
stood beside the brazen altar (Ezek. IX, 2). The number ‘six’ is mentioned here;
but there were five decrees, as it is written, And to the others He said in my
hearing: Go ye through the city after him, and smite; let not your eye spare,
neither have ye pity (ib. 5); and it is written, Slay utterly the old man, the young
man and the maiden, and little children and women (ib. 6)! R. Johanan said: He
spoke thus to the sternest of the angels, viz. Gabriel ; as it is stated, ’And one
man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's ink-horn on his side.’
That angel served in three capacities: as scribe, executioner, and High Priest.
‘Scribe,’ as it is written, ’With a writer's ink-horn on his side’; ‘executioner,’ as it
is said, He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter
(Isa. XXXIV, 2); and ‘High Priest’, as it is said, ’And one man in the midst of them
clothed in linen,’ while of the High Priest it is written, He shall put on the holy
linen tunic (Lev. XVI, 4).

An interesting teaching regarding the incense is that it is made up of "hard"

things that have been ground to powder. On Yom Kippur the various components
of the incense were ground even finer than for the daily service. Kabbalistically,
this grinding of hard substances has to do with the putting away of the Sitra
Atra, the evil realm.

The Sitra Atra is associated with things that cause division or separation
(between man and God as well as between the Sephirot). Thus, "mountains" and
"rocks" in the spiritual realm have a negative connotation (as seen in earlier
chapters), as they are ("hard") things that cause division. The ground incense is
associated with their removal, which comes with (or is caused by) the unification
of the Name of God.

Isaiah speaks of the coming of the Lord in terms of the leveling of mountains and
valleys as well as crooked and rough places:

Isaiah 40:4-5 - Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall
be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places
plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

The following text from the Zohar elaborates on these themes. Again prayer and
incense play an important role:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 219a,b - R. Simeon further

discoursed on the verse: “And thou shalt make an altar (mizbeah) to burn
incense upon” (Ex. XXX, 1). ‘This verse’, he said, ‘raises a problem, for we find
that there were two altars, namely, the altar of burnt-offering and the altar of
incense, the former the outer altar and the latter the inner one. Now, why was
the altar of incense called mizbeah (lit. slaughtering-place), seeing that it had no
connection with animal slaughter? The explanation is that this altar was
efficacious in defeating and subduing the numerous powers of the “other side”,
so as to make them powerless and unable to act as accusers. Hence the name
mizbeah (place of slaughter). The “evil side”, when it beheld the smoke of the
incense ascending in a pillar, was subdued, and fled, and was quite unable to
approach the Tabernacle. Now, because that joy was shared by no one beside
the Holy One, blessed be He, by reason of this offering being so precious in His
sight, that altar was placed in the innermost part of the Tabernacle, for it was
the repository of blessings, and was therefore hidden from the eye of man. In
regard to this, it is written: “And he stood between the dead and the living; and
the plague was stayed” (Num. XVII, 13).

... Prayer, indeed, is the highest service of all, yet is incense-burning dear and
acceptable to the Almighty. Observe the difference between prayer and incense-
offering. Prayer has been instituted to take the place of the sacrifices that Israel
used to offer, but none of the sacrifices had the same value as the incense.
There is, further, this difference between the two. Prayer repairs damage which
has been done, but incense does more-it strengthens, it binds together, it is the
greatest light-bringer. It was incense that removed the evil taint (zuh'ma) and
purified the Tabernacle, so that the whole was illumined, renewed, and knitted
together into a combined whole.

... Moses was bidden “Take unto thee”, that is, “take for thy benefit and use” the
incense (q'toreth), which is potent to bind together (qatar), to illumine and to
remove the evil taint. The Daleth is linked to the He’, the He to the Vau, the Vau
ascends and is adorned with the He, the He, is illumined by the Yod, and the
whole ascends, reaching out to the En-sof (Infinite, Illimitable), so that there
results one organic whole, interrelated under one principle, the most exalted of
all. From thence and upward the whole is adorned as with a crown by the
ineffableness of the En-sof; and the Divine Name in its mysteriousness is
illumined and is adorned on all sides, and the worlds are all wrapt in joy, the
lamps radiate their lights, and sustenance and blessing pour down on all the
worlds. All this follows the hidden virtue of the incense, without which the evil
taint would not be removed. All thus depends on it.

Observe that the offering of the incense used to precede all other services, and
hence its recital should be a prelude to our service of hymns and praises, as
these latter do not ascend, nor is the required readjustment and unity achieved
until the evil taint is removed. So Scripture says: “And he shall make atonement
for the holy place... and because of their transgressions, even all their sins” (Lev.
XVI, 16), first “atonement for the holy place” and then for “their transgressions”.
We, too, thus have first to remove the evil taint and purge the holy place, and
then engage in song and hymn and prayer,’as already said. Happy are Israel in
this world and in the world to come, inasmuch as they know how to effect
adjustment on high and below; to achieve adjustment from the lower world
upwards until the whole is bound together in the most sublime union. The
process of adjustment performed in the lower world is by means of the
impressed letters of the Ineffable Name (YHVH) by which the Holy One, blessed
be He, is named.’

This next section of the Zohar is a continuation of one presented in the previous
chapter notes. Here is another discussion of the two altars, the incense altar (in
the Sanctuary) and the altar of sacrifice (in the courtyard). As the
Tabernacle/Temple below is designed on a heavenly model, this means that
there are two altars above and two altars below.

Note that on the extended Tree of Life diagram, the bronze altar of sacrifice and
laver are near the Yesod (foundation) of Yetzirah, the incense altar at the Yesod
of Beriah, and the Ark of the Covenant at the Yesod of Atzilut. Each is associated
with a higher level of connection with God:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 30b - R. Abba said: ‘There are two
altars below and two altars above. Of the latter one, the innermost of all, is that
on which is offered the inner fine incense, which is the bond of faith, and the
most high Priest of all offers this incense with the bond of faith. This is called the
Altar of Gold, the place where all the threads of faith are bound together. There
is another altar called the Altar of Brass, which is more external and on which
Michael the great chief brings the pleasing offering of the Holy One, blessed be
He. On earth there are correspondingly the altar of gold and the altar of brass,
on the one of which was offered incense and on the other fat and limbs. It is
written, “Oil and incense rejoice the heart” (Prov. XXVII, 9), but not fat and limbs,
although these, too, allay wrath. The altar which is the innermost of all, the
linking of faith, is called “a still silent voice”, and in relation to this the other altar
is called the “outer” one. The inner one is called “the altar of the Lord” and the
other one “the altar of brass”. Said R. Abba: ‘When Moses built an altar (Ex. XVII,
15), he meant it to correspond to that inner one, and therefore he called it “The
Lord is my banner”, because it was stamped with the sign of the holy covenant.
This is the inner Altar, the “still silent voice”, and on this “fire shall be burnt
continually”, that is, the perpetual Fire, the Fire of Isaac. The proper name for
this is Adonai, but when the priest puts wood on the altar we call it by the name
of mercy, YHVH; sometimes it answers to one and sometimes to the other.’ R.
Simeon said that there were two, the inner supported on the outer and fed from
it, the two being thus linked together.

The following text is another analysis of the function of the Incense Altar, here in
association with the Menorah. Note the reference to study of the inner altar
(associated with Binah and Beriah) bringing Wisdom (associated with the Divine
world of Atzilut).

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 151b - R. Eleazar said: ‘This

section, dealing with the ceremonies of the candlestick, is a repetition of another
section dealing with the same. The reason for the repetition is as follows. Having
recorded the offerings brought on the altar by the Princes, and all the ceremony
of its dedication, Scripture records the service of the candlestick, which was a
finishing touch ministered by Aaron, inasmuch as it was through Aaron that the
supernal candlestick with all its lamps was lighted. Observe that the altar had to
be dedicated and perfected by the twelve Princes, representing the twelve
tribes, who were ranged on four sides carrying four standards. It was all on the
supernal pattern, to wit, the candlestick with its seven lamps to be lighted by the
hand of the priest. Candlestick and the inner altar together minister to the joy of
the whole of existence, as Scripture says: “Ointment and perfume rejoice the
heart” (Prov. XXVII, 9). For of the two altars, the inner one [on which the incense
was offered] radiated its force to the outer one, the one assigned for other
offerings; and it is by meditating on the inner altar that one obtains a
knowledge of the Supernal Wisdom, which is concealed within the words
ADoNaY YHVH. Hence the incense had to be offered up only when the oil had
been poured in the lamps. The following is found in the Book of King Solomon.
The incense has the virtue of diffusing joy and putting away death. For whereas
Judgement prevails on the exterior, joy and illumination, on the other hand,
proceed from the interior, the seat of all happiness. So when this bestirs itself all
Judgement is removed and is powerless. The incense thus has the virtue of
annulling death and binds all together, and was therefore offered on the interior
altar.
In this section, the incense altar itself is said to play the role of the Tzaddik,
which as discussed earlier, is associated with the Sephirah of Yesod, which is the
location of this altar in Beriah. The actions of the tzaddik cause the Right Hand
(merciful aspect) of God to intervene.

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 177b - For things done quietly
are the province of the priests and not of the Levites, whose function it was to
raise the voice in song. Hence, when judgements begin to assail the world from
the side of the Left, the Right Hand must bring appeasement with the incense,
which makes no sound. Observe that when that other altar commences to grow
restive because there are no righteous, the inner altar intervenes with it
and judgements are allayed. Hence AARON TOOK AS MOSES SPAKE, AND
RAN INTO THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND HE PUT ON THE INCENSE, which
belongs to the inner precinct symbolizing the Priest, and so HE MADE
ATONEMENT FOR THE PEOPLE AND HE STOOD BETWEEN THE DEAD AND THE
LIVING, between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Death. Then the Right Hand
drew them near one to another and the plague was stayed. Happy the lot of the
priest who has power above and below and brings peace above and below!’
5
and the messenger took the censer, and did fill it out of the fire of the altar,
and did cast [it] to the earth, and there came voices, and thunders, and
lightnings, and an earthquake.

The mention of voices, thunders, lightnings and earthquakes is similar to the

events at Mount Sinai as found in the book of Exodus. There, the worlds of
Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyyah came together for a brief moment in time. The
events of Revelation are also leading to unification, only of a greater and
permanent nature.

Here we see the messenger of verses 3 and 4 turn from causing prayers to "go
up," to having judgment "come down." This is also indicative of Sinai where God
"descended," while Moses, the elders and the people, to various degress,
"ascended."

This is reflected in the actual word "sinai," which means both a high cliff and a
deep ravine. Another understanding is how a person both "ascends" spiritualy to
come closer to God, as well as "descends" into the depths of their soul. Note that
someone can also ascend the "mountains" of the evil realm as Balaam did in his
efforts to curse the children of Israel.

Again, Hebraic sources would point to the messenger being Gabriel, as he is

associated with fire and bringing judgment upon the earth:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XVIII:5 - When Gabriel came down to deliver

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, he ordered the fire to scorch all those who had
thrown them in, as it says: The flame of the fire slew those men that took up
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Dan. III, 22).

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LI:2 - THE LORD CAUSED TO RAIN UPON SODOM
AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE. Abba Hilfi, the son of Samkai, said
in the name of R. Judah: THEN THE LORD CAUSED TO RAIN, etc. refers to Gabriel;
FROM THE LORD (OUT OF HEAVEN, to the Holy One, blessed be He).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 93b - Another one then

discoursed on the text: And it came to pass on the way at the lodging place that
the Lord met him and sought to kill him. He said: ‘By “him” is here meant Moses.
Said God to him: “How can you think to bring Israel out of Egypt and to humble a
great king, when you have forgotten my covenant, since your son is not
circumcised?” Forthwith “he sought to slay him”: that is, as we have learnt,
Gabriel came down in a flame of fire to destroy him, having the appearance of a
burning serpent which sought to swallow him. The form of a serpent was chosen
as emblematical of the king of Egypt, who is compared to a serpent (Ezek. XXIX,
3). Zipporah, however, saw in time and circumcised her son, so that Moses was
released; so it is written, “And Zipporah took a flint and cut off the foreskin of
her son”, being guided by a sudden inspiration.’

This next text associates Gabriel with "seven fiery rivers of judgment":

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 154b - Then follows the third
standard to the north. It had for its ensign Ox and was accompanied by the angel
Gabriel and his two chieftains, Kafziel and Hizkiel. The Ox, being of the left side,
has horns between his two eyes, which flame as it were with burning fire; he
gores and tramples with his feet ruthlessly. When he moos there emerge out of
the hollow of the great abyss numerous spirits of wrath who proceed in front in a
chorus of shrieking. Seven fiery rivers flow in front of him, and when thirsty he
draws up a whole riverful at one gulp.

The Zohar's seven fiery rivers are similar to the seven angels in this chapter of
Revelation, as the composition of angels is described in terms of fire:

Hebrews 1:7 - Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire."
(Citing Psalm 104:4)
6
And the seven messengers who are having the seven trumpets did prepare
themselves that they may sound;

The Zohar, speaking of Rosh haShana, which is properly known as Yom Teruah,
"the day of blowing" (trumpets), depicts judgment coming to celestial and
terrestrial beings, after the moon no longer shines. Again, this seems to follow
the sequence found in Revelation, as the moon is affected by the rise in power of
the "other side" (Sitra Atra), and all worlds (Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyyah) face
judgment. As with the text of Revelation, the number "seven" is significant:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 184a - The old man then
proceeded to discourse on the verse: “Blow the trumpet in the new moon, in the
time appointed on our solemn feast-day” (Ps. LXXXI, 4). He said: ‘Now is the time
when the mighty supernal judgement is awakened, and with it the “other side”
also gathers force. And with this access of force it ascends and veils the Moon
that She may no more shine, and She falls entirely under the influence of stern
Justice. Then all the worlds and spheres come under the aegis of judgement,
both celestial and terrestrial beings, and a herald makes proclamation
throughout all the firmaments, saying: “Prepare the Throne of Judgement for the
Lord of all, since He cometh to judge all worlds!” Here is a mystery which was
revealed to us during our sojourn in the desert. Why is supernal justice roused to
activity just on this day? Because all mysteries and all glorious sanctifications
are centred in the mystery of seven. And the supernal Seventh, the upper world,
called “the world to come”, is the realm whence all lights derive their brightness.
And when the time arrives when those blessings and sanctifications are to be
renewed with fresh light, all the conditions in the different worlds are passed in
review. Then all these preparations ascend from earth if they are fitting,
but if not, then it is decreed that the Moon is not to shine till the
sinners have been separated from the righteous.

The conclusion of the above Zohar passage complements one of Yeshua's

parables:

Matthew 13:36-43 - Then Yeshua sent the multitude away, and went into the
house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of
the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good
seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of
the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that
sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are
the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it
be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they
shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Revelation 8:7-13
Last update: April 12, 2002

7
and the first messenger did sound, and there came hail and fire, mingled with
blood, and it was cast to the land, and the third of the trees was burnt up, and all
the green grass was burnt up.

Hail, fire and blood are are said to be "cast to the land" - symbolic of God's
judgment. As explained earlier, though the physical earth may feel the results of
this judgment, it is primarily (in this case) coming against the powers in the
world of Yetzirah, the realm of angels.

The verse (and the preceding verses) are reminiscent of Psalm 18, which speaks
of David's cry reaching God in His Temple (i.e., in Beriah). God is said to "come
down" to bring judgment:

Psalms 18:6-15 - In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God;
from his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then
the earth shook and trembled; and the foundations of the mountains moved and
were shaken, because he was angry. Smoke went out from his nostrils, and a
devouring fire from his mouth; coals were kindled by it. And he bowed the
heavens, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. And he rode on a
kerub, and flew; he flew on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret
place; his pavilion around him was dark with waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Out of the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones
and coals of fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave
his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. And he sent out his arrows, and scattered
them; and he shot out lightnings, and confounded them.

In the above Psalm, although David slayed his opponents in the physical world,
God enabled this by defeating the forces that empowered them. This is alluded
to within the same Psalm, which speaks of "channels of waters," being revealed,
from which David is "drawn out of." This is an allusion to the "mixed realm" of
Yetzirah.

Psalms 18:16-19 -Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations
of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of
your nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He saved me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they
were too strong for me. They surprised me in the day of my calamity; but the
Lord was my stay.

Later in this Psalm, David specifically mentions how his opponents cried out to
the spiritual realm, first for something other than God, then for the Lord Himself:

Psalms 18:41-42 - They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the
LORD, but He did not answer them. Then I beat them as fine as the dust before
the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

Midrash Rabbah associates David's words with God defeating the spiritual realm
that supported his enemies, just as He did for Moses at the time of the Exodus:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXII:2 - THAT THE WATERS MAY COME BACK UPON
THE EGYPTIANS. Another explanation: R. Johanan said: When the last Israelite
came out of the sea, the last of the Egyptians descended therein; but R. Simeon
b. Lakish said: The sea locked in both the Israelites and the Egyptians from all
four sides. Moses said to God: ' What should Israel do? ' The reply was: ' Thou art
not responsible as to what they should do; for I am going to perform a miracle
for them.’ Then it was that God stretched out His hand and brought them out of
the sea, as it says, He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of
many waters (Ps. XVIII, 17). R. Abbahu said: It is like one who saw robbers
coming towards him. His son was with him, so what did he do? He took his son in
one hand and with the other fought the robbers. His son said to him: ' May I
never lack [the protection of] those two hands, the one that is holding me and
the other which is slaying the robbers! ' This is what the Israelites said to God:
‘May peace be upon both Thy hands! Both on the one with which Thou dost save
us from the sea and on the other with which Thou dost overthrow the Egyptians,’
as it says, Thy right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Thy right hand, O Lord,
dasheth in pieces the enemy (Ex. XV, 6). It does not say: ‘And the sea returned’
but’the waters returned’ (ib. XIV, 28), to show that all waters came back.
Moreover, it does not say ‘upon the Egyptians ‘, but ’upon Mizraim‘, because
God first drowned their guardian angel in the sea and then all of them
went down after him. For this reason does it say: THAT THE WATERS MAY COME
BACK UPON MIZRAIM, [first], and after that, UPON THEIR CHARIOTS, AND UPON
THEIR HORSEMEN (ib. 26).

Regarding the "odd mixture" of hail and fire, Midrash Rabbah offerst the
following:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs III:24 - Also between the plagues He
brought on Pharaoh God made peace, as it says, So there was hail, and fire
flashing up (mithlakahath) amidst the hail2 (Ex. IX, 24). R. Judah and R.
Nehemiah and the Rabbis gave different explanations of the word
’mithlakahath’. R. Judah said: The hail was as it were in little cups rull of fire, yet
the water did not quench the fire nor the fire affect the water. R. Hanin said:
According to R. Judah's description, it was like a fully-ripened pomegranate
through [the skin of] which every pip is visible. R. Nehemiah said: Fire and hail
were mingled with one another. R. Hanin said: According to R. Nehemiah's
description it was like a light in a glass, where water and oil are mixed, but it
goes on burning. And neither interfered with the other. The Rabbis say: It kept
on expiring and catching (mithkalha) again in order to perform the will of its
Creator. R. Aha said: They were like two fierce legions serving the same king
which were at enmity with one another, but when they saw that the king was
engaged in a difficult war, they made peace with one another in order to fight in
the king's battle. So fire and water are [normally] at enmity with one another,
but when they saw the war of the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed
be He, namely the war against the Egyptians, they made peace with one another
and fought His battle against the Egyptians, as it is written, ’So there was hail,
and fire flashing up amidst the hail’--a double miracle.

All of the above may help solve what seems to be a contradiction between
Revelation 8:7, which states that all the grass was burned, and Revelation 9:4,
which shows the grass was not yet harmed:

Revelation 9:4 - They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or
any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of
God on their foreheads.

It is clear that in Revelation 9:4 "grass" is shown to a metaphor for men on the
physical earth. Isaiah, in a section dealing with the end of days, also speaks of
people in terms of "grass":

Isaiah 40:6-8 - The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is
grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it:
surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word
of our God shall stand for ever.
Kabbalistically, there is "grass" in Yetzirah (Revelation 8:8), which the grass of
the earth (Revelation 9:4) is "modeled after" and has a spiritual connection to.
Thus we see a destruction of the "grass of Yetzirah" in this chapter, which is the
spiritual counterpart to men on earth, described as the "grass" of Asiyyah.

The idea of "green grass" being destroyed carries a connotation of something

"good" being done away with. The Zohar explains the relationship between the
literal understanding of "green" vegetation on the earth and its "green"
counterpart in the spiritual realm as follows:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 171a - We read next: “He

maketh me to lie down in pastures of tender green; he leadeth me beside the
waters of rest; he quickeneth my soul”. “Pastures of tender green” are those
which lie round the supernal springs, from whence all nourishment emanates.
These pastures are also called “the pastures of Jacob” (Lam. II, 2), and are called
“green pastures” in contrast to those pastures which lie outside--”the pastures of
the desert” (Joel II, 22). It might be said: Is it not written, “Let the earth bring
forth tender (green) grass” (Gen. I, 11), showing that “green” is applied also to
what is below? The fact is that this “green” of earth emanates from those
“pastures” above, germinating and flourishing through the life-giving energy
supplied them from above. “He leadeth me beside the waters of rest.” These
“waters of rest” are those which come forth from that region which proceeds
from Eden.

As mentioned earlier in this study, the lack of regard for Torah will bring
judgment from above. The destruction of the "green grass" above may parallel
this. The Zohar says the following about this:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 151a - ‘I am come to tell you

that Jerusalem is about to be laid waste together with all the towns of the sages,
for the reason that Jerusalem is the embodiment of judgement, and is preserved
by judgement, and now judgement demands its destruction; and Samael has
already been given power over it and over its mighty ones. I have therefore
come to advise the sages thereof so that they may try to obtain for Jerusalem
some years of grace. For so long as knowledge of the Torah is found therein it
will be spared, the Torah being the tree of life by which all live. But when the
study of the Torah ceases below, the tree of life disappears from the world.
Hence so long as the sages cling to the Torah, Samael has no power over them,
as Scripture says: "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands
of Esau" (Gen. XXVII, 22). The voice is the Torah, which is termed the voice of
Jacob, and so long as that voice pours forth, the utterance also dominates and
prevails (over the hands of Esau). Hence the study of the Torah should never
cease.’ R. Hiya then awoke, and they went and told the sages. Said R. Jesse: ‘We
all know this, and so it is written: "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman
waketh in vain" (Ps. CXXVII, 1), as much as to say: "It is those who labour in the
Torah who preserve the Holy City, and not the warriors and men of might".’
8
And the second messenger did sound, and as it were a great mountain with
fire burning was cast into the sea, and the third of the sea became blood.
The sea becoming blood, is indictive of God's judgment on the world of Yetzirah,
the place from which evil people draw their powers. Again, though there may be
"bloodied waters" in the physical realm as a result of this action, the real
judgment is first and foremost against those powers in the "sea" of Yetzirah.

The Zohars offers some insight into this, using the Exodus from Egypt as an
example:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 28b-29a - TAKE THY ROD AND
STRETCH OUT THY HAND UPON THE WATERS OF EGYPT, UPON THEIR STREAMS,
UPON THEIR RIVERS... THAT THEY MAY BECOME BLOOD. Said R. Judah: ‘How was
this possible? Could one rod so be stretched over all this extent? Moreover, it
says later, “And seven days were fulfilled after the Lord had smitten the river”
(v. 25), only mentioning the river, and leaving out the other waters of Egypt
upon which Aaron had stretched out his hand. The explanation is that the
reference is to the River Nile, for out of this all the other rivers, streams, ponds,
and pools are filled, so that Aaron needed but to smite that river and all the
other waters were smitten. The proof is that it says, “And the Egyptians could
not drink of the water of the river” (v. 2I).’ R. Abba said: ‘Observe that the lower
waters diverge and spread on every side, but the upper waters draw together
and are concentrated in one place,’[Tr.note: Yesod.] as it says: “Let the waters
under the heaven be gathered together unto one place” (Gen. I, 9); and again,
“And the gathering together of the waters called He seas”- as we have
explained. The firmament in which the sun, the moon, the stars, and the plants
are suspended is the great meeting place where the upper waters are gathered,
and whence the earth, or lower world, is watered. She thereupon scatters and
distributes these waters far and wide, in order that all things may be watered by
them. When, however, chastisement impends over the world, then the lower
world does not imbibe from that upper firmament of sun and moon, but from the
“left side”, concerning which it says: “The sword of the Lord is full of blood” (Isa.
XXXIV, 6). Woe unto them who must drink from this cup! At such times the sea
imbibes from both sides and divides itself into two parts, white and red (mercy
and justice). Thus it was the lot of Egypt which was cast into the Nile, and the
blow was inflicted both above and below. Therefore Israel drank water, but the
Egyptians blood. ... ‘Observe that when the Holy One, blessed be He, prepares to
inflict chastisement upon the idolatrous nations, the “Left Side” awakens and
changes the whiteness of the moon to blood; then the ponds and the pools
below are also filled with blood. So the punishment of the unrighteous is indeed
blood. Further, when the doom of blood impends upon a people, it is the blood of
slaughter executed by another people whom God brings against them. But
against Egypt the Holy One, blessed be He, did not choose to raise up another
nation, lest Israel, who dwelt in her midst, might also suffer. Therefore He
punished the Egyptians by causing their streams to be changed into blood so
that they could not drink from them. And as Egypt's supramundane power was
centred in the Nile, the Holy One enforced His will first on that principality, so
that-the Nile being one of their divinities-their highest power might first of all be
humbled. From the lesser idols also blood gushed out, as it is written: “And there
may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in
vessels of stone” (Ibid.).’
9
and die did the third of the creatures that [are] in the sea, those having life,
and the third of the ships were destroyed.

Here again, the term "ships" has more to do with entities existing in the "sea" of
Yetzirah than physical ships on earth.

The book of Psalms mentions a connection between "ships" and the being called
Leviathan, that exist in the "sea" (of Yetzirah):

Psalm 104:25-26 - So is this great and wide sea, where there are innumerable
creeping things, living things, both small and great. There go the ships; and
Leviathan which you have made to play in it.

The Zohar expounds on the "sea" being that realm of spiritual entities extending
from one end of Yetzirah to the other. These are all linked to the "living creature"
(of Ezekiel 1 and Revelation chapters 4-7). This highly esoteric passage speaks of
"fish," "boats" and "chariots" in this realm, and cites Psalm 104:25-26, Job 40:20
and Jeremiah 46:25 as supporting passages:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 48b - All the supernal hosts with
their cohorts and lightful chariots of celestial speed are joined one to another,
grade to grade, the lower to the higher, each to its counterpart; and above them
all a holy “Living being” (Hayah) (cf. Ezek. I) is set, and all those myriads of
armies move and rest according to its will and direction. This is that Living
Creature to which all Hayoth are linked, as each is also to each, all moving and
swimming in the sea, concerning which it is written: “This is the great and wide
sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts” (Ps.
CIV, 25). Now, when the wheels of the sea arise all the boats which sail thereon
do heave and toss, and air and waters are mightily stirred so that a great storm
arises; and the fishes that dwell in the depths of the sea are whirled about by the
violence of the tempest, and are buffeted towards the four corners of the earth,
some to the east, and some to the west, some to the north, and some to the
south; and there they are caught by the nets of fishermen, as they reach the
ocean's shallower depths, where the sands of the shore slope down to meet the
breakers of that sea. At that time the boats steer no course, either certain or
uncharted, but only toss and heave in one place. At last a swift but subtle
current arises amid the tumult of the stormy waters, and gradually their strife is
stilled and peace descends upon the waves; then the boats steer a straight
course for their bourne, and swerve not nor falter; concerning which it is written:
“There go the ships; there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play
therein” (Ibid. v, 26). And all the fishes of the sea gather to their places, and all
the creatures rejoice over it and the Hayoth of the supernal fields, as it is
written: “And all the beasts of the field play there” (Job XL, 20). Come and see!
The likeness of that which is above is that which is below, and what is below is
also in the sea, and the likeness of that which is above is that which is in the
supernal sea, and what is below is also in the lower sea. As the higher sea has
length and width and head and arms and hair and a body, so also the lower sea.’
Said R. Simeon: ‘How many chariots there are whose wheels run speedily,
carrying the framework upon them without delay! Yet here “God made him drive
heavily”. We interpret these words of the heavenly chariot, which was the
guardian angel of Egypt, and which then was rendered imperfect. There were
many others dependent on this one, and when it lost its power the lower chariots
lost their power, as it is written: “Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and
Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh and all them
that trust in him” (Jer. XLVI, 25).

Psalm 107 offers kabbalistic insight into "spiritual travel," described as going
down to the "sea" in "ships" in order to see the works and wonders of the Lord.
The "waves" (of Yetzirah) are calmed by God, allowing those seeking Him to
reach their "desired haven." Note the reference, "they reel to and from,"
reminiscent of Daniel 12:4 (See the Introduction to the Text Analysis of this
study):

Psalm 107:23-34 - Those who go down to the sea in ships, that do business in
great waters; Those saw the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For
he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up its waves.. They mount
up to the sky, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of
trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their
wit’s end. Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of
their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are
glad because they have quiet; and he brings them to their desired haven. Let
them praise the Lord for his loving kindness, and for his wonderful works to the
children of men! Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and
praise him in the assembly of the elders. He turns rivers into a wilderness, and
springs of water into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, because of the
wickedness of its inhabitants.

Isaiah helps us to understand Psalms and Revelation. Compare Isaiah's words in

the text below, "they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance,
broken the everlasting covenant," with Daniel 7:25, a verse associated by some
with the anti-messiah. Here again we find the term "to and fro," this time
associated with the earth. The Lord is seen as punishing the spiritual forces of
Yetzirah (the host of the high ones who are on high), as well as the kings of the
earth:

Isaiah Chapter 24:1-23 - Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty, and makes
it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters abroad its inhabitants. And it
shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his
master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the
seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the
debtor. The land shall be completely emptied, and completely ruined; for the
Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and fades away, the world
languishes and fades away, the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth
also is defiled under its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws,
changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore has a curse
devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it have been fount guilty; therefore
the inhabitants of the earth are parched, and few men left. The new wine
mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry hearted sigh. The mirth of
tambourines ceases, the noise of those who rejoice ends, the joy of the lyre
ceases. They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to
those who drink it. The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up,
and no man may come in. There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is
darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city is left desolation, and the
gate is struck with destruction. When thus it shall be in the midst of the land
among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the
gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice, they
shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
Therefore glorify the Lord in the fires, the name of the Lord God of Israel in the
islands of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs,
glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe to me! traitors
have dealt treacherously; traitors have dealt very treacherously. Fear, and the
pit, and the trap, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to
pass, that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he
who comes up from the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap; for the
windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth shake. The
earth is completely broken down, the earth crumbles away, the earth is violently
shaken. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall sway like a hut;
and its transgression shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the
high ones who are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they
shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be
shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be punished. Then the
moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall
reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his elders gloriously.

Daniel 7:25 - He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall
persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand. For a time and times and half a
time.
10
And the third messenger did sound, and there fell out of the heaven a great
star, burning as a lamp, and it did fall upon the third of the rivers, and upon the
fountains of waters,

Recall that from the "sea" of Yetzirah extend "rivers and streams" that connect
this realm to the physical world of Asiyyah. These tributaries can function to
energize either the good or evil realm (i.e., Babylon, Egypt, Rome).

The following Zohar text specifically refers to "ten species of sorcery" which are
associated with the evil counterparts to the ten Sephirot. Note the interesting
explanation of Isaiah 19:2 ("I will confuse Egypt with Egypt"), as showing how
God dealt with the spiritual powers of Egypt (in Yetzirah) first, which resulted in
the physical plagues as seen in Exodus. The number "seven" is seen as
significant with their being seven "zones of earth" corresponding to seven zones
above. Each of the seven zones of earth is said to have ten divisions. Egypt is
associated with one zone and thus has ten spiritual chieftains. This may be
compared to the ten "kings" of Daniel 7:24 and ten "horns" of Revelation 12:3
and 13:1. Especially interesting (in light of the punishments seen in this verse of
Revelation), is the prophecy that "Rome" will one day meet the same fate as
Egypt:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 30b - Observe that ever so many
streams and rivers rise out of the Supernal Sea, which in their courses ivide and
subdivide again into many other rivers and streams: and the portion that fell to
the side of Egypt were waters swarming with such creatures. For all waters
issuing from that sea breed various kinds of fishes, to wit, messengers sent into
the world to carry out the will of their Master through the spirit of Wisdom. In
regard to this a traditional text tells us that there are waters that breed wise
men and other waters that breed foolish men, according to the various rivers
that branch off into all sides. Now the Egyptian rivers breed masters of sorcery of
various kinds, and of ten degrees, as enumerated in the verse, “one that useth
divination, a soothsayer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a
familiar spirit, or a necromancer” (Deut. XVIII, 10-11). Here we have ten species
of sorcery. And at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, stretched forth His
finger and disturbed the brooks and rivers of Egypt so that their fishes of wisdom
were confounded: some waters turned into blood, others threw up small fishes of
no account upon whom the spirit of sorcery never rested. Then there came upon
them the plague called ’arob (lit. mixture, i.e. mixture of various beasts) which
allegorically indicates that the Almighty confounded their magical arts so that
their practitioners were not able to piece them together. Moreover, that
confusion produced a mingling of a perverse and hybrid kind similar to those
referred to in the words of Scripture, “thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds
of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff
mingled together” (Lev. XIX, 19). Many were then the legions that bestirred
themselves above, but the Holy One, blessed be He, confounded them
altogether; these mighty deeds which the Almighty performed in Egypt were
accomplished by the raising of one of his hands against them, both on high and
below. It was then that the wisdom of Egypt perished, as Scripture says: “and
the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their
prudent men shall be hid” (Isa. XXIX, 14). Note further the pronouncement: “And
I will confuse Egypt with Egypt” (Isa. XIX, 2), that is to say, celestial Egypt with
terrestrial Egypt. For the celestial legions are in charge of the terrestrial ones,
and they both were altogether thrown in disorder. They were confused on high
so that the Egyptians could not derive inspiration from the celestial sources as
formerly. It was with this object that the Almighty brought on them the ’arob, or
mixture and confusion, manifested in a mixed horde of beasts that assailed
them; as well as the plague of vermin, engendered from the dust of the earth.
Observe that whatever is engendered on earth grows through the stimulus of a
celestial Chieftain who has charge over it, and that all on earth is shaped after a
celestial pattern. There are on high seven firmaments, and seven zones of earth.
Correspondingly, in the lower world there are seven graded firmaments and
seven zones of earth. These, as the Companions have expounded, are arranged
like the rungs of a ladder, rising one above the other, and each zone has ten
divisions, so that there are seventy in all. Each one of these is presided over by a
Chieftain, and these seventy Chieftains have under their charge the seventy
nations of the earth. These seventy earth-divisions, again, border on and
surround the Holy Land, as Scripture says: “Behold, it is the couch of Solomon;
threescore mighty men are about, of the mighty men of Israel” (S.S. III, 7), there
being, in addition to the threescore mentioned, ten concealed among their
number. All these surround the Holy Land. This alludes to the upper world, and
the same is reproduced in the lower world. Now at that time the Holy One,
blessed be He, stretched forth His finger over the zone that was allotted to the
Egyptians, and a fiery flame passed through the whole tract and dried up all the
alluvial soil, with the result that the dust of the earth generated vermin. It was
Aaron that smote the dust, in order to show that the right hand of the Holy One,
blessed be He, breaks His enemies, as we read: “Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth
in pieces the enemy” (Ex. xv, 6). The same punishment is destined to be meted
out by the Holy One, blessed be He, to Rome the great Metropolis, as it is
written: “And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof
into brimstone” (Isa. XXXIV, 9). Thus “all the dust of the earth became vermin
throughout all the land of Egypt”.
11
and the name of the star is called Wormwood, and the third of the waters doth
become wormwood, and many of the men did die of the waters, because they
were made bitter.

Earlier in our study we discussed the how God's characteristics of mercy and
judgment were not exclusive of each other (i.e., His left and right hands working
together). Throughout the book of Revelation we see God's "judgments" upon
creation. He does not send these for the sole purpose of "punishment" however,
as it is His desire that people repent by turning to His Torah and Messiah (i.e.,
Revelation 9:20-21).

This principle is especially well illustrated by the term "wormwood" seen in this
last verse. Throughout Scripture and other Hebraic writings, wormwood has a
negative connotation of being bitter. What we see however is God using that
which is "bitter" to rectify that which is bitter.

As the Midrash Rabbah says:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 77:1 - God sweetened the bitter through the
agency of bitter.

This can be seen in the Torah at the place of the "bitter waters" of Marah
(Exodus 15:23-25). It is said that the "tree" God had Moses throw into these
waters was itself bitter. This action however, caused the bitter waters to be
sweetened:
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus 23:3 - Note that it is the custom of the righteous to
atone with the very same thing whereby they have offended; hence: ’Thy lips, O
my bride, drop honey.’1 From whom do they learn this? From God, who heals
with the very thing with which He had wounded, as it says, For I will restore
health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds (Jer. XXX, 17). I will heal thee
with the very wounds which I inflicted on thee. Whence do we know this? From
God Himself; for see what happened at Marah, when God showed Moses a bitter
thing, which he was told to cast into the waters, so that they became sweetened,
as it says, And the Lord showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters (Ex.
XV, 25). What kind of tree was it? R. Nathan said: It was a kind of creepers; R.
Joshua said: It was a willow tree, and R. Eliezer of Modim said: It was an olive-
tree. But whatever it was, it was bitter and yet it sweetened the bitter waters. So
it was that Moses who had provoked God only with the word ‘az’ made
atonement with the very word with which he sinned, and said, THEN (AZ) SANG
MOSES.

On a deeper level, the bitter cure that God has given is His Torah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 60a-b - AND THEY WENT THREE
DAYS IN THE WILDERNESS AND FOUND NO WATER . In Scripture “water” stands
as a symbol for the Torah: “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters”
(Isa. LV, 1). ‘But’, remarked R. Jesse, ‘the time for the giving of the Torah was not
yet, and how could they expect to find this “water” there?’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘They
went out into the wilderness to see the glory of the Holy One, but could not, for
He removed it from there. We learn from this that “water” is the symbol of the
Torah, and the Holy One and the Torah are one.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘There in the
wilderness a strange power, representing the nations of the world, the ruling
spirit of the desert, appeared to them, but they soon discovered that it was not
the radiance of their King's glory. Hence it says: AND WHEN THEY CAME TO
MARAH THEY COULD NOT DRINK OF THE WATERS OF MARAH, FOR THEY WERE
BITTER, and they did not feel the same “sweetness” in their souls as before.
Moreover, this power came to act as an accuser against them. Then HE (Moses)
CRIED UNTO THE LORD, AND THE LORD SHOWED HIM A TREE, WHICH, WHEN HE
CAST IT INTO THE WATERS, THE WATERS WERE MADE SWEET. The tree is a
symbol of the Torah, which is “a tree of life to those who lay hold upon her”
(Prov. III, 18), and the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are one.’ R. Abba
said: ‘The “Tree” is a direct symbol of the Holy One, for it says: “The tree of the
field is (the supernal) Adam” (Deut. XX, 19). The “field” is the “Field of the holy
apples”. Thus, when the light of their King's glory manifested itself to them, “the
waters were made sweet”, and the accuser became an intercessor.’

As we see in this chapter of Revelation, the bitterness sent upon the world of
Yetzirah effects the physical world that we live in. HaSatan is God's "agent" in
carrying this out:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 125a - For the Sacred Sea has
many sweet rivers flowing into it, yet since it presents the world's judgement its
waters are bitter, since universal death is attached to it. Yet when these waters
flow outwards they are sweet. The sea, besides, exhibits a variety of colours.
Now it is when the Serpent injects into it its venom that its waters become bitter
and accursed;

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 6a - All the judgements passed

upon the world, and all decrees and decisions are stored in a certain palace,
where seventy-two members of Sanhedrin deliberate upon them. The palace is
called “the Palace of Acquittal”, because the judges there lay stress on whatever
can be pleaded in favour of the accused. Not so the “other side”, where there is
a place called “Accusation”, because in that abode of the Serpent, the “Wife of
whoredom”, every effort is made to procure the condemnation of humanity, and
to prejudice the servant in the eyes of the Master. Symbolically, the former is
represented by “sweet, clear water”; the latter by “bitter water that causes the
curse” (Num. v, 18).

Although the entire world experiences the wrath of God in the end times, His
chief concern is bringing Israel back to where they belong:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs 1:21 - THY NAME IS AS OIL POURED
FORTH: Just as oil is in its original form bitter but afterwards becomes sweet, so
though thy beginning was small, yet thy end should greatly increase (Job VIII, 7)1
Just as oil is improved only by pounding, so Israel are brought to repentance only
by chastisements.
12
And the fourth messenger did sound, and smitten was the third of the sun,
and the third of the moon, and the third of the stars, that darkened may be the
third of them, and that the day may not shine -- the third of it, and the night in
like manner.
13
And I saw, and I heard one messenger, flying in the mid-heaven, saying with a
great voice, `Wo, wo, wo, to those dwelling upon the land from the rest of the
voices of the trumpet of the three messengers who are about to sound.'

The loss of physical light from the sun, moon and stars is representative of the
loss of spiritual light in the world, as mankind for the most part refuses to repent.
The concepts of "day" and "night" are often used to represent the realms of good
and evil, with the entities of darkness functioning at "night," unable able to carry
out their function whenever there is "light."

An interesting teaching regarding this concerns the angel that wrestled with
Jacob in the book of Genesis. Although some teach that this angel was an "early
appearance" of Yeshua, another opinion (prevalent in Judaism), is quite different,
that being that this angel was the guardian angel of Esau, in fact Samael or
haSatan himself. 1

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs III:9 - In what form did he appear to
him? R. Hamai b. R. Hanina said: He appeared him in the form of the guardian
angel of Esau, as it says, Forasmuch as I have seen thy face as one seeth the
face of [a] god (ib. XXXIII, 10). ‘Your face,’ he said, ‘resembles that of your
guardian angel.’
As this angel was from the side of darkness, he had to depart from Jacob when
the light of dawn was about to break:

Genesis 32:27a - And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks.

The Zohar offer the following comments on this idea. The text addresses how
angels take form in the physical world and man (Moses in this case) can be taken
into the higher worlds, and how "elohim" is used to refer to an angel. The "night"
is also compared to the time of Israel's exile, when evil is still active in creation.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 144a-b - Observe that all, both
above and below, confirmed these blessings, and even he who was the portion
that fell to the lot of Esau consented to those blessings, and, moreover, actually
himself blessed Jacob, as it is written: “And he said: Let me go for the day
breaketh. And he said: I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” (Gen. XXXII,
27). The angel said “Let me go” because Jacob seized hold of him. You may
wonder how could a man of flesh and blood take hold of an angel, who is pure
spirit, as it is written: “Who makest spirits thy messengers, the flaming fire thy
ministers” (Ps. CIV, 4). But the truth is that when the angels, the messengers of
the Holy One, descend to earth, they make themselves corporeal, and put on a
bodily vesture like to the denizens of this world. For it is fitting not to deviate
from the custom of the place where one happens to be, as has already been
explained. We find it thus written of Moses when he ascended on high: “And he
was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor
drink water” (Ex. XXXIV, 28), in order not to deviate from the custom of the place
to which he went. Similarly we read, as an example of the behaviour of angels on
descending here below: “And he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat”
(Gen. XVIII, 8). So here, Jacob could only have wrestled with the angel after the
latter had assumed a bodily vesture after the manner of a being of this world.
The reason, too, why Jacob had to wrestle with him the whole of that night was
because those beings possess dominion only in the night, and so,
correspondingly, Esau dominates only during the exile, which is none other than
night. During the night, therefore, the angel held fast to Jacob and wrestled with
him; but as soon as day broke his strength waned, and he could no more prevail,
so that Jacob got the upper hand, since Jacob's domination is in the daytime.
(Hence it is written: “The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto me out of Seir:
Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” (Is. XXI, 11). For
the domination of Esau, who is identical with Seir, is only in the night.) The
angel, therefore, feeling his strength ebb as the day broke, said: “Let me go, for
the day breaketh.” Jacob's answer, “I will not let thee go, except thou hast
blessed me”, is peculiar, since we should have expected “except thou wilt bless
me”. By using the past tense, however, Jacob as much as said: “except thou
acknowledge those blessings with which my father blessed me, and wilt not
contend against me on account of them”. The angel, we are told, thereupon
said: “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven
with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Gen. XXXII, 29). By the name Israel
he meant to imply: “We must needs be subservient to thee, since thou art
crowned with thy might above in a supernal grade.” “Israel shall be thy name”;
assuredly so, for “thou hast striven with Elohim”. By this name he apparently
referred to himself, but he really had a deeper meaning, viz. “Thou hast striven
to associate thyself with God in a close union, as symbolised by the junction of
the sun and the moon.” Hence he did not say “thou hast prevailed over God”,
but “with God”, i.e. to unite closely with God.

In the following texts, the Zohar specifically identifies Esau's angel with Samael
(haSatan). As Esau is associated with Rome (in the latter times), haSatan will
once more have "his day" against Israel. The sun and moon are seen as "clear"
and "fair" when Israel is made head of nations in the Kingdom of God.
Conversely, the red moon and darkened sun of Revelation and other writings
show that Esau has the "upper hand" over Israel. The relationship between Jacob
and Esau may be compared to each being on each side of a scale. When one is
"up" the other must be "down":

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 170a-b - AND THERE WRESTLED

(vaye'oveq) A MAN WITH HIM . R. Joshua the son of Levi said: ‘From the word
behe'ovqo (in his wrestling) we learn that they raised a dust with their feet which
reached the Throne of Glory, as this word finds a parallel in the phrase “the dust
(’abaq) of his feet” (Nahum I, 3). The angel here mentioned was Samael, the
chieftain of Esau, and it was right that his dust should rise to the Throne of Glory
which is the seat of judgement.’ R. Simeon said: ‘This dust (’abaq) was not
ordinary dust, but ashes, the residue of fire. It differs from dust proper in that it
is sterile and unproductive, whereas dust (’afar) is that from which all fruit and
vegetation spring and is common to the lower and higher existences.’ R. Judah
remarked: ‘If so, how can we explain the passage: “He raiseth up the poor out of
the dust” (I Sam. II, 8)?’ R. Simeon replied: ‘The dust possesses nothing of its
own, hence it is from the dust that the poor man has to be raised who possesses
nothing of his own either. At the same time the dust is the source of all
fruitfulness and of all the produce of the world, and from it have been formed all
things in the world, as it is written: “all are of the dust and all return to dust”
(Eccl. III, 20), including, according to tradition, even the solar sphere. But the
dust called abaq is forever barren, and hence, as the term vaye'obeq (“and he
wrestled”, or “raised the dust”) implies, the man came up, riding, as it were,
upon that dust, in order to contest Jacob's right.’ UNTIL THE BREAKING OF THE
DAY; this being the moment when his dominion passed away and vanished. The
same will happen in the time to come. For the present exile is like the night, and
in that night the barren dust rules over Israel, who are prostrate fo the dust; and
so it will be until the light will appear and the day will break; then Israel will
obtain power, and to them will be given the kingdom, as they are the saints of
the Most High. So Scripture says: “And the kingdom and the dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people
of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all
dominions shall serve and obey them” (Dan. VII, 27). AND HE SAID: LET ME GO,
FOR THE DAY BREAKETH, AND HE SAID: I WILL NOT LET THEE GO, EXCEPT THOU
BLESS ME . R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Who is she that looketh forth as
the dawn, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, terrible as an army with banners ?
(S. S. VI, 10). ‘This verse’, he said, ‘refers to Israel, at the time when the Holy
One, blessed be He, will raise them up and bring them out of captivity. At that
time he will first open for them a tiny aperture of light, then another somewhat
larger, and so on until He will throw open for them the supernal gates which face
on all the four quarters of the world. And, indeed, this process is followed by God
in all that He does for Israel and the righteous among them. For we know that
when a man has been long shut up in darkness it is necessary, on bringing him
into the light, first to make for him an opening as small as the eye of a needle,
and then one a little larger, and so on gradually until he can endure the full light.
It is the same with Israel, as we read: “By little and little I will drive them out
from before thee, until thou be increased, etc.” (Ex. XXIII, 30). So, too, a sick
man who is recovering cannot be given a full diet all at once, but only gradually.
But with Esau it was not so. His light came at a bound, but it will gradually be
withdrawn from him until Israel will come into their own and destroy him
completely from this world and from the world to come. Because he plunged into
the light all at once, therefore he will be utterly and completely exterminated.
Israel's light, on the other hand, will come little by little, until they will become
strong. God will illumine them forever. All then will ask: “Who is she that looketh
forth like the dawn”, this being a reference to the first tiny streak of the dawn,
then “fair as the moon”, the light of the moon being stronger than that of the
dawn, and then “clear as the sun”, that is, a still stronger light, and finally
“terrible as an army with banners”, expressive of the light in its full strength.
For, just as when the dawn emerges from the darkness its light at first is faint,
but gradually brightens till full daylight is reached, so when God will bestir
Himself to shine upon the Community of Israel, He will first shed on them a
streak of light like that of the daybreak which is still black, then increase it to
make it “fair as the moon”, then “clear as the sun”, until it will be “tremendous
as an army with banners”, as already explained.’ Now in connection with Jacob it
is not written: “for daybreak has come (ba’)”, but “for daybreak has gone up
(’alah)”. For at the moment when daybreak arrived, the Chieftain summoned all
his strength and struck out at Jacob in order thereby to impart power to Esau;
but as soon as the blackness of the dawn passed the light came on and Jacob's
power increased; for his time had then arrived to come into the light, as it is
written: “And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Peniel. In the next words,
AND HE LIMPED UPON HIS THIGH , there is a hint that after Israel in exile have
endured many sufferings and pains, when daylight rises upon them and they
attain to rest and ease they will in their memory go through again their past
sufferings and afflictions and will wonder how they could have endured them. So
Jacob, after “the sun had risen upon him”, was “limping upon his thigh”, vexing
himself for what had befallen. But when the blackness of the early dawn passed
he made a great effort and grasped his opponent, whose strength at the same
time gave out, his dominion being only during the night, whereas Jacob has
ascendancy in the daytime. Hence he said: LET ME GO, FOR THE DAY BREAKETH,
so that, as he might have added, “I am now in thy power”.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 163b - He then forthwith began

to expound these words of Jacob to Esau: “Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is
brought to thee” (Gen. XXXIII, 11). ‘When Jacob’, said he, ‘saw on that night the
Accuser, Samael, he saw him in the form of Esau, and it was not until dawn was
breaking that he recognized him as Samael. When the dawn broke, he looked at
him closely, but even then he appeared at times to be the one and then the
other. He then looked more closely still and he knew him for the celestial
representative of Esau, and he prevailed against him. He said to Jacob, “Let me
go, for the dawn breaketh” (Ibid. XXXII, 26), and the companions have already
explained that he said this, because the moment had arrived when he, the
representative of Esau, had to raise his voice in hymns to the Holy One. On this
we may remark that indeed the power of Samael is only in the ascendant in the
dark, as indicated in the words, “of fear in the night” (Ps. XCI, 5), namely, the
fear of Gehenna; so it is that he rules at night alone. Hence he said, “Let me go,
for the dawn breaketh”, for when morning comes and his power is on the wane,
he must depart, and he and his hosts must enter the recess of the abyss in the
North, and they must remain until night breaks in on them, and the dogs are
loosened from their chains and allowed to roam about till morning. That is why
he pressed Jacob to let him go. In the same way Israel's exile has taken place at
night, it is in fact called “night”. The evil kingdom (Rome), the pagan power,
rules over Israel until the morning shall again appear, and the Holy One, blessed
be He, will cause the light to dawn again and the heathen power shall wane and
at last disappear. Therefore it was that Esau's representative said, “Let me go,
for the dawn breaketh”. But Jacob held him, and his power weakened, because
night had passed, so Jacob's strength increased, and he saw, in that angel, the
image of Esau, but not quite clearly. Then the angel confirmed the blessings he
had received. And what was it that Jacob afterwards said to Esau? “For therefore
I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast
pleased with me” (Gen. XXXIII, 10). For he saw in Esau's face now the very
image of Samael as he had appeared to him, for the realm to which a person
belongs is revealed in his face. And ye, supernal saints, the Shekinah is in you,
and your faces reflect the beauty of Her face. Blessed are ye!’ Then said he also:
‘If we were going in the same direction, I would be in your midst; but now, as ye
must go one way, and I another, I will part from you with words of the Torah.’

1. The reasoning for believing that this angel was Yeshua is the angel's reply to
Jacob, in Genesis 32:21, where it says: "And Jacob called the name of the place
Peniel; for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." This is not
such a definite interpretation however. The term for "God" in this verse is
elohim, which is used in Hebraic literature to describe several things, such as the
angelic realm that serves God (including haSatan and all angels of the "dark
side"). Later, when he meets Esau, Jacob tells his brother that seeing Esau's face
was like seeing the face of Elohim; "And Jacob said, No, I beg you, if now I have
found grace in your sight, then receive my present from my hand; for therefore I
have seen your face, as though I had seen the face of God, and you were
pleased with me." Jacob had to first prevail over Esau's angel in the spiritual
realm before he could deal with him (and eventually subdue him) in the physical
world.
Revelation 9:1-10
Last update: December 20, 2004

1
And the fifth messenger did sound, and I saw a star out of the heaven having
fallen to the earth, and there was given to it the key of the pit of the abyss,

2 and he did open the pit of the abyss, and there came up a smoke out of the pit
as smoke of a great furnace, and darkened was the sun and the air, from the
smoke of the pit.

3 And out of the smoke came forth locusts to the earth, and there was given to
them authority, as scorpions of the earth have authority,

Here we see a "star" clearly explained as being an angel from heaven. (See
previous comments on this subject.) This angel opens a "pit" from which
emerges "smoke" and "locusts," which affect the physical realm. These are not
physical insects, but a description of demons, called Shedim in the Hebrew.
(Note that Chapter 9 of Revelation contains a great deal of metaphorical
language.)

Demons are mentioned in the Torah, where they are also called "spirits":

Deuteronomy 32:16-17 - They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods,

with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed to powerless
spirits, not to God; to gods whom they knew not; to new gods that came newly
up, whom your fathers feared not.

Leviticus 17:7 - And they shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after
whom they play the harlot. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout
their generations.

Demons are beings of their own class. They are not "fallen angels" or angels of
any type. Rather, they are a peculiar set of spiritual entities that have
characteristics of both both angels and humans. They are also associated with
the evil realm, and have a relationship with the angelic world (as seen by such
an angel opening the pit in verse 2 above). As demons play an important role in
John's prophecy, we will take a closer look at what various sources have to say.

Regarding the composition of these demonic entities, Rabbi Moshe Luzzatto, in

his work Derek Hashem (The Way of God), explains as follows:

There is however, another class that is like an intermediate between the spiritual
and the physical. This consists of entities that cannot be detected by physical
means and are not bound by the limitations and laws of ordinary detectable
matter. For this reason, they might improperly be considered spiritual. Their
Essense, however, is very different from that of the angelic class, even though
they may resemble them in some ways. These entities also have specific
attributes and unique limitations, based on their true nature. They are therefore
considered a separate class, namely that of Shedim (Demons). This class also
contains certain individual types, where each type may be considered a separate
species belonging to the general class of Shedim. 1

The following text of the Zohar comments on the concepts of "smoke" and "the
pit of the abyss," here called a "hidden cavern in the North" (north = left side =
origin/location of evil realm). Note first that impure spirits (demons) are said to
rule at night, hence the prohibition concerning leaving a dead body out past
sundown. (See comments in notes from previous chapter regarding the "night"
and the evil realm.)

Demons are said to not have access to the land of Israel unless they find a
means through part of a sacrifice that was not burned. (Might this shed light on
the modern phenomena of animals who are found ritualistically killed with
organs missing from their bodies?) The text goes on to say that some of the
smoke from the sacrifices was to "nourish" demons in order that they would not
attempt to come into the land for this purpose. This smoke would enter into a
hidden cavern in the North, where the evil realm has its "abode":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 141a - ‘He whose soul leaves him
in the Holy Land, if his body is buried upon the day of his death, is in no way
dominated by the spirit of impurity. Therefore it says of one who has been put to
death by hanging that “his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but
thou shalt in any wise bury him that day.. that thy land be not defiled” (Deut.
XXI, 23), for at night the impure spirit is given permission to rule. However,
although these last are given temporary power, they cannot exercise their sway
within the boundaries of the Holy Land, because it is impossible for them to
enter it unless they can come upon an organ or means of approach in the parts
and fat of those sacrifices that are consumed at night for the purpose of feeding
other (foreign) kinds. [Tr. note: v. supra. p. 129b-130a.] But even these portions
were not left with the purpose of attracting evil potencies to the Holy Land, but
rather, on the contray, to entice them away from it, for, as has been said on
another occasion, the smoke of these parts of the sacrifices was wont to ascend
crookedly and drift away until it reached that hidden cavern in the North in
which all the powers of the “other side” have their abode; into which cave the
smoke would enter and all the demons and impure spirits be nourished thereby.
But the smoke of those sacrifices which were burnt during the day ascended in a
straight line unto its rightful place and all the proper spirits received
nourishment from it. Over the bodies of the righteous, who were not seduced in
this world by the lusts of the hard shell, the impure spirit has no power at all,
because they did not associate themselves therewith. But just as the wicked in
this life were seduced by that powerful shell of evil and its pleasures and
practices, so are their bodies unclean after the soul has left them.

The Talmud also describes demons in terms of being "part human" and "part
angelic." Note that unlike angels, demons can reproduce and be killed:

Talmud - Mas. Chagigah 16a - Our Rabbis taught: Six things are said
concerning demons: in regard to three, they are like the ministering angels; and
in regard to three, like human beings. ‘In regard to three they are like the
ministering angels’: they have wings like the ministering angels; and they fly
from one end of the world to the other like the ministering angels; and they
know what will happen like the ministering angels. [You say], ‘They know’ — you
cannot mean that! — Rather, they hear from behind the Veil like the ministering
angels. ‘And in regard to three, they are like human beings’: they eat and drink
like human beings; they propagate like human beings; and they die like human
beings. Six things are said of human beings: in regard to three, they are like the
ministering angels, and in regard to three, they are like beasts. ‘In regard to
three, they are like the ministering angels’: they have understanding like the
ministering angels; and they walk erect like the ministering angels; and they can
talk in the holy tongue like the ministering angels. ‘In regard to three, they are
like beasts’: they eat and drink like beasts; and they propagate like beasts, and
they relieve themselves like beasts.

Talmud - Mas. Yevamoth 122a - Is it not possible that it was a demon [that
cried]? — Rab Judah replied in the name of Rab: [This is a case] where they saw
in him the likeness of a man! But they also are in the likeness of men! — They
saw his shadow. But these also have a shadow!

The Zohar (below) offers more insight into the origin and function of the demonic
world. Note that demons also serve God's purpose, but are in great terror of the
holy name. Compare this to the reaction of demons who faced Yeshua in the
"New Testament" accounts.

These demons are also said to be hidden in an abyss covered by a millstone.

Note also the references to the Tabernacle as "mother" and place of the souls
(i.e., the Sephirah of Binah). Lastly, compare the reference to Psalm 91 as a
prayer against the demonic realm (a “hymn of accidents”) to Paul's teachings
from Ephesians 6 and comments from Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:3, shown
further below on this page:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 47b-48b - WHICH GOD

CREATED TO MAKE: As “remembering” finds its fulfilment in “keeping”, so here
“creating” is implemented by “making”, to establish firmly the work of the world;
“to make” indicates the world's artificer, through whom the whole is carried on.’
R. Simeon further explained the verse as follows. He said: ‘It is written, Who
keepeth the covenant and the kindness (Deut. V, 10). “Who keepeth” indicates
the community of Israel; “the covenant” indicates the Foundation of the world;
“kindness” indicates Abraham. The community of Israel is that which keeps the
covenant and the kindness, and it is called “keeper of Israel”, and guards the
gate of the Whole, and on it depend all the works of the world. This it is which
“God created to make”, i.e. to perfect and finish off the whole, and to bring forth
spirits and souls and even spirits and demons. Do not think that these also are
not for the good of the world, for they serve for the punishment of the wicked,
whom they find out and admonish; for he who proceeds towards the left
becomes entangled in the left side, and is set upon by them. Hence they are of
use. ‘We read that God said with regard to Solomon, “I will chasten him with the
rod of men and with the plagues of the children of men” (II Sam. VII, 14). These
“plagues of the children of men” are the demons. They were created just at the
moment when the Sabbath was sanctified. [Tr. note: v. p. 59.] and they were left
spirit without body. These are the creatures which were not finished; they are
from the left, dross of gold, and because they were not finished and remained
defective, the holy name is not mentioned in connection with them, and they do
not cleave to it, and are in great terror of it. The holy name does not rest upon
anything defective. Hence a man who departs from life defective through not
having left a son behind him cannot attach himself to the holy name, and is not
admitted within the curtain, because he is defective, and a tree which has been
uprooted must be planted over again; for the holy name is perfect on every side,
and no defect can attach to it. Those creatures we have mentioned are rejected
both above and below, and therefore they have no sure place either above or
below. It is these which are meant by the words” which God created to make”,
i.e. they were not made into finished beings either above or below. You may ask,
seeing that they are spirits, why were not these beings finished off above? The
answer is that they were not finished below on the earth, and therefore they
were not.finished above. They all have their origin in the side of the left; they are
invisible to men and hover round them to do them mischief. They have three
features in common with the angels and three in common with human beings, as
has been laid down elsewhere. After they had been created, they were left
behind the millstones of the chasm of the great abyss during the night and the
day of Sabbath. When the sanctity of the day expired, they came out into the
world in their unfinished state and commenced flying about in all directions.
They became a great danger to the world, because with them the whole of the
left side roused itself and the fire of Gehinnom began to flash, and all the
denizens of the left side commenced to roam about the world. They sought to
clothe themselves in bodies, but were not able. Hence we require protection
against them, and therefore the recital of the “hymn of accidents” (Ps. XCI) has
been prescribed for every occasion when danger is threatened from them. For
when the Sabbath is sanctified on Friday evening, a tabernacle of peace
descends from heaven and is spread over the world. This tabernacle of peace is
the Sabbath, and when it comes down, all evil spirits and demons and all the
creatures which defile hide themselves within the orifice of the millstones of the
chasm of the great abyss. For when sanctity spreads over the world, the spirit of
uncleanliness remains inactive, since the two shun one another. Hence the world
is under special protection (on the Sabbath eve), and we do not require to say
the prayer “who keepeth his people Israel for ever, amen”. This prayer has been
prescribed for week-days, when protection is needed. But on Sabbath a
tabernacle of peace is spread over the world, which is thus sheltered on all sides.
Even the sinners in Gehinnom are protected, and all beings are at peace, both in
the upper and lower spheres, and therefore we conclude our prayer this day with
the words “who spreads a tabernacle of peace over us and over all his people
Israel and over Jerusalem”. (The reason why Jerusalem is mentioned is because
it is the abode of the tabernacle.) Thus it behoves us to invite that tabernacle to
spread itself over us and to rest upon us and to shield us as a mother shields her
children, so that we should feel secure on every side. See now, when Israel by
reciting this blessing invite this tabernacle of peace to their homes as a holy
guest, a divine sanctity comes down and spreads its wings over Israel like a
mother encompassing her children. Then all evil spirits disappear from the world,
and Israel are at rest under the sheltering sanctity of their Master. Further, this
tabernacle of peace imparts new souls to her children. For souls have their
abode in her and issue from her, and so when she comes down and spreads her
wings over her children, it sheds a new soul on each one of them.’ R. Simeon
said further: ‘It is on this account that, as we have learnt, Sabbath is a mirror of
the future world. For this same reason, too, the Sabbatical year and the Jubilee
mirror one another. This additional soul descends from the mystic force implied
in the word zachor (remember) upon the tabernacle of peace, being taken from
the future world, and the tabernacle gives it to the holy people, who are
gladdened by it and enabled to forget all worldly matters and all their troubles
and sorrows, thus realising the words of the prophet, “on the day that the Lord
shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard
service, etc.” (Is. XIV, 3). Therefore on Friday night a man should have a
fullcourse meal, to show that this tabernacle of peace has been formed by a
union of all principles, provided only that he leaves himself enough for one meal
the next day, or, according to others (and this is more correct), for two meals. All
the more so, of course, if he has more than enough left for the next day. For
children two dishes are enough; [Tr. note: al. Two dishes should be the
minimum.] and so the colleagues agreed. The function of lighting the Sabbath
light has been entrusted to the women of the holy people: as the colleagues put
it, “woman put out the light of the world and brought darkness, etc.”; and so we
agree. There is, however, a more esoteric reason. This tabernacle of peace is the
Matron of the world, and the souls which are the celestial lamp abide in her.
Hence it behoves the matron to kindle the light, because thereby she is
attaching herself to her rightful place and performing her rightful function. A
woman should kindle the Sabbath light with zest and gladness, because it is a
great honour for her, and, further, she qualifies herself thereby to become the
mother of holy offspring who will grow to be shining lights of learning and piety
and will spread peace in the world, and she also procures long life for her
husband. Hence she should be very careful to observe this ceremony. Observe
that the words “remember” and “keep” in the commandment of the Sabbath
(Ex. XX, 8, and Deut. V, 12). Both apply equally to the day and to the night;
nevertheless “remember” has a more special application to the man and “keep”
to the woman, whose chief observance is at night.’

Mark 5:1-8 - And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the
country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately
there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his
dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains
had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither
could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains,
and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus
afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What
have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by
God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou
unclean spirit.

The following text from Midrash Rabbah, concerning demons, strongly resembles
the advice given by Sha'ul (Paul) in his Ephesians letter. Note the relationship
between demons and the Torah, the latter which is defined as the "truth" of God.
(See notes on "truth" from chapter 7:1b-17.) Demons set out to disrupt study of
Torah as such study is the protection against them. Subsequently, when Torah
study in the world is diminished, as is foretold by Scripture and the Hebrew
sages, demonic activity will increase, as we see occur in the book of Revelation:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:3 - I will say of the Lord that He is my refuge
-- mahsi (Ps. XCI, 2). This psalm of plagues was composed by Moses while he
was making his ascent of Mount Sinai, for he was afraid of the harmful demons.
What is the meaning of: ‘I will say of the Lord that He is mahsi’? He is my
protection ...

... He will protect you for the sake of the Torah which was given with the right
hand of the Holy One, blessed be He; as it says, At His right hand was a fiery law
unto them (Deut. XXXIII, 2). Under his wings thou shalt take refuge (Ps. XCI, 4). If
one comes to take refuge beneath His wings the Holy One, blessed be He, will be
unto him. A shield and a buckler (ib.) of truth. What is the exposition of the
text: His truth is a shield and a buckler-sohera (ib.)? R. Simeon b. Lakish
explained: The Holy One, blessed be He, says, ' I shall forge a weapon for all who
trade (soher) in the truth of the Torah.’ R.Simeon b. Yohai said: The truth of the
Torah is the weapon of him who possesses it. R. Simeon b. Yohai further said:
The Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel at Sinai a weapon upon which the
Ineffable Name was written. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night (Ps.
XCI, 5), namely of Igrath, daughter of Mahalath, [names of demons] and her
chariot, and of any of the demons who hold sway at night. Nor of the arrow that
flieth by day (ib.). R. Berekiah explained that there is a kind of demon who flies
through the air like a bird, and darts like an arrow.

... Of the pestilence that walketh in darkness (Ps. XCI, 6) implies that if a man's
deeds are in the dark the pestilence gains mastery over him. In a like strain it
says, Before Him goeth the pestilence, and fiery bolts go forth at his feet (Hab.
III, 5). So here too it says, Of the pestilence that walketh in the darkness. Nor of
the destruction (keteb) that wasteth at noonday (Ps. Ioc. cit.). Our Rabbis explain
that ‘keteb’ is a demon. And why was he called keteb’?’ R. Abba son of Kahana
said: Because he breaks into the daily studies from the beginning of four hours
of the day to the end of nine. R. Levi said: Because he robs pupils of their
noonday lessons from the end of four hours to the beginning of nine hours. He
holds sway neither in the shade nor in the sun but between the shade and the
sun.

Ephesians 6:10-17 - As to the rest, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in

the power of his might; put on the whole armour of God, for your being able to
stand against the wiles of the devil, because we have not the wrestling with
blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-
rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the
heavenly places; because of this take ye up the whole armour of God, that ye
may be able to resist in the day of the evil, and all things having done -- to
stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about in truth, and having put on
the breastplate of the righteousness, and having the feet shod in the preparation
of the good-news of the peace; above all, having taken up the shield of the faith,
in which ye shall be able all the fiery darts of the evil one to quench, and the
helmet of the salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying
of God.

Regarding the "authority" of the demons in this chapter, the Zohar has this
interesting comment as associated with those who teach Torah without proper
training and understanding:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 5a - Happy are those who

devote themselves to the study of the Torah! You should not think, however,
that all this applies even to one who is no true scholar. Not so. When one who is
a stranger to the mysteries of the Torah makes pseudo-discoveries based on an
incomplete understanding, that “word” rises, and is met by the perverse One,
the Demon of the false tongue, who emerges from the cavern of the great abyss
and makes a leap of five hundred parasangs to receive that word. He takes it
and returns with it to his cavern, and shapes it into a spurious heaven which is
called Tohu (chaos). That Demon then traverses in one swoop the whole of that
heaven, a space of six thousand parasangs. As soon as that heaven is formed,
the Harlot emerges, and lodges herself in it, and joins forces with it, and issuing
from thence she slays thousands and tens of thousands. For as long as she is
lodged in that heaven she has authority and power to swoop through the world
in the twinkling of an eye. This is implied in the words, “Woe unto them that
draw iniquity with cords of vanity” (Is. V, I8). The word for “iniquity”, ‘Avon,
being of the masculine gender, designates the Demon. In the next part of the
verse, “and sin, as it were, with a cart rope”, the word for “sin”, hattaah, being
of the feminine gender, signifies the female, the Harlot who rushes to execute
slaughter on the sons of men. Concerning her we also read, “For she hath
caused to fall many deadly wounded” (Prov. VII, 26), namely, that hattaah (sin)
who slays the sons of men. And the ultimate cause is the unripe scholar who is
not qualified to teach and yet does so.

Lastly, the following Talmudic text is especially relevant when we view the
beginning of this Revelation chapter to the last verse where theft/robbery is
mentioned:

Talmud - Shabbath 32b - For the crime of robbery locusts make invasion,
famine is prevalent, and people eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, for it is
said, Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria,
which oppress the poor, which crush the needy.

4 and it was said to them that they may not injure the grass of the earth, nor any
green thing, nor any tree, but -- the men only who have not the seal of God upon
their foreheads,
This verse helps decipher some of the metaphorical language to this point. The
text points to grass, green things and trees (of the physical realm) that may not
be be injured. On the other hand those who the demons may harm are the
unrighteous who do not have the seal of God upon their foreheads. (i.e., seal =
truth = Torah = protection from demons. See also reference to Zohar, Bereshith,
104a, in verse 11 below.) We can thus determine that the grass, green things
and trees represent the righteous people on earth - those who follow God's Torah
(i.e., Revelation 12:17; 14:12; 22:14).

The Zohar comments on the place of Torah in keeping Jerusalem safe from
Samael (haSatan). Note how Sha'ul (Paul) in the "New Testament" foretold that
"falling away" (Israel's deviation from Torah) would one day come, followed by
such judgment:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 151a - R. Hiya and R. Hizkiah

were once sitting underneath a tree in the field of Ono. R. Hiya fell into a
slumber and beheld Elijah. He said to him: ‘The whole field is illumined with your
presence.’ Elijah answered: ‘I am come to tell you that Jerusalem is about to be
laid waste together with all the towns of the sages, for the reason that Jerusalem
is the embodiment of judgement, and is preserved by judgement, and now
judgement demands its destruction; and Samael has already been given power
over it and over its mighty ones. I have therefore come to advise the sages
thereof so that they may try to obtain for Jerusalem some years of grace. For so
long as knowledge of the Torah is found therein it will be spared, the Torah being
the tree of life by which all live. But when the study of the Torah ceases below,
the tree of life disappears from the world. Hence so long as the sages cling to
the Torah, Samael has no power over them, as Scripture says: "The voice is the
voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau" (Gen. XXVII, 22). The voice
is the Torah, which is termed the voice of Jacob, and so long as that voice pours
forth, the utterance also dominates and prevails (over the hands of Esau). Hence
the study of the Torah should never cease.’ R. Hiya then awoke, and they went
and told the sages. Said R. Jesse: ‘We all know this, and so it is written: "Except
the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh in vain" (Ps. CXXVII, 1), as much as
to say: "It is those who labour in the Torah who preserve the Holy City, and not
the warriors and men of might".’

2 Thessalonians 2:3 - Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall
not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition;

5 and it was given to them that they may not kill them, but that they may be
tormented five months, and their torment [is] as the torment of a scorpion, when
it may strike a man;

6 and in those days shall men seek the death, and they shall not find it, and they
shall desire to die, and the death shall flee from them.

John gives no definitive reason for the time period of five months. An educated
guess would be the five months between the first month of Nissan (the month of
the spring Feasts) and the seventh month of Tishrei (the fall Feasts).
Coincidently(?), the number of days in this five Hebrew month period is 147,
which is also the number of years that Jacob lived.

Another possible starting point is the beginning of Nissan, as according to the

Zohar, this is the month where evil is "let loose" in the world:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 240b - It was on the first of Nisan
that the Tabernacle was reared up, a season when the evil powers are let loose
in the world; for in the days of Nisan, as the saying goes, "even when the ox has
his head in the fodder basket, go up the roof" [Tr. note T. P. Pesahim, 112.]

The number five is also associated with the amount of time (five hours) that
demons are said to interrupt Torah study, as mentioned earlier:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XII:3 - Our Rabbis explain that ‘keteb’ is a

demon. And why was he called keteb’?’ R. Abba son of Kahana said: Because he
breaks into the daily studies from the beginning of four hours of the day to the
end of nine. R. Levi said: Because he robs pupils of their noonday lessons from
the end of four hours to the beginning of nine hours. He holds sway neither in
the shade nor in the sun but between the shade and the sun.

Midrash Rabbah speaks of the peculiarity of the torment that God will bring upon
the nations. As ususal, God's punishment is middah knegged midah, "measure
for measure":

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers X:2 - Thine eyes shall behold strange things
(Prov. XXIII, 33): in retaliation for the close looks with which the idolaters have
scrutinised Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring upon them strange
punishments which shall be rivals to one another, in the same way as they had
come upon Israel; as you read, And many evils and troubles shall come upon
them (Deut. XXXI, 17), which means evils that are rivals to each other; such as a
bee-sting and a scorpion-bite. And thy heart shall utter confused things--
tahfukoth (Prov. XXIII, 33): You turn about against them every day--as you read,
Surely against me He turneth (yahafok) His hand again and again all the day
(Lam. III, 3)--and Israel's mind is deranged by reason of the multitude of
sufferings which you cause them. Accordingly the Holy One, blessed be He, will
requite them as they deserve, measure for measure; for He will bring upon them
such severe punishments that their minds will be deranged and their heart shall
utter confused things, and terrors shall come upon them. ' Confused things
(tahfukoth) ‘; as you read, Terrors are turned upon me-hohpak (Job XXX, 15). In
the same strain it says, Hark! the Lord rendereth recompense to His enemies
(Isa. LXVI, 6); measure for measure. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in
the heart of the sea (Prov. XXIII, 34); that alludes to Pharaoh, who was drowned
in the heart of the sea; as you read, The deeps were congealed in the heart of
the sea (Ex. XV, 8), and as it says, But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red
Sea (Ps. CXXXVI, 15). As in the case of Pharaoh, the Holy One, blessed be He,
smote him with ten plagues, in retaliation for the ten things which he had
decreed against Israel, and finally drowned him, in retaliation for Every son that
is born ye shall cast into the river (Ex. I, 22), so will the Holy One, blessed be He,
do to all the idolatrous nations who do evil to Israel; measure for measure.

7 And the likenesses of the locusts [are] like to horses made ready to battle, and
upon their heads as crowns like gold, and their faces as faces of men,

8 and they had hair as hair of women, and their teeth were as [those] of lions,

9 and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings
[is] as the noise of chariots of many horses running to battle;

10 and they have tails like to scorpions, and stings were in their tails; and their
authority [is] to injure men five months;

These demons, as with the angels of the Sitra Atra, are under the "authority" of
Samael (haSatan). The Zohar refers to them as being like horses when they are
active on the earth:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 43a - Samael and all his
groups - these are like clouds to ride upon when He descends to earth: they are
like horses.

Spiritual entities are associated with horses and chariots in a number of Tenakh
passages, including; 2 Kings 2:11; 6:16-17; Psalm 68:17 and Zechariah 6:1-5.

Scripture, as well as other Hebraic writings, have numerous mentions of hair,

moreso for women than for men. (Although the High Priest had to tend to his hair
as part of his duties). In the "New Testament," Sha'ul (Paul) makes a point about
a woman's hair being covered. Such concerns about a woman's hair are also
found throughout Talmud, Midrash Rabbah and the Zohar.

As a woman's hair is associated with her beauty, and thus the passions it
arouses in men (a necessary function of life), it has an association with the
Yetzer Hara (evil inclination) and the the "left side" of the Tree of Life. The Zohar
comments on how the Levites, who are also associated with the Left side (not in
an "evil" sense of course), are not to let their hair grow long as this brings
judgment:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 151b - "Take the Levites ..." This
indicates that it was needful to cleanse them and draw them on that they might
be linked to their own proper place. For they symbolize the Left Arm, identical
with the side of Judgement, and whoever proceeds from the side of Judgement
ought not to let his hair grow, as he thereby strengthens Judgement in the world.
For the same reason a woman may not have her hair exposed to view, but it
behoves her to cover her head and keep her hair concealed. When this is done,
all those who proceed from the side of Judgement are blessed; and thus is
explained the significance of the command saying: "And thus shalt thou do unto
them to cleanse them ... and let them cause a razor to pass over all their
flesh ..."
Rabbi Pinchas Winston makes the following comment on long hair and "divine
judgment"::

"Korach, son of Yitzhar, grandson of Kehas, great-grandson of Levi ..."

(Bamidbar 16:1) What's in a JEWISH name? One can just imagine standing
around at a Bris, just as the one honored with the pronouncement of the name of
the newly circumcised baby turns to the father to hear the name announced
publicly for the first time. "Korach ben Yitzhar, HaLevi." Would that not raise
eyebrows? "Korach"? "Bald One?" Perhaps he was hairless at birth, as many
babies are. However, is that any reason to give him a name that would remind
him of this the rest of his life? Hardly. Perhaps, then, Yitzhar and his wife were
prophets and knew something about the future, even though the Jewish people
were still gainlessly 'employed' in Egypt, with no hope of redemption?

The Midrash says yes, whether they knew it at the time or not (and it is true of
all parents when they give their children Jewish names). For, in last week's
parshah, as part of their inauguration ceremony into the Temple service, all the
Levi'im were shaven clean. In fact, this is one of the 'events' that so angered
Korach's wife that she used it to 'intimidate' her husband into following through
with his proposed rebellion. The Arizal explains why: This is why he called him
'Korach' ('Bald One'), because, Korach son of Yitzhar also came from the root of
Kayin. Now, he was called 'Korach' because all the Levi'im had been completely
shaven bald, because of the strong "din" that was in them. (Sha'ar HaGilgulim,
Chapter 34)

In other words, the removal of hair from each Levi was more than just a
cleansing process; it was also a way of softening a Levi's propensity to be
judgmental -- to be din-oriented. For, the Temple was a place of mercy, a place
representative of Divine love, not Divine judgment, and this had to be expressed
through the very people who performed the Temple service and participated in
its upkeep. Now, Kabbalistically, hair (se'ar) represents 'din,' just as barley
(se'ora) does, which is why it was the Omer-Offering between Pesach and
Shavuos, during which time 24,000 of Rebi Akiva's students died for less than
perfect 'social' behavior. Interestingly enough is the fact that Rebi Akiva himself
was called 'Korach,' at least as a nickname. 2

In addition to this, the Talmud (Eiruvin 100b), makes it a point to mention that
the demon named Lilith, has long hair. The Zohar (Vayikra, Page 19a) states that
Lilith's abode is in the depths of the great abyss. Lilith is said to tempt men in
the area of sexual sin. (See section on sexual sin in notes to verses 20-21.)

COMPARISON TO JOEL

The book of Joel begins with many parallels to what we have seen in Revelation.
The prophet, in speaking of the "Day of the Lord," mentions locusts bringing
judgment on the land, "wine, oil, wheat and barley" being in short supply (see
notes to Revelation 6:6) and teeth of lions in the context of judgment on Israel.
Note also the connection between these "locusts" and "a nation" that has come
up upon His land. Joel also speaks of the "meal offering and the drink offering is
cut off from the house of the Lord;" (Daniel 9:27?), and vines, trees and water
streams (sources of Torah and God's blessings), drying up:

Joel 1 - The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, you
old men, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land. Has such a thing been in
your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell you your children of it, and
let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That
which the cutting locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; which the
swarming locust has left, the hopping locust has eaten; and that which the
hopping locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten. Awake, you
drunkards, and weep; and howl, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new
wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. For a nation has come up upon my
land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and
he has the fangs of a lioness. He has laid my vine waste, and splintered my fig
tree; he has made it clean bare, and thrown it down; its branches are made
white. Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.
The meal offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the
Lord; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land
mourns; for the grain is wasted; the new wine is dried up, the oil languishes.
Be you ashamed, O you farmers; howl, O you vine dressers, for the wheat and
for the barley; because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine is dried
up, and the fig tree languishes; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and
the apple tree, all the trees of the field, are withered; because joy is
withered away from the sons of men. Gird yourselves, and lament, you priests;
howl, you ministers of the altar; come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of
my God; for the meal offering and the drink offering is withheld from the house
of your God. Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the
inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry to the Lord.
Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction
from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the food cut off before our eyes, joy and
gladness from the house of our God? The seed is shrivels under their clods, the
garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the grain is withered.
How do the beasts groan! The herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have
no pasture; yes, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.O Lord, to you I cry; for
the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame has burned
all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also to you; for the waters
streams have dried up, and the fire has devoured the pastures of the
wilderness.

Joel's end-time prophecy continues, and points out that even in this time of
judgment, God seeks people to come to teshuvah (repentance). What is also
interesting is the reference to "two rains" given by God. The first one, which
comes in "due measure" in the first month (Nissan, according to the religious
calendar) and the second, which is the final one coming at Yom Kippur (i.e., the
Day of the Lord). This could be associated with the first coming of Yeshua (given
in "due measure" as He came as the divine Tzaddik, Messiah ben Joesph, to deal
with sin) and His return as Messiah ben David, to deal with salvation and bring in
the Kingdom (i.e., Hebrews 9:28). Note also how God refers to the "locusts" that
accosted Israel as "His army":

Joel 2 - Blow the shofar in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all
the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord comes, for it is near
at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness. Like twilight spread upon the mountains; a great and mighty people;
there has never been the like, nor shall be any more after them, through the
years of many generations. A fire devours before them; and behind them a flame
burns; the land is like the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a
desolate wilderness; and nothing escapes them. The appearance of them is
like the appearance of horses; and like horsemen they run. Like the noise
of chariots on the tops of mountains they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire
that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array. At their
presence the people are in anguish; all faces are covered with blackness. They
run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march
everyone on his ways, and they do not break their ranks; Nor does one thrust
another; they walk everyone in his path; and when they burst through the
weapons, they are not wounded. They run to and fro in the city; they run upon
the wall, they climb up into the houses; they enter by the windows like a thief.
The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the
moon are dark, and the stars withdraw their shining; And the Lord utters
his voice before his army; for his camp is very large; for he who executes his
word is strong; for the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; and who can
abide it? Yet even now, says the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, and
with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; And tear your heart,
and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God; for he is gracious and
merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repents of the evil. Who
knows if he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him; a meal
offering and a drink offering to the Lord your God? Blow the shofar in Zion,
sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly; Gather the people, sanctify the
congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the
breasts; let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her chamber.
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the vestibule and the
altar, and let them say, Spare your people, O Lord, and give not your heritage to
reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among
the people, Where is their God? Then will the Lord was zealous for his land, and
pitied his people. And the Lord answered and said to his people, Behold, I will
send you grain, and wine, and oil, and you shall be satisfied with that; and I
will no more make you a reproach among the nations; But I will remove far
off from you the northerner, and will drive him into a land barren and
desolate, with his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the western
sea, and his stench and foul smell shall rise, though he has done great things.
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things. Be not
afraid, you beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness shall spring, for
the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad
then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given
you the first rain in due measure, and he has brought down for you the
rain in the first month, the former rain, and the latter rain. And the
floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and
oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the hopping
locust, and the destroying locust, and the cutting locust, my great army which I
sent among you. And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the
name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and my people
shall never be ashamed. And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and
that I am the Lord your God, and none else; and my people shall never be
ashamed.

The book of "James" (Jacob!) directly associates "two rains" with Yeshua's return:

James 5:7-8 - Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See
how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it
until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your
hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

1. The Way of God, Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated and annotated by Aryeh
Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 77.

2. Perceptions, Parsha Korach, Was Korach Bald?, Rabbi Pinchas Winston,

http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/korach.html

Revelation 9:11-21
Last update: May 5, 2002

11
and they have over them a king -- the messenger of the abyss -- a name [is] to
him in Hebrew, Abaddon, and in the Greek he hath a name, Apollyon.

The "destroying angel" is found in numerous Hebraic texts, especially the Zohar.
In this section, the destroying angel is seen as God's agent in all cases of harsh
judgment:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 63a - We have a dictum that

when death rages in a town or in the world at large, no man should show himself
in the street, because the destroying angel is then authorised to kill
indiscriminately. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Noah, “It behoves
thee to take heed to thyself and not show thyself before the destroyer, so that
he may have no power over thee.” You may perhaps say that there was not here
any destroying angel, but only the onrush of the overwhelming waters. This is
not so; no doom is ever executed on the world, whether of annihilation or any
other chastisement, but the destroying angel is in the midst of the visitation. So
here there was indeed a flood, but this was only an embodiment of the destroyer
who assumed its name.
The following text shows that the destroyer does not harm the one who has
God's "mark" upon him:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 104a - We have thus been

taught that when the Holy One loves a man, He sends him a present in the
shape of a poor man, so that he should perform some good deed to him, through
the merit of which he shall draw to himself a cord of grace from the right side
which shall wind round his head and imprint a mark on him, so that, when
punishment falls on the world, the destroyer, raising his eyes and noticing the
mark, will be careful to avoid him and leave him alone.

In this next section, the destroying angel is not allowed to harm the Torah
scholar, who is called a "tree":

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 202a - Observe how beloved are
those who study the Torah before the Holy One, blessed be He, for even when
chastisement impends over the world and permission is given to the destroyer to
destroy, the Holy One, blessed be He, charges him concerning them, saying:
“When thou shalt besiege a city”, because of their numerous sins against Me, for
which they have been adjudged guilty, “for many days”, that is to say, three
successive days, so that the thing is known in the town, then I will charge thee
concerning the sons of My house, “Thou shalt not destroy the tree thereof” this
is the learned man in the town, who is a tree of life, a tree that produces fruit.

12 The first wo did go forth, lo, there come yet two woes after these things.

13 And the sixth messenger did sound, and I heard a voice out of the four horns
of the altar of gold that is before God,

14 saying to the sixth messenger who had the trumpet, `Loose the four
messengers who are bound at the great river Euphrates;'

The correlation between the four horns of the altar and "four corners" of the
world was discussed in our notes to chapter seven.

The Euphrates is given a negative connotation, and connected to Babylon, in the

following Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations Prologue XIX - R. Abin opened his

discourse with the text, And He changeth the times and the seasons (Dan. II,
21). Jeremiah said to Israel, ' Had you been worthy, you would be dwelling in
Jerusalem and drinking the waters of Shiloah whose waters are pure and sweet;
but now that you are unworthy, you are exiled to Babylon and drink the waters
of the Euphrates whose waters are impure and evilsmelling. Hence it is written,
And now what hast thou to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor?
Or what hast thou to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?
(Jer. II, 18). Had you been worthy, you would be dwelling in Jerusalem uttering
songs and praises to the Holy One, blessed be He; but new that you are
unworthy, you are exiled to Babylon where you utter lamentations.’ Alas! By the
rivers of Babylon (Ps. CXXXVII, 1), Ekah.
In this Midrash, the Euphrates is connected to Edom/Rome:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XVI:4 - AND THE FOURTH RIVER IS PERATH

(EUPHRATES): that is Edom, PERATH denoting that it upset (hefirah) and
harassed His world; PERATH denoting that it was fruitful (parath) and increased
through the blessing of that old man [sc. Isaac]; PERATH also denoting that I
[God] will ultimately consign it to oblivion (hafer); [finally, it is called] PERATH on
account of its ultimate destiny, as it is written, I have trodden the winepress
(purah) alone... (Isa. LXIII, 3).

15 and loosed were the four messengers, who have been made ready for the
hour, and day, and month, and year, that they may kill the third of men;

16 and the number of the forces of the horsemen [is] two myriads of myriads,
and I heard the number of them.

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those sitting upon them, having
breastplates of fire, and jacinth, and brimstone; and the heads of the horses
[are] as heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceedeth fire, and smoke, and
brimstone;

18 by these three were the third of men killed, from the fire, and from the
smoke, and from the brimstone, that is proceeding out of their mouth,

19 for their authorities are in their mouth, and in their tails, for their tails [are]
like serpents, having heads, and with them they do injure;

As already mentioned, all angelic and demonic entities serve God. Nothing that
they do is separate from the will of God:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 43a - He prepared for the
throne angelic hierarchies to serve Him: malachim (angels), erelim, seraphim,
hayoth (living beings), ophanim, hamshalim, elim, elohim, be'ne (sons of)
elohim, ishim (supernal "men"). To these He appointed as ministers Samael and
all his groups- these are like clouds to ride upon when He descends to earth:
they are like horses. That the clouds are called " chariots" is expressed in the
words, "Behold the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt"
(Isa. XIX, 1).

Serpents and scorpions are terms used to describe chastisement Israel received
from God, which He implemented by way of Samael:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 183b-184a - ‘It is written: “And

in the wilderness where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee as a
man doth bear his son in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place”
(Deut. I, 31). This verse ought surely to run: “And in the wilderness where the
Lord thy God bare thee”; what is the significance of the words “where thou hast
seen”? The answer is as follows. The Holy One led Israel tnrough a terrible
wilderness “wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions” (Ibid. VIII, 15); indeed,
the most fearful wilderness in the world. Why did He do this? Because in the
hour when they left Egypt and increased to the number of sixty myriad souls, the
Holy Kingdom was strengthened and stood firm, high above all, and the Moon
was illumined, and thus the wicked dominion, the “other side”, was subdued,
and the Holy One brought the Israelites out in order to lead them through the
terrible wilderness, the very realm and domain of Samael the wicked, in order
that the evil power might be broken and the ruler of the regions of darkness be
crushed, that it might rear its head no more. Had the Israelites not sinned, the
Holy One would have resolved to remove him altogether from the world.
Therefore He led them through his very dominion and territory. But when they
sinned the serpent stung them many a time, and then was fulfilled that which
was written: “He shall bruise thy head t rosh) and thou shalt bruise his heel”
(Gen. III, 15)- that is to say, Israel first (be-rosh) bruised his head, but because
later they knew not how to guard themselves against him he finally smote them
and they all fell dead in the wilderness, and then the other half of the verse was
fulfilled: “and thou (i.e. the serpent) shalt bruise his heel”. And forty years long
were they chastised by him, which corresponded to the forty lashes of the
judges. Therefore it says: “where thou hast seen”. They saw with their own eyes
the prince of the desert, a prisoner bound before them, and they took his lot and
possession. And so I also separated myself from the haunts of men and departed
to dwell in the desert in order to be able better to meditate upon the Torah and
to subdue that “other side.” Besides, the words of the Torah can best sink into
the soul there in the desert, for there is no light except that which issues from
darkness, for when that “other side” is subdued the Holy One is exalted in glory.
In fact, there can be no true worship except it issue forth from darkness, and no
true good except it proceed from evil. And when a man enters upon an evil way
and then forsakes it the Holy One is exalted in glory. Hence the perfection of all
things is attained when good and evil are first of all commingled, and then
become all good, for there is no good so perfect as that which issues out of evil.
The divine Glory is extolled and extended thereby, and therein lies the essence
of perfect worship. And as for us, we remained in the desert throughout all the
days of the year in order to subdue there that “other side”, but now, when the
time for the divine worship from the side of holiness has come, we return to an
inhabited place where the worship of the Holy One is carried on. Moreover, now
in the season of the New Year the time has come for that serpent to demand
justice from the Holy One, and he rules there at present, and therefore we went
away from there and are come to an inhabited place.’

The idea of the "heads" and the "tails" of the horses in verses 17-19 represents
the linkage of the various grades of angels and demons all working in one
accord. (The concept of "angelic hierarchies" was mentioned in the above notes
from Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, Page 43a, and elsewhere in this study.)
This is similar to how the entities below the four holy creatures followed their
movements (i.e., Revelation 4:9-10). The same principle is true in the evil realm.

This passage of the Zohar gives further insight into this concept:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 119b - He then discoursed

(concerning the other nations), citing the verse: “How shall I curse, whom EL
(God) hath not cursed, and how shall I execrate, whom the Lord hath not
execrated?” (Num. XXIII, 8). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that the lower world is modelled
on the upper world. On high there is a Right and a Left; so below there are Israel
and the idolatrous nations, the former on the right, attached to the holiness of
the Holy King, the latter on the left, on the side of the unclean spirit. The grades
are linked one with another, all depending finally on the one at the head, and the
tail has to move in accordance with the head. Balaam could avail himself of all
the lower grades, but he saw that even the lowest was still guided by the head.
Hence his declaration: “How shall I curse, whom EL hath not cursed?”, because
the superior Head did not exercise rigour in those days. It is true that El denotes
Goodness and Mercy, but it also expresses Rigour, as it says, “and El (God) hath
indignation every day” (Ps. VII, I2). As for the compound “El-Shaddai”, this
signifies the God who put a limit to the universe. [Tr. note: SHaDaY
(Shaddai)=He who... enough; i.e. He who, at the proper moment, put a limit to
the expanding universe at the Creation by the word of command: “Enough!”, v.
T.B., Hagigah, 12a.] Hence “How shall I curse, whom El hath not cursed?”. For,
as the Head moves, so does the Tail.’[Tr. note: This is in reply to the question of
R. Judah as to how men of other nations awake during the night.] R. Eleazar
wept. He discoursed on the verse: “The sound thereof shall go like the serpents”,
etc. (Jer. XLVI, 22). ‘At the present time,’ he said, ‘when Israel is in exile, he is
assuredly as the serpent. For when the serpent presses its head into the sand its
tail flies upwards, being master, as it were, and lashing out at anyone near him;
so Israel in exile has his head bowed down into the dust whilst the tail obtains
the mastery. But although the head is bowed down into the sand, it is the same
head, and that directs and rules the movements of the tail; and so at the present
time it is indeed the other nations, who are attached to the tail, that rise on high,
have the mastery and are lashing out, whilst the head is bowed down into the
dust, as it says, “The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise” (Amos v, 2);
yet it is the head that directs the tail in its motions, as it says: “They made me
keeper of the vineyards” (S.S. I, 6), to wit, of the idolatrous nations, which are
the tail.’

20 and the rest of men, who were not killed in these plagues, neither did reform
from the works of their hands, that they may not bow before the demons, and
idols, those of gold, and those of silver, and those of brass, and those of stone,
and those of wood, that are neither able to see, nor to hear, nor to walk,

21 yea they did not reform from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from
their whoredoms, nor from their thefts.

Here we see the principal of midah knegged midah (measure for measure
punishment). As men turned from God toward demons, God now turns these
demons upon them.

The idea "bowing down before demons and idols" does not necessitate a
"primitive" act of worshipping a physical (i.e., "carved") statue or anything
similar. Involvement with anything "spiritual" that does not correspond to Torah,
opens the door to the unleashing of demons as seen in this chapter.
John's mention of "gold," "silver,' "brass," etc., has a mystical connection to the
demonic "pit" (which is linked to gehenna or hell) itself. Author Z'ev ben Shimon
Halevi describes this pit as having seven levels to it. (Thus making this the "evil
counterpart" to Beriah/Heaven, which is also said to have seven levels or "seven
heavens" within it.)

Concerning the occupants of this pit and its levels, Halevi states:

... they are confined under the greatest concentration of laws in the Universe,
constraining them from being too dangerous to themselves and to the Cosmos.
Thus, they are imprisoned we are told, in one of the Seven Palaces of Impurity
while their impurities are melted, burnt and blasted away like metals under a
process of elemental and chemical refinement. Indeed the symbology of the
metallic and mineral realms is used to explain the qualities of Hell, with its
sometimes slow and sometimes violent methods of extreme pressure, heat, cold
and geological aeons of time. This is another reason Hell is placed beneath the
Malkut of Earth [Asiyyah]. 1

The book of Enoch speaks of "mountains" of metals being brought down before
the presence of God:

Enoch 52:1-9 - And after those days in that place where I had seen all the
visions of that which is hidden -for I had been carried off in a whirlwind and they
had borne me towards the west-There mine eyes saw all the secret things of
heaven that shall be, a mountain of iron, and a mountain of copper, and a
mountain of silver, and a mountain of gold, and a mountain of soft metal, and a
mountain of lead. And I asked the angel who went with me, saying, 'What things
are these which I have seen in secret?' And he said unto me: 'All these things
which thou hast seen shall serve the dominion of His Anointed that he may be
potent and mighty on the earth.' And that angel of peace answered, saying unto
me: 'Wait a little, and there shall be revealed unto thee all the secret things
which surround the Lord of Spirits. And these mountains which thine eyes have
seen, The mountain of iron, and the mountain of copper, and the mountain of
silver, And the mountain of gold, and the mountain of soft metal, and the
mountain of lead, All these shall be in the presence of the Elect One As wax:
before the fire, And like the water which streams down from above [upon those
mountains], And they shall become powerless before his feet. And it shall come
to pass in those days that none shall be saved, Either by gold or by silver, And
none be able to escape. And there shall be no iron for war, Nor shall one clothe
oneself with a breastplate. Bronze shall be of no service, And tin [shall be of no
service and] shall not be esteemed, And lead shall not be desired. And all these
things shall be [denied and] destroyed from the surface of the earth, When the
Elect One shall appear before the face of the Lord of Spirits.'

The book of Enoch also offers the following views on this subject:

Enoch 67:4-7 - And He will imprison those angels, who have shown
unrighteousness, in that burning valley which my grandfather Enoch had
formerly shown to me in the west among the mountains of gold and silver and
iron and soft metal and tin. And I saw that valley in which there was a great
convulsion and a convulsion of the waters. And when all this took place, from
that fiery molten metal and from the convulsion thereof in that place, there was
produced a smell of sulphur, and it was connected with those waters, and that
valley of the angels who had led astray (mankind) burned beneath that land. And
through its valleys proceed streams of fire, where these angels are punished
who had led astray those who dwell upon the earth.

Enoch 99:1-9 - And again I swear to you, ye sinners, that sin is prepared for a
day of unceasing bloodshed. And they who worship stones, and grave images of
gold and silver and wood (and stone) and clay, and those who worship impure
spirits and demons, and all kinds of idols not according to knowledge, shall get
no manner of help from them. And they shall become godless by reason of the
folly of their hearts, And their eyes shall be blinded through the fear of their
hearts And through visions in their dreams. Through these they shall become
godless and fearful; For they shall have wrought all their work in a lie, And shall
have worshiped a stone: Therefore in an instant shall they perish.

The Zohar speaks of the significance of metals in both worship of God and false
worship:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 228a - AND THE BRASS OF THE
WAVING WAS SEVENTY TALENTS. Said R. Judah: ‘All this descends here below in
the supernal image, containing the mystery of Faith. To the same pattern did
Nebuchadnezzar make the image that he erected.’ R. Jose said: ‘It was not the
image he made that was after the same pattern, but the image that he saw in
his dream, an image made of gold, of silver and brass. Now, iron and clay were
not worthy to enter into the work of the Tabernacle, but only those three metals.
There is a recondite significance in the triad of metals. There were other
materials that formed into tetrads, as the four fabrics consisting of blue, purple,
scarlet, and fine linen, or the four rows of stones (in the breastplate).’ R. Judah
said: ‘Some of them formed into threes, some into fours, some into twos, and
again others were kept single. Nevertheless, an Order proper consists of a triad.

THE FIVE SINS

In these two verses, John associates five categories of sin with the plague of
demons that was brought forth.

They are:

• Idolatry

• Murder

• Sorcery

• Whoredom (sexual sin)

• Theft
We will examine each of these sins with regard to their connection to the
demonic realm. Attention will be given to the generation of the flood, as Yeshua
said in Matthew 24:37 that the last days would mirror the days of Noah.

IDOLATRY

At the time of the flood, mankind had sunk to its lowest in many ways. One of
these concerned the "level of idolatry" they stooped to. Although all forms of
idolatry are bad, when people go from worshipping the higher angels or men
(which are "close" to God) to the lowest demons (which are "far" from God), this
is considered a further indication of their decayed spiritual state.

Rabbi Nachmanides had the following to say about this:

The third group of idol worshippers eventually served demons, a type of spirit,
for also of them are appointed over nations to damage their enemies. Regarding
this, the verse says (Deuteronomy 32:17): "They sacrificed to demons, which
were not God: gods that they did not know; new ones recently concocted, whom
your forefathers did not dread." The verse makes fun of them; they sacrifice to
demons, which are not Divine at all. They are not [even] like angels, or separate
intelligences that are called Divine, but these are gods they never know, that is,
they have no Divinity or power, they are newly thought up, in other words, they
learned of them anew from the Egyptians, who engage in sorcery, and even your
wicked forefathers such as Terach and Nimrod weren't afraid of them. 2

MURDER

Aside from the obvious transgression of unjustly taking a human life, there is
another aspect of murder directly associated with the Sitra Atra (the evil realm).
As demons both live and die, one may ask, "What sustains and empowers
them?" It is well known that throughout history, people have sacrificed human
beings to various spiritual entities in order to acquire benefit from them. Aside
from "formal" sacrificial rites, the very act of murder (the "shedding of blood")
also empowers these beings.

We know from Scripture that blood contains the life force, therefore blood is very
powerful. Kabbalistically, when people sin they impact the subtle balance
between the physical and non-physical worlds. A sin causes "energy" to be used
in the physical world in a spiritually improper manner. As energy is taken, it must
be returned. Lucky for us, instead of taking our lives to restore this balance, God
ordained animal sacrifice as a substitute.

The forces of the Sitra Atra also know that blood, especially human blood
contains such "power." Through the shedding of human blood, these forces
acquire spiritual energy from the universe.

As an example, looking back in history, people have wondered how the Nazis
came to power and achieved such great technological advances so quickly. It is
known that the Nazis had great interest in the occult and spent huge sums of
money investigating such things. (Hollywood movies such as "Seven Years in
Tibet" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," touch on this subject.) It could be that they
were empowered by demons in exchange for all the blood they shed.

SORCERY

Sorcery involves "tapping into" the powers of what is beyond the purely physical
realm, specifically the world of Yetzirah, in a way not approved by God. There are
numerous ways to do this, including; use of drugs, spiritual incantations, and
"psychic powers."

This section of the Zohar explains how the ability to draw power from the world
of Yetzirah (through magic/divination) caused the generation of the flood to think
they did not need God and could fend off any judgment coming from Him:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 56a - R. Eleazar said: ‘In the
time of Enosh, men were skilled in magic and divination, and in the art of
controlling the heavenly forces. Adam had brought with him from the Garden of
Eden the knowledge of “the leaves of the tree”, but he and his wife and their
children did not practise it. When Enosh came, however, he saw the advantage
of these arts and how the heavenly courses could be altered by them, and he
and his contemporaries studied them and practised magic and divination. From
them these arts descended to the generation of the Flood and were practised for
evil purposes by all the men of that time. Relying upon these arts, they defied
Noah, saying that divine justice could never be executed upon them, since they
knew a way to avert it. The practice of these arts commenced with Enosh, and
hence it is said of his time, THEN WAS THE NAME OF THE LORD CALLED UPON
PROFANELY. R. Isaac said: All the righteous men that were among them sought
to restrain them, such as Jered, Methuselah, and Enoch, but without success, and
the world became full of sinners who rebelled against their Master saying, “What
is the Almighty that we should serve him?” (Job XXI, 15). This is not so foolish as
it sounds, for they knew all the arts we have mentioned and all the ruling
chieftains in charge of the world, and on this knowledge they relied, until at
length God disabused them by restoring the earth to its primitive state and
covering it with water. Later, He again restored it and made it productive, since
He looked upon it with mercy, as it is written, “The Lord sat at the Flood”-”the
Lord” signifying the attribute of mercy. In the days of Enoch even children were
acquainted with these mysterious arts.’ Said R. Yesa: ‘If so, how could they be so
blind as not to know that God intended to bring the Flood upon them and destroy
them?’ R. Isaac replied: ‘They did know, but they thought they were safe
because they were acquainted with the angel in charge of fire and the angel in
charge of water, and had means of preventing them from executing judgement
on them. What they did not know was that God rules the world and that
punishment proceeds from Him. They only saw that the world was entrusted to
those chieftains and that everything was done through them, and therefore they
took no heed of God and His works until the time came for the earth to be
destroyed and the Holy Spirit proclaimed every day, “Let sinners be consumed
out of the earth and let the wicked be no more” (Ps. CIV, 35). God gave them a
respite all the time that the righteous men Jered, Methuselah, and Enoch were
alive; but when they departed from the world, God let punishment descend upon
them and they perished, as it says, “and they were blotted out from the earth”
(Gen. VII, 23).’

SEXUAL SIN

Illicit sexual activity is associated through kabbalistic writings as actually

"creating demons." (Note how many Torah commands deal with sex, from
adultery, to homosexuality, to incest to bestiality -- and how these merit the
death penalty.)

The following passages from both Zohar and Midrash discuss the sexual sins of
Noah's time:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 66b - ‘There is no sin in the

world which so much provokes the anger of the Almighty as the sin of neglecting
the covenant, as we read, “a sword that shall execute the vengeance of the
covenant” (Lev. XXVI, 25). The proof is that in the generation of the Flood the
measure of sin was not filled up until mankind became (sexually) perverted and
destroyed their seed.

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXIII:3 - The men of the generation of the Flood
used to act thus: each took two wives, one for procreation and the other for
sexual gratification. The former would stay like a widow through- out her life,
while the latter was given to drink a potion of roots, so that she should not bear,
and then she sat before him like a harlot, as it is written, He devoureth the
barren that beareth not, and doeth not good to the widow (Job XXlV, 21). The
proof of this is that the best of them, who was Lamech, took two wives, Adah, [so
called] because he kept her away (ya'ade) from himself; and Zillah, to sit in his
shadow (zillo).

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXVI:5 - Hence it is written, For they were fair,
which refers to virgins; And they took them wives, refers to married women,
Whomsoever they chose: that means males and beasts. R. Huna said in R,
Joseph's name: The generation of the Flood were not blotted out from the world
until they composed nuptial songs in honour of pederasty and bestiality. R.
Simlai said: Wherever you find lust, an epidemic visits the world which slays both
good and bad.

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 108a - For all flesh had corrupted his way upon the
earth. R. Johanan said: This teaches that they caused beasts and animals,
animals and beasts, to copulate; and all of these were brought in connection
with man, and man with them all.

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus XXIII:9 - The Generation of the Flood were

blotted out from the world because they were steeped in whoredom. R. Samlai
observed: In every instance where you find the prevalence of whoredom, an
androlepsia1 comes upon the world and slays both good and bad. R. Huna says
in the name of R. Jose: The Generation of the Flood were only blotted out of the
world on account of their having written hymenean songs for sodomy. R.
‘Azariah in the name of R. Judah son of R. Simeon and R. Joshua b. Levi in the
name of Bar Kappara say: We find that the Holy One, blessed be He, is long-
suffering towards every offence except whoredom, and there are numerous
texts to bear this out.

On a related note, the number of Internet web sites dedicated to the practices of;
bestiality, incest and pedophilia, has increased dramatically in the past couple of
years -- another sign that we are mirroring the days of Noah.

THEFT

Should anyone consider that the inclusion of "theft" is oddly placed among the
other sins in that it is "less serious," consider what has been said about stealing:

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 108a - And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh
is come before me. R. Johanan said: Come and see how great is the power of
robbery. For lo, though the generation of the flood transgressed all laws, their
decree of punishment was sealed only because they stretched out their hands to
rob, as it is written, for the earth is filled with violence through them, and,
behold, I will destroy them with the earth. And it is ‘also written, Violence [i.e.,
robbery] is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of
their multitude, nor any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.

Midrash Rabbah - Leviticus 33:3 - It is like the case of a basketful that is full
of iniquities. Which of these discredits the basketful? Robbery.

Talmud - Mas. Baba Kama 119a - To rob a fellow-man even of the value of a
perutah [a very small amount] is like taking away his life

Talmud - Mas. Ta'anith 7b - Rain is withheld only because of the sin of violent
robbery

Talmud - Mas. Baba Bathra 88b - Ordinary robbery is worse than the robbery
of the Most High

Even Yom Kippur would not bring atonement for theft, unless the thief made
things right with his victim:

Mishnah Yoma 85b - [If one says]: I shall sin and the day of atonement will
procure atonement for me, the day of atonement procures for him no
atonement. For transgressions as between man and the omnipresent the day of
atonement procures atonement, but for transgressions as between man and his
fellow the day of atonement does not procure any atonement, until he has
pacified his fellow.

1. A Kabbalsitic Universe, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach Maine, 1977, p.94.
2. Ramban, Philosopher and Kabbalist, Chayim J. Henoch, Jason Aronson Inc.,
Jerusalem, 1998, pp. 198-199.

Revelation 10:1-11
Last update: June 19, 2002

1
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a
cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs
were like fiery pillars.
This angel, whose identity will be discussed further on, is said to be "robed in a
cloud," this being a reference to the Shekinah. The combination of cloud,
rainbow, brightness (sun) and fire is similar to the vision of Ezekiel, who
associated with a heavenly voice:
Ezekiel 1:26-28 - And above the firmament that was over their heads was the
likeness of a throne, in appearance like lapis lazuli; and upon the likeness of the
throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man upon it. And I saw something
like the color of amber, like the appearance of fire enclosed around it, from what
appeared to be his loins upward; and from what appeared to be his loins
downward, I saw what appeared to be fire, and it had brightness around it. As
the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the
appearance of the brightness around it. This was the appearance of the likeness
of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a
voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel is also said to have had a vision of the Shekinah:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 82a - To Ezekiel only the
Shekinah was revealed in Her Chariot, and he but caught glimpses of it as
though through many barriers.
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 82b - “The heavens were opened
and I saw visions (maroth) of God” (Ezek. I, 1). “Maroth” is written in a defective
form, to indicate that he merely had a vision of the Shekinah.’ Said R. Jesse: ‘But
is the Shekinah not a representation of the whole of the Deity?’ R. Jose replied:
‘The “Head” of the King is not to be compared to His “Feet”, although both are
in the “Body” of the King.’ Observe that Isaiah said “I saw (eth) the Lord” (Isa.
VI, 1), but Ezekiel said “I saw visions of God”.’ They meant, however, the same
thing, and both belonged to the same grade (of spiritual perception).
The "angel of the Lord," is also connected to the "cloud":
Exodus 14:19 - And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel,
moved and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their
face, and stood behind them;
The rainbow is said to be a "likeness" of God:
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XXXV:3 - I HAVE SET MY BOW (KASHTI) IN THE
CLOUD (IX, 13): that means, My likeness (kishuthi), something that is
comparable to Me. Is that really possible? In truth, [the bow resembles God] as
the straw resembles the grain. AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, WHEN I BRING
CLOUDS UPON THE EARTH (IX, 14). R. Judan said in name of R. Judah b. R.
Simon: This may be compared to a man who was holding in his hand some hot
flour, and was going to give it to his son, but gave it to his servant instead. AND
THE BOW SHALL BE IN THE CLOUD, etc. (IX, 16).
The presence of God is seen as shrouded in the cloud (Shekinah) when it
descends. Conversely, man (here Moses) is seen as being cloaked in the same
when approaching God:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 99a - “And Moses went into the
midst of the cloud and got him up into the mount” (Ex. XXIV, 18). ‘Now what
does the cloud signify?’ he asked, and answered his own question, saying:
‘There is a reference here to the words: “I set my bow in the cloud”: namely, the
rainbow, in reference to which we have learnt that it removed, as it were, its
outer garment and gave it to Moses, who went up to the mountain with it and
saw through it all the sights with which he was feasted there.’
This interesting passage not only shows the cloud/Shekinah as being
"protection" for Moses when he traversed the heavenly realms, but also shows
his appearance changing to resemble an image of the Lord as well:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 58a - Said R. Eleazar: ‘When
Moses entered the cloud (Ex. XXIV, 18), like a man traversing the region of the
Spirit, a certain great angel, whose name, according to tradition, is Kemuel, and
who is appointed guardian and chief over twelve thousand messengers, sought
to attack him. Thereupon Moses opened his mouth and uttered the twelve
letters of the Holy Name which the Holy One had taught him at the bush, and
the angel departed from him to a distance of twelve thousand parasangs. And
Moses walked in the midst of the cloud, his eyes flaming like coals of
fire.
2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right
foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
This angel is seen "straddling" the sea and land, representative of the angelic
world of Yetzirah (sea) and the physical world of Asiyyah (land). (Also see
comments on verse 5.) As with the effect of demons in the physical world
(discussed in the previous chapter), here too we see God's judgment/rectification
fast approaching its final phase.
3
and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of
the seven thunders spoke.
There are several clues that reveal the identity of this angel as being the
archangel Michael. The text states that he "comes down from heaven," this
being a reference to Beriah, the world of the archangels. (The "lesser" angels
exist in the world of Yetzirah.).
Michael is seen as descending in other places in Scripture. In this Midrash, he is
closely associated with the Lord Himself. This is also reflected in the Revelation
verse as this angel also speaks with "the voices of seven thunders" similar to the
voices of the Lord:
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XLIV:13 - AND HE BELIEVED IN THE LORD... AND
HE SAID UNTO HIM: I AM THE LORD THAT BROUGHT THEE OUT OF UR OF THE
CHALDEES, etc. (XV, 6 f.). R. Liezer b. Jacob said: Michael descended and
rescued Abraham from the fiery furnace. The Rabbis said: The Holy One, blessed
be He, rescued him; thus it is written, I AM THE LORD THAT BROUGHT THEE OUT
OF UR OF THE CHALDEES. And when did Michael descend? In the case of
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Psalm 29:3-9 - The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory
thunders; the Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the
voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the
Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them skip like a calf; Lebanon and
Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The
voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of
Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the hinds to calve, and strips the forests
bare; and in his temple every one speaks of his glory.
The association with the Shekinah and the Angel of the Lord (as discussed
above) is indicative of Michael:
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus II:5 - AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED (III,
2). R. Johanan said: This is Michael; R. Hanina said it was Gabriel. Whenever they
saw R. Jose the tall, they used to say, There goes our holy Rabbi, so also
whenever Michael appeared, it was realised that there was the Glory of the
Shechinah.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 143a - Observe that when Isaac
said to Esau: “and go out into the field, and take me venison”, he added, “I will
bless thee before the Lord” (Gen. XXVII, 7). Now, had Isaac said simply, “that I
may bless thee”, there would have been no harm. But when he uttered the
words “before the Lord”, the Throne of Glory of the Almighty shook and
trembled, saying: “Will the serpent now be released from his curses and Jacob
become subject to them?”.’ At that moment the angel Michael, accompanied by
the Shekinah, appeared before Jacob.
The angel in verse 3 also shouts "like a lion," which the Zohar links toMichael:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 23b - For the morning prayer
also a lion comes down to receive it in his winged arms: this is Michael.
Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 154a - MAKE UNTO THEE TWO
TRUMPETS OF SILVER, ETC. R. Simeon adduced here the verse: “And when the
Hayoth (living creatures) went, the wheels went hard by them; and when
the.Hayoth were lifted up from the bottom the wheels were lifted up” (Ezek. I,
19). ‘The Hayoth’, he said, ‘are borne along by the supernal power; and so were
the movements of the tribes below who bore on their standards the likenesses of
the Hayoth, that of Lion, Eagle, Ox, Man. Angels attended each of the standards.
The first standard bore the likeness of Lion and was attended by
Michael, who had under him two chieftains, Zophiel and Zadkiel. When these
set out numerous armed hosts moved in unison on the right-hand side whilst the
sun on the left illumined them. The Lion put forth his right hand and summoned
to himself all his hosts, to wit, three hundred and seventy thousand lions, and
they all assembled round him. When this Lion roars all the firmaments and all
their hosts and legions quiver and shake. The Fiery River blazes forth and sinks a
thousand and five hundred stages to the lower Gehinnom. Then all the sinners in
the Gehinnom shake and tremble and burn in the fire. So Scripture says: “The
lion hath roared, who will not fear?” (Amos III, 8).
The appearance of Michael at this juncture (the coming final judgments against
Asiyyah) brings to mind what Daniel said:
Daniel 12:1 - And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who has
charge of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has
been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be
saved, every one whose name shall be found written in the book.
The idea of Michael "standing up" is discussed in this Midrash, which associates
it with his withdrawing of his defense of Israel, at which point God Himself does
so:
Midrash Rabbah - Ruth Prologue I - R. Johanan said ’ Hear, O My people ‘, to
that [which was said] in the past; ‘and I will speak’ in the future; ‘Hear, O My
people’ in this world; ’and I will speak’ in the World to Come, in order that I may
have a retort to the princes of the nations of the world, who are destined to act
as their prosecutors before Me, and say ‘Lord of the Universe, they have served
idols and we have served idols; they have been guilty of immorality and we have
been guilty of immorality; they have shed blood and we have shed blood. Why
do they go into the Garden of Eden while we descend to Gehenna? ' In that
moment the defender of Israel keeps silence. That is the meaning of the verse
And at that time shall Michael stand up (Dan. XII, 1). Do they then as a rule sit in
Heaven? Did not R. Hanina say, there is no sitting in Heaven, as it is written I
came near unto one of ka'amaya (ib. VII, 16), the meaning of this word '
ka'amaya ‘ being that stood by, as it is written, Above him stood the seraphim
(Isa. VI, 2), and it s also written And all the host of heaven standing on His right
hand and on His left (II Chron. XVIII, 18)? And yet the verse says ‘shall [Michael]
stand up’!. What then is the meaning here of ’stand up’? ‘Stand silent,’ as it is
said, And shall I wait because they speak not, because they stand still, and
answer no more? (Job XXXII, 16). And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him: '
Dost thou stand silent and hast no defence to offer for My people? By thy life, I
will speak righteousness and save My people!
4
And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice
from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it
down."
A mysterious passage. The thunder of God's voice in alluded to in the Tenakh in
several places including these:
Psalm 77:19 - The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings
lightened the world; the earth trembled and shook.
Job 37:1-5 - At this also my heart trembles, and is moved from his place. Hear
attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goes out of his mouth. He
directs it under the whole heaven, and his lightning to the ends of the earth.
After it a voice roars; he thunders with the voice of his excellency; and he will
not restrain them when his voice is heard. God thunders marvelously with his
voice; he does great things which we cannot comprehend.
Midrash links the thunders with angels who carry out God's will:
Midrash Rabbah - Esther VII:18 - How many hosts are at My service, how
many lightnings, how many thunders,’ as it says, The Lord thundered with a
great thunder (X Sam. VII, 10); ' how many Seraphim and how many angels! But
My might shall go forth and fight with thee,’
Ezekiel seems to indicate this as well:
Ezekiel 3:12-13 - Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great
thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!" I also heard
the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the
noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise.
5
Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right
hand to heaven.
The text indicates a connection between the three lower worlds of Asiyyah (the
land), Yetzirah (the sea) and Beriah (heaven). This would place Michael's
"descent" at the Sephirah where the three lower worlds meet (i.e., the Malkut of
Beriah, which is simultaneously the Tipheret of Yetzirah and Keter of Asiyyah.
See previous background study on the Work of Creation.)
The raising of the right hand could be seen in a "negative" context (i.e., the
taking away of mercy in order to achieve the final rectification of the physical
world of Asiyyah. Compare this to the idea presented in 2 Thessalonians 2:7
where the one who "restrains" is "taken away.") This results in the "mystery of
God being accomplished" (verse 7) which is indeed both sweet and bitter (verse
9).
The following Midrash sheds light on the cobative roles of Michael and Samael
the accuser:
Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XVIII:5 - And at that time shall Michael stand up,
the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people (Dan. XII, 1),
because he it is who presents Israel's requirements and pleads for them, as it
says: Then the angel of the Lord spoke and said: O Lord of hosts, how long wilt
Thou not have compassion on Jerusalem (Zech. I, 12), and also: And there is
none that holdeth with me against these, except Michael your prince (Dan. X,
21). R. Jose said: To what may Michael and Samael be compared? To an
intercessor and an accuser before a tribunal: each speaks in turn, and when
each has finished the intercessor sees that he has triumphed, and he begins to
praise the judge that he may issue his verdict; and when the accuser wishes to
add anything, the intercessor says to him: ‘You remain quiet and let us hear the
judge.’ So also do Michael and Samael both stand before the Divine Presence;
Satan accuses, while Michael points out Israel's virtues, and when Satan wishes
to speak again, Michael silences him, because, as it says: I will hear what God
the Lord will speak; for He will speak peace unto His people (Ps. LXXXV, 9).3 This
is the meaning of: ’In the night I will call to remembrance my song’ (ib. LXXVII,
7),4 referring to the miracle of Hezekiah.
6
And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and
all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,
and said, "There will be no more delay!
Again we see the three worlds of creation; Heavens/Beriah, Earth/Asiyyah, and
Sea/Yetzirah, all approaching their final rectification prior to the coming of
Messiah, who will inherit all things. (See notes to chapter 6 on the rectification of
these worlds.)
7
But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the
mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the
prophets."
John's revelation is found within the sod (hidden) level of the prophecies of the
Tenakh, as it is written:
Amos 3:7 - For the Lord YHVH does nothing, except He has revealed His
counsel unto His servants the prophets.
8
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take
the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and
on the land
9
So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me,
"Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as
sweet as honey."
10
I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as
honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.
Scrolls and the act of "measuring" (i.e., Chapter 11) are often indicative of
coming judgment.
John's scroll is reminiscent of two others. In Zechariah chapter 5 a scroll is
associated with spiritual falsehood and Babylon (Shinar). The scroll in Ezekiel
chapter 3 is linked to Israel not turning to God in faith. Both are key issues in the
coming chapters.
11
Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations,
languages and kings."
John is told that his prophecy will enter into yet another stage. For the next
several chapters the primary focus of the revelation is events in the world of
Asiyyah, made up of peoples, nations, languages and kings.

Revelation 11:1-19
Last update: May 18, 2003

There are several keys to understanding this chapter, that evolve around the
relationships between the Sephirot (especially the lower four of Yesod, Netzach,
Hod and and Malkut). One is how the earth and mankind (which are associated
with Malkut), receive physical and spiritual sustenance from above, via Yesod. A
second key is the function of Netzach and Hod with regard to the Yesod-Malkut
connection. A third is how the unification of Malkut to Yesod (and therefore to
the remaining Sephirot above) relates to the coming of the Millennial Temple.
1
And there was given to me a reed like to a rod, and the messenger stood,
saying, `Rise, and measure the sanctuary of God, and the altar, and those
worshipping in it;

The idea of measurement is associated with God's judgment and the left side of
the Tree of Life. The Sephirah of Binah (Understanding) sits atop the left side of
the Tree of Life and is linked particularly with the heavenly Temple as
understood kabbalistically in this verse:

Proverbs 9:1 - Wisdom (Chokmah) has built her house (Temple-Binah), She has
hewn out her seven pillars. (The seven lower Sephirot)

The Temple being measured by John is the coming "Third Temple" (re: Ezekiel
chapters 40-48) which will have an earthy abode during the Millennial Kingdom,
a time of strict judgment, when Messiah "rules with a rod of iron."
Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCVII - THE SCEPTRE [STAFF] SHALL NOT DEPART
FROM JUDAH alludes to the Messiah, son of David, who will chastise the State
with a staff, as it says, Thou shalt break them with a rod [staff] of iron (Psalm
2:9).
2
and the court that is without the sanctuary leave out, and thou mayest not
measure it, because it was given to the nations, and the holy city they shall
tread down forty-two months;

Forty-two is a significant number as has been discussed in various places earlier

in this study. (See background file on the Unique Name of God.) The number
forty-two is associated with the timing of significant events. For example, there
are the forty-two segments of the Israelites journey in the wilderness. This leads
to their arrival in the Promised Land, symbolic of what the future holds when
they will be permanently brought in at the time of Messiah - a time of unification
of above and below.

This is reflected in the Midrash Rabbah:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:41 - MY MOTHER'S SONS, the sons of
my nation, namely the spies, WERE INCENSED AGAINST ME: they attacked me,
they filled the Judge with wrath against me. THEY MADE ME KEEPER OF THE
VINEYARDS: because I stayed in the wilderness journeying forty-two stages, I
was not able to enter the land of Israel. Hence, MY OWN VINEYARD I DID NOT
KEEP.

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXV:5 - The manna descended after [they had
traveled] forty-two stages

There are also the forty-two generations between Adam and Yeshua as
presented by Matthew. Again, with Messiah on earth in the form of Yeshua, you
have the symbolism of unity of above and below:

Matthew 1:17 - So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen
generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations,
and from the captivity in Babylon until the Messiah are fourteen generations.

Returning to the text, in the scenario depicted by John, there are two segments
of forty-two months, which combined equal seven years. This seven years is the
final shemita week of Daniel's prophecy of the seventy shemita cycles, which
have to do with the coming of Messiah.

The distinction between the two sets of forty-two months may be reflected in this
verse:

Daniel 9:26b-27 - ... the Leader who hath come doth destroy the people; and
its end is with a flood, and till the end is war, determined are desolations. And he
hath strengthened a covenant with many -- one week, and in the midst of the
week he causeth sacrifice and present to cease, and by the wing of
abominations he is making desolate, even till the consummation, and that which
is determined is poured on the desolate one.'

The above concept seems to reflect what Yeshua and Paul warned of:

Matthew 24:15-16 - "Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation,'

spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let
him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 - Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord

Yeshua the Messiah and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be
soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if
from us, as though the day of Messiah had come. Let no one deceive you by any
means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the
man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself
above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Thus, it would seem that the two sets of forty-two months represent the
following:

• The first forty-two months lead up the anti-Messiah proclaiming himself to

be God. (The time of "union" between the counterfeit Tzaddik with his
"false bride.")

• The second set of forty-two months lead up the union of the true Tzaddik
with His bride and creation of the Temple.

As mentioned in an earlier study, the number forty-two is associated with the

idea of the gate to the Holy of Holies of the third Temple, whose measurements
are 6 cubits by 7 cubits (6x7=42). This gate comes into fullness when the
heavenly groom and bride come together, as will occur with the coming of
Messiah.

This union may be viewed in two ways, that being the 7th Sephirah of Malkut (of
the lower seven) is joined with either:

• the sixth Sephirot of Yesod, which is viewed kabbalistically as either the

groom or the servant that connects her to the groom (Tipheret), or

• the six Sephirot above (Yesod, Hod, Netzach, Tipheret, Gevurah and
Hesed), by way of the direction connection between to Yesod. (Recall on
the Tree of Life that Malkut's sole coupling to the other Sephirot is through
Yesod)

The "unifying of above and below" may be seen in rod of Moses, which acted as
a "connecting agent" in the fashion of Yesod. This rod is said to have the name of
42 letters engraved upon it:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 9a - “And in the Egyptian's hand

was a spear like a weaver's beam” (I Chr. XI, 23). This alludes to the divine rod
which was in Moses’ hand, and on which there was engraved the divine ineffable
Name radiating in various combinations of letters. These same letters were in
possession of Bezalel, who was called “weaver”, and his school, as it is written:
“Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart... of the craftsman and the skilled
workman, and the weaver, etc.” (Exod. XXXV, 35). So that rod had engraved on
it the ineffable Name on every side, in forty-two various combinations, which
were illumined in different colours.

As discussed in earlier studies, this same "connecting rod" is associated with

Metatron:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 27a - AND THE LORD GOD TOOK
THE MAN AND PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ETC. From whence did he take
him? He took him from the four elements which are hinted at in the verse “and
from there it parted and became four heads”. God detached him from these and
placed him in the Garden of Eden. So does God do now to any man created from
the four elements when he repents of his sins and occupies himself with the
Torah; God takes him from his original elements, as it is said, “and from there he
parts”, i.e. he separates himself from the desires which they inspire, and God
places him in his garden, which is the Shekinah, “to dress it”, by means of
positive precepts, “and to keep it”, by means of negative precepts. If he keeps
the law, he makes himself master of the four elements, and becomes a river
from which they are watered, and they obey him and he is their ruler. But if he
transgresses the law, they are watered from the bitterness of the tree of evil,
which is the evil inclination, and all his limbs are full of bitterness; but when the
members of the body are kept holy from the side of good, it may be said of them
that “they came to Marah and were not able to drink waters from Marah, for they
were bitter” (Ex. XV, 23). Similarly, the study of the Talmud is bitter compared
with that of the esoteric wisdom, of which it is said, “And God showed him a
tree” (Ibid.); this is a tree of life, and through it “the waters were sweetened”.
Similarly of Moses it is written, “And the staff of God was in his hand.” This rod is
Metatron, from one side of whom comes life and from the other death. When the
rod remains a rod, it is a help from the side of good, and when it is turned into a
serpent it is hostile, so that “Moses fled from it”, and God delivered it into his
hand. This rod typifies the Oral Law which prescribes what is permitted and what
is forbidden. When Moses struck the rock God took it back from him, and “he
went down to him with a rod” (II Sam. XXXIII, 21), to smite him with it, the “rod”
being the evil inclination, which is a serpent, the cause of the captivity.

GEMMATRIA

Metatron is also associated with the "connecting Sephirah" of Yesod by way of

having the same numerical value as the name Shaddai, which is the Name of
God associated with that Sephirah:

Metatron = MEM (40), TET (9), TET (9), RESH (200), VAV (6), NUN (50) = 314
Shaddai = SHIN (300), DALET (4), YOD (10) = 314
Recall that the letter Vav, associated with the Tzaddik/Yesod and having the
numerical value of six, is written/drawn in the form of a "hook" that joins things
together.

Part of the mystical meaning of the vav is rendered as follows:

The internal force of the line is the power to reveal the inherent interinclusion of
the various aspects of reality, one in the other, thereby joining them together as
an organic whole. This property of the letter vav, in its usage in Hebrew, is
referred to as vav hachibur, the vav of connection"--"and." The first vav of the
Torah--"In the beginning G-d created the heavens and [vav] the earth"--serves to
join spirit and matter, heaven and the earth, throughout Creation.1

The Sephirah of Yesod and its role connecting above and below will be significant
in the ensuing verses.
3
and I will give to My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy days, a thousand,
two hundred, sixty, arrayed with sackcloth;

Again we see forty-two months (1260 divided by a 30 day month = 42 months)

as a specific measure of time associated with both judgment (i.e., "sackcloth")
and the coming Temple.
4
these are the two olive [trees], and the two lamp-stands that before the God
of the earth do stand;

This verse is an allusion to Zechariah:

Zechariah 4:1-14 - And the angel who talked with me came again, and waked
me, like a man who is wakened out of his sleep, And he said to me, What do you
see? And I said, I have looked, and behold a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl
upon its top, and seven lamps on it, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which
are upon its top; And there are two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of
the bowl, and the other upon its left side. And I answered and spoke to the angel
who talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? Then the angel who talked
with me answered and said to me, Do you not know what these are? And I said,
No, my lord. Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, This is the word of the
Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says
the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you
shall become a plain! And he shall bring forward its headstone, shouting Grace,
grace to it. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, The hands of
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish
it; and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For who has
despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the
plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of the Lord,
which run to and fro through the whole earth. Then I answered, and said to him,
What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the lampstand and upon its
left side? And I answered again, and said to him, What are these two olive
branches which are beside the two golden sprouts, from which the golden oil is
poured out? And he answered me and said, Do you not know what these are?
And I said, No, my lord. And he said, These are the two anointed ones, who
stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

When placing the elements of Zechariah and John's visions upon the Tree of Life,
the lampstand (Menorah) is representative of the community of Israel and the
Shekinah, who are upon the earth.The bowl atop of the Menorah is Yesod, and
the Olive Trees (the two witnesses / anointed ones) are Hod and Netzah. The
following texts help explain more of what Zechariah and John are referring to.

The "house" ("Beit") is the Temple (associated with Binah - see comments to
11:1 above), which rests upon the lower seven Sephirot (called God's "seven
eyes"). All of this is said to rest upon a foundation stone, which is the headstone
mentioned by Zechariah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 186a - So Scripture says:

“Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars” (Proverbs
9:1). These in turn are upheld by one grade from among them called “the
Righteous One (Tzaddik/Yesod), the everlasting foundation” (Proverbs 10:25).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 231a - R. Jose discoursed on the

verse: Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened ? (Job 38:6). He said:
‘When God created the world, He established it on seven pillars, but upon what
those pillars rest no one may know, since it is a recondite and inscrutable
mystery. The world did not come into being until God took a certain stone, which
is called the “foundation stone”, and cast it into the abyss so that it held fast
there, and from it the world was planted. This is the central point of the universe,
and on this point stands the holy of holies. This is the stone referred to in the
verses, “Who laid the corner-stone thereof” (Ibid. 6), “the stone of testing, the
precious corner-stone” (Isaiah 28:16), and “the stone that the builders despise
became the head of the corner” (Psalm 118:22). This stone is compounded of
fire, water, and air, and rests on the abyss. Sometimes water flows from it and
fills the deep. This stone is set as a sign in the centre of the world. It is referred
to in the words, “And Jacob took a stone and set it as a pillar” (Genesis 31:45).
Not that he took this stone, which was created from the beginning, but he
established it above and below, by making there a “house of God”. This stone
has on it seven eyes, as it is written, “On one stone seven eyes” (Zechariah 3:9),
and it is called “foundation stone”, for one thing because the world was planted
from it, and for another because God set it as a source of blessing to the world.

The following verses explains how this foundation stone is the "hidden force"
behind creation as well as the building of the Tabernacle, which represents (and
links) above and below. Note that the union of Yesod and Malkut is said to be
symbolized by the Tabernacle:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 127a - As to the words “great is

Thy goodness”, these connote the Foundation of the world, as in the verse,
“great goodness towards the house of Israel” (Isaiah. 63:7). This is here said to
be “hidden”, because it has been stored away like the primordial light (which is
called “good”). The verse continues: ”Which Thou has wrought for those who
trust in Thee”. Yea, for in this Foundation is the fabrication of the whole, of all
the world, of souls and spirits; this is the hidden force behind the creation of the
(lower) heaven and earth, and this is also the hidden force behind the building of
the Tabernacle, which was erected in the likeness both of the world above and of
the world below. This is the significance of the words: “that they take me a
heave offering”: two grades [Tr. Note: Yesod and Malkuth.] become united as
one in the Tabernacle which is the emblem of that union.’

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 72a - R. Judah began to expound

the verse, “And this stone which I have set up for a pillar shall be God's house”
(Genesis 28:22). ‘That stone’, he said, ‘was the foundation stone out of which the
world evolved, and on which the Temple was built.’ The Judean raised his head
and said, ‘How is this possible? This foundation stone was created before the
world, to be the point from which the world evolved, and yet you say that it is
referred to in the verse, “and this stone which I have set up for a pillar”, which
indicates that Jacob put it there, this being the same stone of which it is said,
“and he took the stone that he had put under his head” (Ibid. I8).

The golden bowl seen above the Menorah, is interpreted in one of two ways; a)
as a sign Israel is accompanied by the Shekinah in their exile, or b) Israel's
redeemer (Yesod):

Midrash Rabbah - Ecclesiastes IV:1 - The Holy One, blessed be He, spake,
‘Since they were under a disability in this world, as regards the Hereafter
Zechariah says, " I see that they have seats [of pure gold]," as it is stated,
Behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl (gullah) upon the top of it... and two
olive-trees by it’ (Zechariah 4:2 f.). Two teachers differ about the meaning of the
world ‘gullah’. One said that it signifies ‘captivity’ (golah), while the other said
that it signifies ' redemption ' (ge'ulah). He who said that it signifies ‘captivity’
refers it to the exile to Babylon and the exile of the Shechinah with them. He
who said that it signifies ‘redemption’ refers it to the Redeemer...

John's text shows us that the two witnesses have an impact on the amount of
light that descends from above to the earth. With the absence of God's light
comes all sorts of plagues and death. This is a direct function of that aspect of
God associated with the Sephirah of Yesod. On the left and right of Yesod, are
the Sephirot of Hod and Netzach, which in this case operate via the work of these
two anointed ones/witnesses that stand on each side. Yesod is said to "arbitrate"
between Hod and Netzach.

These two Sephirah are associated with war on earth and prophecy, and are
referred to as "disciples" of God:

Know that these two attributes ... sustain all the heavenly and earthly hosts in
the world and are responsible for all the wars of the world ... It is from this place
that prophecy is nurtured. 2

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 61a - When the holy oil flows to
those two pillars [Tr. note: Nezah and Hod.] that are called “the disciples of the
Lord”, it is gathered in there, and when it issues thence through the grade called
Yesod to this lesser Wisdom (Malkut), it is called “the tongue of the disciples”,
and it goes forth to arouse the superior holy saints.

Another aspect of Netzah and Hod, as seen in the phrase, These are the two
anointed ones, who stand by the Lord of the whole earth, is that of being the
place of counsel alongside God:

Know that these two attributes, Netzach and Hod are the Makom haEytzah (the
Place of Counsel) for the heavenly court. The essence of this is, "For YHVH
Tzvaot has conferred, so who will retract it?" (Isaiah 14:27) For when God,
Blessed be He, decrees from the heavenly court, He confers with these two
attributes. Thus it is written: "This is the counsel that has been conferred upon
all the land. (Isaiah 14:26) And it is written: For YHVH Tzvaot has conferred, so
who will retract it? (Isaiah 14:27) 3

As discussed in earlier studies, the term "mountain" ("Har") often has to do with
spiritual forces - either positive in negative. As Zerubbabel is coming against the
"great mountain" in Zechariah's text, we know that this mountain is from the evil
side, and is indeed THE great mountain, that of Samael/haSatan, that rules over
Edom/Rome in the last days.

This is what will continue to hold back the building of Har Tziyon (Mount
Zion/Yesod) and the building of the altar on Har Moriyah (Mount Moria/Malkhut)
until the time has come for Edom to be punished and receive its revenge. When
will this be? When the Harrei Tziyon will wear the garments of vengeance, which
are the names YHVH Tzvaot (Netzach) and Elohim Tzvaot (Hod) and then dwell
on Har Tziyon. These are the names which are known as Liberators, YHWH,
Elohim and Tzvaot, the essence of which is proved in the verse, "And the
liberators went up from Har Tziyon to judge Har Esav (the mountain of Esau...
Obadiah 1:21) ... this is Amalek, the son of Esau with whom God has to wage war
and he is the one who prosecutes against Har Tzi, and he is Samael, Esav's
guardian angel who went against the Brit (covenant) of peace (Yesod). 4

Jewish tradition suggests that Moses and Elijah will come at the end and may be
the ones to fill these roles of Netzach and Hod in the physical realm.

Regarding the reference in Zechariah to "the day of small things," the Talmud
indicates that this has to do with a time of famine, which is reflective of this
seven-year period:

Talmud - Mas. Sotah 48b - AND MEN OF FAITH DISAPPEARED. R. Isaac said:
These are men who had faith in the Holy One, blessed be He. For it has been
taught: R. Eliezer the Great declares: Whoever has a piece of bread in his basket
and Says. ‘What shall I eat tomorrow?’ belongs only to them who are little in
faith. And that is what R. Eleazar said: What means that which is written: For
who hath despised the day of small things? [It signifies,] What is the cause
that the tables of the righteous are despoiled in the Hereafter? The smallness [of
faith] which was in them, that they did not trust in the Holy One, blessed be He.
Raba said: They are the little ones among the children of the wicked of Israel
who despoil the verdict upon their fathers in the Hereafter, Saying before Him,
‘Sovereign of the Universe! Since thou art about to exact punishment of them,
why hast Thou blunted their teeth?’

(Note from Soncino Talmud: "The above term "blunted their teeth" has to do with
causing them suffering in this world by our death in childhood.)

Rabbi Moshe Luzzatto, in his work on this Temple, offers the following insight
which connects Gevurah, the Sephirah of judgment, to the Sephirah of Yesod:

All the various chambers, courtyards, and other places, are built by one
"builder": this is the ninth light (Yesod - Foundation) called by the sages, "the life
of the worlds," since it is the source of life for all. This light is called "a rod," and
now indeed it is the "measuring rod," since it included the quality of strict
measure in order to set limits to the various buildings and structures that
emerge from it. It is really the "linen cord," that signifies the quality of strict
measure, for linen is rooted in Gevurah, strength, strict judgment and limitation.
5

Luzzatto's reference is found in the book of Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 40:3 - And he brought me there, and, behold, there was a man, whose
appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a thread of flax ("pishteh" =
linen) in his hand, and a measuring reed; and he stood at the gate.

(Refer back to verse 1 regarding the measuring reed.)

Linen is seen as being associated with Gevurah via the breastplate of judgment:

Exodus 28:15 - And you shall make the breastplate of judgment with skilful
work; after the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue, and of
purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shall you make it.

The Sephirah Yesod is also associated with the name of God known as Shaddai.
The Hebrew term "dai" means "enough," again indicating the idea of judgment
and measurement.

Another interesting aspect to this vision shared by Zechariah and John is found in
the following Midrash that makes both a connection between Zerubbabel and
Messiah:

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis XCVII - Again, from the tribe of Judah there came
forth Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and it is written, Speak now to Zerubbabel
the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah (Hag. II, 2). And it is written, In that day
saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of
Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet; for I have chosen thee
(ib. 23); and it is written, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of
this house (Zech. IV, 9): also, For who hath despised the day of small things (ib.
10)? also, Who art thou, O great mountain before Zerubbabel (ib. 7)?
Furthermore, the royal Messiah will be descended from the tribe of Judah, as it
says, And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth
for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek (Isa. XI, 10). Thus
from the tribe of Judah were descended Solomon, who built the first Temple, and
Zerubbabel who built the second Temple; and [from him will be descended] the
royal Messiah, who will rebuild the Temple. Thus we find that these two tribes,
Judah and Levi, are the most distinguished in their lineage of all Israel, since in
them were royalty and priesthood.

Lastly, it should be noted that in John's text he refers to two Menorahs. This
seems to reflect the idea of heavenly Israel and earthly Israel:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3 Page 40a - All the life of this world that
they inherit is derived from the World-to-come, because that is life both above
and below, and the place where the “treasured wine” commences, and from
which life and holiness issue. And Israel use wine on account of the wine of
another Israel, for the supernal Israel derives life therefrom, and therefore they
bless the Holy One with wine. Hence, when the idolater, who is unclean and
defiles anyone who associates with him, touches the wine of Israel it becomes
unclean and is forbidden; all the more the wine which he himself makes. All the
practices of Israel are on the supernal pattern, and especially their offering of
wine, which holds a very high rank, like the “treasured wine”. Hence Israel drink
the wine of Israel which has been made in holiness, as is fitting, just as the Israel
above drinks of that holy wine, and they do not drink wine which has been made
in defilement and from the side of defilement, for the spirit of uncleanness rests
on it, and if one drinks it his spirit is defiled and he is not of the side of Israel and
has no share in the World-to-come, which is the “treasured wine”.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 65b - AND MOSES SAID UNTO
JOSHUA, CHOOSE US OUT MEN, AND GO OUT, FIGHT WITH AMALEK. Why did
Moses abstain from fighting the first battle which God Himself commanded?
Because he was able to divine the true meaning of his Master's command. Hence
he said: “I will prepare myself for the war above, and thou, Joshua, prepare
thyself for the war below.” This is the meaning of the words: ”When Moses lifted
up his hand, Israel prevailed” (Ibid. v, 11), namely Israel above. Therefore Moses
did not participate in the war on earth, so that he might throw himself with
greater zeal into the war in Heaven, and thus promote victory on earth. Said R.
Simeon: ‘Let us not think lightly of this war with Amalek. Verily, from the creation
of the world until then, and since then till the coming of the Messiah, there has
been and will be no war like that, nor can even the war of Gog and Magog be
compared with it; and this not because of the mighty armies taking part in it, but
because it was launched against all the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be
He.’

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 185a - “Woe is thee, Moab”; he

that was thy shield has been crushed. Seeing this, “Moab was sore afraid of the
people”-more than of death, because they saw that Israel prevailed above and
below, over their Chieftains and Rulers above, and over their chieftains and
rulers below. Israel, in fact, was the “great one”, the elder and the holy one, and
not Esau.

Talmud - Mas. Ta'anith 5a - The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I will not
enter the heavenly Jerusalem until I can enter the earthly Jerusalem’. Is there
then a heavenly Jerusalem?-Yes; for it is written, Jerusalem thou art builded as a
city that is compact together.
5
and if any one may will to injure them, fire doth proceed out of their mouth,
and doth devour their enemies, and if any one may will to injure them, thus it
behoveth him to be killed.
6
These have authority to shut the heaven, that it may not rain rain in the days
of their prophecy, and authority they have over the waters to turn them to blood,
and to smite the land with every plague, as often as they may will.

The turning of waters to blood is of course a repetition of Moses' actions in

Egypt, which (as discussed above) involved the use of his rod, which is
associated with Yesod, El Shaddai and Metatron.)

As mentioned, "rain" is an allusion to both spiritual and physical provision. Here

we see a connection between the appearance and prophecy of these two
witnesses and a lack of such heavenly provision as discussed above.

In our notes to Revelation 6:6, we discussed how the Talmud teaches that during
the seven year tribulation, "rain" will become scarce (and thus God's blessings
are withheld from the earth):

Sanhedrin 97a - The rabbis taught: The seven-year cycle during which
Moshiach will come, in the first year, the verse, "I caused it to rain on one city,
but on another city, I did not cause it to rain" (Amos 4:7). In the second year,
slight famine (Rashi: a slight famine so that no place will be completely
satisfied). In the third year, the famine will be great, and men, women, children,
pious people, and men of good deeds will die; Torah will be forgotten by those
who learned it. In the fourth year, some will be satiated while others will not, but
in the fifth year there will be plenty and people will eat, drink, and be joyous, and
Torah will return to those who learned it. In the sixth year, there will be voices ...
In the seventh year, there will be war.

The lack of "rain" resulting in famine (spiritual and physical) on earth is caused
by the "break" between Malkut/Shekinah below and Yesod/Shaddai above. This
may be understood kaballistically as follows:

... the primary place for the Shechinah is on earth, as alluded to: "And the earth
is my footstool." (Isaiah 66:1), and when the Shekinah receives nurture from the
blessings above she is called mikveh hamayim (pool of water) and when she
does not receive her blessings she is called yabashah (dry land).6

As mentioned, all blessing that flows from above to below must pass through the
Sephirah of Yesod, which is linked to El Shaddai:
This attribute (Yesod) is sometimes known as El Shaday. The reason is that this
attribute brings the power, the fulfillment, the everflow, and the emanations into
the name Adonai (Malkut), until it says "That is enough" ("Shedy") ... the
essential principle to be learned is that the attribute El Shaday gives sustenance
to all creatures and sends forth the blessings ... This attribute (Yesod/Shaddai) is
responsible for the prevention of tribulation in the world, therefore Jacob our
father, peace be with him, prayed to El Shaday. This attribute is also referred to
as makor mayim chayyim (the fountain of living waters).7

Yesod/Shaddai thus determines whether God's blessings flow or are withheld, in

the latter case resulting in evil and death becoming greater throughout
Malkut/earth:

... the one who distances himself from this attribute will be confronted with
death and evil. The construct of good is mirrored by the identical construct of
evil to which the verse in Ecclesiastes alludes: So in times of good fortune enjoy
the good fortune; and in times of misfortune reflect; the one no less than the
other was God's doing. (Ecclesiastes 7:14). This attribute is called Yesod, for just
as a house rests on its foundations (Yesodot) so does Adonay (Malkut) rest on
the attribute of Yesod. 8

... Tzadik (Yesod) stands as an overseer over humanity and when he sees them
involved in Torah study and mitzvot (good deeds) yearning to purify themselves
while behaving in purity and cleanliness, then the attribute Tzadik spreads and
broadens filling itself with a vast array of everflow and energy from above in
order to empty it into the attribute Adonay (Malkut/earth), which gives great
reward to those who cleave to the Torah and the commandments, purifying
themselves. ... If, heaven forbid, humanity defiles itself, distancing itself from the
Torah and the commandments, choosing instead iniquity, wickedness and
deceit, the attribute Tzadik stands, observing their deeds. When it sees
humanity defiling itself, disdaining the Torah and its commandments while
performing iniquities and deceits, the attribute Tzadik collects itself and soars far
above, thereby ceasing the ebb and flow of the channels. Then the attribute
Adonai (Malkut/earth) is left like a barren land, desolate and empty of all that is
good. This is the essence of the verse: "... Because of evil, the Tzadik was taken
away." (Isaiah 57:1) 9

The above idea may shed light on a very mysterious verse from the "New
Testament":

2 Thessalonians 2:7 - For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work,

but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so until he is taken out of
the way.

If Tzadik/Yesod so withdraws, the result is devastating. Malkut/Shekinah then:

... draws from external elements known as ra choleh (evil sickness) which
contains all kinds of destructive forces and sufferings, These, in turn, are sent
into the world to all living creatures, each according to how he is judged. Thus
the world becomes filled with plagues and afflictions. 10
7
`And when they may finish their testimony, the beast that is coming up out of
the abyss shall make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them,

This is the first mention of a spiritual "beast" in a negative sense. The entry of
this beast into physical realm from out of the abyss is a direct result of the
unrighteousness of mankind:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 269a - THEN THE CLOUD

COVERED THE TENT OF MEETING, whereby the Shekinah dwelt on the earth, and
the unclean spirit, designated “end of all flesh”, passed out of the
world and disappeared into the cavern of the great abyss. The Holy Spirit
had thus sole sway over the world, as Scripture says: “Then the cloud covered
the tent of meeting”. It is further written: AND MOSES WAS NOT ABLE TO ENTER
INTO THE TENT OF MEETING, BECAUSE THE CLOUD ABODE THEREON, in other
words, because the Holy Spirit hovered over the world and the unclean spirit
passed out. The wicked, however, draw him again into the world, and if
not for them he would completely disappear. But in the days to come the Holy
One, blessed be He, will cause him to pass completely out of the world, as
Scripture says: “He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe
away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away
from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it” (Isa. xxv, 8); also, “and (I will
cause) the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zech. XIII, 3).
8
and their dead bodies [are] upon the broad-place of the great city (that is
called spiritually Sodom, and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified,)

The "broad place" is an allusion to the Temple Mount. The text gives a negative
connotation to Jerusalem in light of the lack of Torah emanating from there.
However, as with the Tzadik who falls only to rise to greater heights than before
(see background study on Messiah as Tzadik), so does Jerusalem "fall" spiritually
at the end of days only to reach a far greater glory in the Millennium:

Isaiah 2:3 - And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

The above verse is yet another allusion to the unification of Yesod (Zion) and
Malkut (Jerusalem.)
9
and they shall behold -- they of the peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and
nations -- their dead bodies three days and a half, and their dead bodies they
shall not suffer to be put into tombs,

The "three and half days" mirrors the idea of the 42 months (three and a half
years), both being "a half of seven."
10
and those dwelling upon the land shall rejoice over them, and shall make
merry, and gifts they shall send to one another, because these -- the two
prophets -- did torment those dwelling upon the land.'

This stubborn refusal to heed the truth provokes God to lessen His mercy. As
mentioned by Paul (in a passage related to the very last days of the anti-
Messiah), when people reach this point, God will even "give them the rope with
which they can hang themselves":

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 - And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in

them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they
might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that
they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
11
And after the three days and a half, a spirit of life from God did enter into
them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding
them,
12
and they heard a great voice out of the heaven saying to them, `Come up
hither;' and they went up to the heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld
them;

The "voice out of the heaven" is called the Bat Kol (literally "daughter of a voice")
in Hebraic literature and is associated with determining who is worthy of
ascending into the heavenly clouds:

Talmud - Mas. Chagigah 14b - Moreover, in my dream, I and ye were reclining

on Mount Sinai, when a Bath Kol was sent to us, [saying]: Ascend hither, ascend
hither! [Here are] great banqueting chambers, and fine dining couches prepared
for you;

Talmud - Mas. Chagigah 13a - A Bath Kol went forth and said to him: O
wicked man, son of a wicked man, grandson of Nimrod, the wicked, who stirred
the whole world to rebellion against Me by his rule. How many are the years of
man? Seventy, for it is said: The days of our years are threescore years and ten,
or even by reason of strength fourscore years. But the distance from the earth to
the firmament is a journey of five hundred years, and the thickness of the
firmament is a journey of five hundred years, and likewise [the distance]
between one firmament and the other. Above them are the holy living creatures:
the feet of the living creatures are equal to all of them [together]; the ankles of
the living creatures are equal to all of them; the legs of the living creatures are
equal to all of them; the knees of the living creatures are equal to all of them;
the thighs of the living creatures are equal to all of them; the bodies of the living
creatures are equal to all of them; the necks of the living creatures are equal to
all of them; the heads of the living creatures are equal to all of them; the horns
of the living creatures are equal to all of them. Above them is the throne of
glory; the feet of the throne of glory are equal to all of them; the throne of glory
is equal to all of them. The King, the Living and Eternal God, High and Exalted,
dwelleth above them. Yet thou didst say, I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds, I will be like the Most High! Nay , thou shalt be brought down to the
nether-world, to the uttermost parts of the pit.

This is similar to a passage regarding Yeshua after His resurrection:

Acts 1:9-11 - And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was
taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked
stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in
white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Yeshua, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

The heavenly clouds are associated with the Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 176b - Who is this that cometh
out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and
frankincense, with all powders of the merchant (S. S. III, 6). ‘When Israel’, he
said, ‘were journeying in the wilderness, the Shekinah went in front of them, as it
is written: “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead
them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light” (Ex. XIII, 22).
They on their side followed its guidance; wherefore it is written: “Thus saith the
Lord: I remember thee the affection of thy youth, the love of thine espousals;
how thou wentest after me in the wilderness, etc.” (Jer. II, 2). The Shekinah was
accompanied by all the clouds of glory, and when it journeyed the Israelites took
up their march, as it says: “And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the
tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed, etc.” (Num. IX, 17). And
when the Shekinah ascended, the cloud also ascended on high, so that all men
looked up and asked: “Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars
of smoke?”

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 51b - AND THE PILLAR OF THE
CLOUD REMOVED FROM BEFORE THEM AND STOOD BEHIND THEM. What was
this pillar of cloud? R. Jose said that it was the cloud which is always seen with
the Shekinah, the cloud into which Moses entered (Ex. XXIV, 18). R. Abba said
that it was that which supports the Zaddik, coming from the side of Grace
(Hesed), wherefore it went by day, while there was another cloud which went by
night and was called “pillar of fire”.’ R. Simeon said that the pillar of cloud by
day represented Abraham (Mercy), and the pillar of fire by night, Isaac
(Severity), both attributes being united in the Shekinah, through the agency of
the grade mentioned by R. Abba.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 143b - the Song of Songs

represents the “Cup of Blessing” when tendered by the Right Hand, and
therefore all love and joy is found therein, as in no other song in the world.
Therefore was this song aroused from the side of the Patriarchs.‘On the day
when this song was revealed the Shekinah descended to earth, as it is written,
“And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud.” Why?
Because “the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord” (I Kings VIII, 11)
The Shekinah is associated with the abode of souls following death:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 53a - R. Eleazar said: ‘When a man
is on the point of leaving this world, his soul suffers many chastisements along
with his body before they separate. Nor does the soul actually leave him until
the Shekinah shows herself to him, and then the soul goes out in joy and love to
meet the Shekinah. If he is righteous, he cleaves and attaches himself to her.

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 152b - IF ANY MAN (lit. a man, a
man) OF YOU... SHALL BE UNCLEAN, ETC. What signifies the repetition of the
term “a man”? It signifies “a man who is a man”, that is, who is otherwise
worthy of the name “man”, and fit to receive the supernal soul, but who has
allowed himself to be blemished and defiled so that the Shekinah cannot abide
with him.
13
and in that hour came a great earthquake, and the tenth of the city did fall,
and killed in the earthquake were names of men -- seven thousands, and the rest
became affrighted, and they gave glory to the God of the heaven.

Earthquakes are associated with Netzach and Hod via the "Hosts" (Tzvaot) of
heaven (YHVH Tzvaot and Elohim Tzvaot):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 231a - This covenant is the

secret of faith. Or we may interpret the “chosen one” of the Zaddik from whom
issue blessings to all the lower creation, all the holy Hayyoth being blessed from
the stream which flows forth to the lower world. “I have sworn unto David my
servant”, to wit, that he will always be established in this Zaddik, the foundation
of the world, save in the time of galuth, when the flow of blessing is cut off, and
faith is defective, and all joy is banished. During this period, at nightfall, joy no
longer enters before the King. Yet, though rejoicings do not enter, angels stand
outside and chant hymns, and at midnight when the impulse from below arrives
on high, God arouses all the hosts of the heaven for lamentation and
strikes the firmament, causing upper and lower worlds to quake; nor is
there any respite save when those below commence to study the Torah. Then
God and all those with Him listen with joy to that voice, and relief is felt. For on
the day on which the Sanctuary below was destroyed, God swore that He would
not enter the celestial Jerusalem until Israel should enter the earthly Jerusalem.
Now all those singers stand outside and chant hymns in the three watches of the
night and intone praises, and all the hosts of the heavens sing at night and Israel
by day, nor is the sanctification recited above until it is recited by Israel below,
and only then do all the hosts of heaven sanctify the holy name together. Hence,
Israel are holy and are sanctified by upper and lower angels, since the
sanctification of the holy name is complete only when uttered above and below
together.’

The earthquake comes subsequent to the death of the witnesses in a similar

fashion to another:
Matthew 27:51-53 - Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves
were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city
and appeared to many.

The above verse from Matthew offers a parallel to verses 13-19 in this text. In
Matthew we have the veil of the Temple being torn, an earthquake and
resurrection. John's text shows an earthquake in verse 13, reward (resurrection)
in verse 18 and the opening of the heavenly Holy of Holies in verse 19.
14
The second wo did go forth, lo, the third wo doth come quickly.
15
And the seventh messenger did sound, and there came great voices in the
heaven, saying, `The kingdoms of the world did become [those] of our Lord and
of His Messiah, and he shall reign to the ages of the ages!'

This would seem to end the sixth "trumpet judgment." With the arrival of the
"seventh" comes an aspect of unity with the six before (union or Malkut and
Yesod) and coming of the Kingdom.

As with the first series of judgments, the seventh in this series gives indication of
an aspect of "completion" (primarily affecting Yetzirah) as well as introducing the
next, and final, series of judgments (primarily affecting Asiyyah).

The following lengthy section from the Zohar paints elaborate picture of this
time:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 135b - ‘In the prayer before the
entrance of the Sabbath the Throne of Glory is prepared for the Holy Heavenly
King. And when the Sabbath arrives the Shekinah is in perfect union with Him
and is separated from the “other side”, and all the potencies of severe
judgement are severed from Her, She being in closest union with the Holy Light
and crowned with many crowns by the Holy King, and all the principalities of
severity and all the lords of judgement flee from Her, and no other domination
reigns in any of the worlds, and her countenance is illumined by the supernal
light, and she is crowned here below by the Holy People, all of whom are
invested with new souls. Then is the time for the commencement of prayer,
when the worshippers bless Her with joy and gladness, saying, “Bless ye the
Lord, the Blessed One!” (the beginning proper of the Sabbath Eve prayer). For
the holy people cannot be allowed at this moment to begin with a verse that
suggests judgement, as on weekdays, when “Bless ye” is preceded by “And He
being merciful, forgiveth iniquity and destroyeth not”, because the Shekinah is
then entirely severed from the mystery of the “other side” and all the lords of
judgement have separated themselves and passed away from Her, and he who
rouses judgement in the lower spheres causes vibrations of doom and severity
also in the celestial regions, and while this disturbing element is in evidence the
Holy Throne cannot crown itself with the crown of holiness. Then the lords of
judgement who have severed themselves for the time being from the rest of
creation, hiding themselves away from all eyes in a deep and secret recess at
the bottom of the sea, are roused to return to the celestial habitations, and they
come back with violence and fury, so that the Holy Sphere, which requires above
all rest and peace for the entrance of the Sabbath, is hard pressed by these
potencies of judgement. So it is evident that we should not imagine that She (the
Shekinah) is independent of our “rousings”, for there is no vibration above of any
sort but is caused by those which take place in the midst of Israel below, as we
have already pointed out in connection with the expression “in the time
appointed, on our solemn feast day”; it is not merely a feast day, but our feast
day; that is to say, we effect a movement in the higher spheres by our prayers.
Therefore the holy people, who are crowned with holy crowns of souls in order to
awaken rest and peace above, may not order judgement there, but, on the
contrary, must all consciously and with exceeding great love awaken blessings
both above and below. The congregation respond: “Blessed is the Lord who is
blessed for ever and ever.” The expression “who is blessed” indicates the
streaming of blessings from the source of life to the place whence issue
nourishment and bounty for all creatures. And why do we call this source
“blessed”? Because it sustains and waters ’olam va'ed (lit. for ever and ever),
which is the Sabbath eve. In this way blessings are transmitted to this ’olam
va'ed from the highest world, so that it attains its full perfection. Thus in this
benediction, “blessed” represents the ultimate source whence all blessings
emanate ; [Tr. note: Hohmah.] “the Lord” is the centre[Tr. note: Tifereth.] of all
the supernal sides; “who is blessed” represents the peace of the house, the
fountain of the cistern, [Tr. note: Yesod]. providing completion and nourishment
for all, while “for ever and ever” refers to the world below, [Tr. note: Malkuth.]
which needs these blessings: the “good oil” of “blessed”, “the Lord”, and “the
Blessed One” is all for this ’olam va'ed. Therefore the whole congregation has to
recite this every day; but on Sabbath eve it must be recited with special
devotion and gladness, in order that the Sabbath may be fitly blessed by the
holy people. When they begin to recite this benediction a voice is heard in all the
heavens that are sanctified by the entrance of the Sabbath: “Blessed are ye,
holy people, for that ye bless and sanctify on earth below, that thereby many
supernal holy hosts may be blessed and sanctified above.” Blessed are they in
this world and blessed are they in the world to come. The Israelites do not recite
this benediction until they are crowned with the crowns of holy souls, as we have
said before. Blessed is the people who is worthy of them in this world, so that it
may merit them in the world to come. This, to the pious, is the night of conjugal
unions, when they are thus crowned with new souls and new additional holy
spirits, for, being in a state of supernal holy tranquillity, they may then beget
holy children.
16
and the twenty and four elders, who before God are sitting upon their
thrones, did fall upon their faces, and did bow before God,
17
saying, `We give thanks to Thee, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art, and who
wast, and who art coming, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and didst
reign;
18
and the nations were angry, and Thine anger did come, and the time of the
dead, to be judged, and to give the reward to Thy servants, to the prophets, and
to the saints, and to those fearing Thy name, to the small and to the great, and
to destroy those who are destroying the land.'

With people turning away from God's Torah (and "destroying the land"), there is
a withdrawal of God's light (i.e., nothing passes through Yesod to Malkut) and all
sorts of evil and death befalls mankind (Malkut/Shekinah becomes attached to
the evil side to a full degree. See previous discussions on this concept in the
background notes.)

Note that "the Lord God Almighty" (Yesod) is responsible for the rewarding the
righteous as well as the destruction of the unrighteous as discussed above in
verse 4. The God names "El Hai" and "Shaddai" are associated with Yesod on the
Tree of Life, as is the location of the Ark in the heavenlies. This theme will be
developed in the next chapter.
19
And opened was the sanctuary of God in the heaven, and there was seen the
ark of His covenant in His sanctuary, and there did come lightnings, and voices,
and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.

This last verse would be more properly placed as the beginning of the next
chapter, where we shall comment on it.

1. The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters, Vav - Connection, Rabbi

Yitzchak Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/vav.htm
2. Gates of Light (Sha'are Orah), by Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi
Weinstein, Altamira Press, London, 1994, p. 119.
3. ibid, pp. 138-139.
4. ibid, pp. 96-97.
5. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto,
The Temple Institute, Jerusalem, 1999, p. 70.
6. Gates of Light (Sha'are Orah), by Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi
Weinstein, Altamira Press, London, 1994, p. 37.
7. ibid, pp. 57-58.
8. ibid, p. 59.
9. ibid. pp. 61-62.
10. ibid. p. 65.

Revelation 11:19 to 12:6

Last update: June 1, 2003

Verse 11:19 begins a parenthetical section that interupts the more or less
chronological order of events. At this point, John's vision spans the course of
time -- the hidden past as well as the future.
11:19 And opened was the sanctuary of God in the heaven, and there was seen
the ark of His covenant in His sanctuary, and there did come lightnings, and
voices, and thunders, and an earthquake, and great hail.

The "sanctuary of God in heaven" is the heavenly Holy of Holies, which on the
Tree of Life is placed in the "upper face" of Beriah in the "heavens." (Shemayim -
the heavens - always plural in Hebrew.) See background study on the Temple
and "Five Gardens" of the Tree of Life.

Critical to understanding this chapter is the idea that John's vision sees events
both in the "Beriatic state" as well as how they play out in time in the lower
worlds. In Beriah, that which is to come exists in a "formless" state which plays
itself out "in time" in the lower worlds of Yetzirah and Asiyyah.

Thus, in this chapter, we see a "repetition" of the story of a woman who gives
birth and is protected by a dragon seeking to harm her and her offspring. The
first account (verses 2 to 6) is viewed "in the heaven(s)" of Beriah and exists
beyond the space and time dimensions of the lower realms (Yezirah, the world of
angels and Assiyah, the physical world.) What John sees exists in that it is
"ordained" by God in Beriah. The second account (verses 13 to 17) takes place in
the lower realms and within the course of (future) history.

Author Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi describes these events as such:

The source of the Cosmic purpose of Heaven lies in Azilut, the perfect image of
the likeness of God. Beriah, emerging out of this perfection, fulfils the will of En
Sof in creating an unfolding cosmic framework in which every creature has a
specific reason for existing. Everything has its place, be it the vastness of
celestial space or the most minute impulses and particles of terrestial energy
and matter ... Everything moreover has its particular time to be born and die. ...
All is ordained in Beriah. ... However, none of this can takeplce without their
being a change of form; and this cannot happen in Heaven (Beriah), because in
the World of Creation only essences can exist Thus, in Beriah, although the
destiny of each creature is predetermined, it cannot actually move through its
stages, cannot grow and manifest the different states of its existence. 1
12:1
And a great sign was seen in the heaven, a woman arrayed with the sun,
and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars,

From 11:19 to 12:11, John is seeing events in their Beriatic essence. The role of
Messiah is forecast -- he will bring salvation and rule the nations. Thus, he is also
the "lamb slain since the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8) and "existed"
(along with several other things) before the creation of the physical world.

The Talmud offers the following on this subject:

Talmud - Mas. Pesachim 54a - Seven things were created before the world
was created, and these are they: The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden,
Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah. The
Torah, for it is written, The Lord made me [sc. the Torah] as the beginning of his
way. Repentance, for it is written, Before the mountains were brought forth, and
it is written, Thou turnest man to contrition, and sayest, Repent, ye children of
men. The Garden of Eden, as it is written, And the Lord planted a garden in Eden
from aforetime. The Gehenna, for it is written, For Tophet [i.e., Gehenna] is
ordered of old. The Throne of Glory and the Temple, for it is written, Thou throne
of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of our sanctuary. The name of
the Messiah, as it is written, His [sc. the Messiah's] name shall endure for ever,
and has exited before the sun!

At the p'shat level, the vision John sees is comparable to that of Joseph's -- with
Joseph being the twelfth "star":

Genesis 37:9-10 - And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brothers,
and said, Behold, I have again dreamed a dream; and, behold, the sun and the
moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father,
and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this
dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers
indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the earth?

The "sign" in John's vision is seen in "heaven" corresponding to Beriah.

Kabbalistically we have:

• the sun associated with Jacob

• the moon associated with Rachel

• the twelve stars associated with the 12 tribes

The "woman" is a representation of the Shekinah -- which is both the presence of

the Lord in the world (decribed in feminine terms in kabbalistic literature) as well
as with the community of Israel. (See our background studies on these topics.)
We will also see that there is a "heavenly" as well as "earthly" aspect to the
Shekinah.

The following verse associates the Shekinah with the heavenly Holy of Holies
(i.e., verse 11:19):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 84b - "My dove that art in the
clefts of the rock, in the coverts of the steep place” (S. S. II, 14). “My dove”
refers to the community of Israel; “the clefts of the rock” refers to Jerusalem,
which is firm and eminent like a rock; “the coverts of the steep place” refer to
the place which is called “holy of holies”, the heart of the world. It is called
“coverts” because there the Shekinah is concealed like a woman who converses
only with her husband and never goes out.

The "New Testament" makes use of the term "Holy Spirit" which at that in Jewish
history was another way of referring to the Shekinah:

The Shekinah ("Dwelling") is the personified Presence of God. In the Talmudic

period, the Shekinah was identified with the "Holy Spirit." (Ruach ha Kodesh) ...
Both Hebrew terms are of the feminine gender. Still in Talmudic times, the
Shekinah became identified with the "Community of Israel" (also a feminine
term), and as such represented Israel in its relationship with God. 2

When Israel goes into exile (at the hand of the nations and their spiritual
powers), the Shekinah goes with them and functions in a different (i.e.,
diminished) capacity.

The Zohar is filled with such references:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 174a - Whilst they were walking,
R. Jose said to R. Eleazar: ‘It has been said that with Rachel's death the house
was transferred to Her who required to be adorned with twelve tribes.
Nevertheless, why should Rachel have died immediately after the birth of
Benjamin?’ R. Eleazar in reply said: ‘It was in order that the Shekinah should be
duly crowned and take her place in the house as “a joyful mother of children”.
With Benjamin, the Shekinah was equipped with the full twelve tribes, and with
him the kingdom of heaven began to be made manifest on earth. Now the
beginning of any manifestation is brought about with strain, and involves a doom
of death before it can become established. Here, when the Shekinah was about
to assume her rightful place and to take over the house, the doom fell upon
Rachel. Similarly, when the kingdom was about to be made manifest on earth, it
commenced with a judgement, and the kingdom was not established in its place
until a doom had fallen upon Saul, in accordance with his deserts; and only then
was it established. It is a general rule that beginnings are rough, whereas the
subsequent course is smooth. Thus, on New Year's day (Rosh-hashana) the year
opens with severity, as the whole world passes under judgement, each individual
according to his deeds, but soon after comes relief and forgiveness and
atonement. The reason is that the beginning is from the left side, and so it brings
harsh judgements, until the right side is aroused and ease follows. In time to
come God will first treat the idolatrous nations gently and indulgently, but
afterwards with severity and stern judgement. So Scripture says: “The Lord will
go forth as a mighty one, he will stir up jealousy as a warrior; he will cry, yea, he
will shout aloud, he will prove himself mighty against his enemies” (Is. XLII, 13);
which interpreted means that first He will manifest Himself as YHVH (the Lord),
in His attribute of mercy, then as a mighty one, but not in His full might, then as
a warrior, but not in His full war panoply, and finally, His whole might will
become manifest against them in order to exterminate them, so that “he will
cry, yea, he will shout aloud, he will prove himself mighty against his enemies.”
Again, it is written: “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations,
as when he fighteth in the day of battle” (Zech. XIV, 3). Also: “Who is this that
cometh from Edom with crimson garments from Bozrah? etc.” (Is. LXIII, 1).’ AND
IT CAME TO PASS, AS HER SOUL WAS IN DEPARTING FOR SHE DIED-THAT SHE
CALLED HIS NAME BEN-ONI; BUT HIS FATHER CALLED HIM BENJAMIN. R. Judah
discoursed on the verse: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;
and he knoweth them that take refuge in him (Nahum I, 7). ‘Happy’, he said, ‘is
the man who finds his strength in the Holy One, blessed be He, since His
strength is invincible. The Lord is indeed “good to all” (Ps. CXLV, 9), “a
stronghold”, wherein is salvation, as we read: “He is a stronghold of salvation”
(Ibid. XXVIII, 8); “in the day of trouble”, to wit, in the day of Israel's oppression at
the hand of other nations.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page I89a - R. Simeon said: ‘The

clause “Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not” applies to Joseph, whilst the
sequel, “and sealeth up the stars”, applies to his brethren, regarding whom he
said, “And eleven stars bowed down to me.” Alternatively, “Who commandeth
the sun” is an allusion to Jacob at the time his sons said to him: “Know now
whether it is thy son's coat or not”; “that it shineth not” is a reference to the
time when the Shekinah departed from him; whilst “sealeth up the stars” implies
that through his sons Jacob's light was sealed and closed up, the sun for him was
darkened and the stars did not shine-all because Joseph was separated from his
father. And note that from the day on which Joseph disappeared Jacob abstained
from marital intercourse and observed all the other rites of mourning until the
day the good tidings of Joseph reached him.’ AND THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH,
AND HE WAS A PROSPEROUS MAN; AND HE WAS IN THE HOUSE OF HIS MASTER
THE EGYPTIAN . R. Jose quoted here the verse: “For the Lord loveth justice, and
forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever” (Ps. XXXVII, 28). ‘Observe’,
he said ‘that wherever the righteous walk, God protects them and never
abandons them, as David said: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and staff they
comfort me” (Ibid. XXIII, 4); wherever the righteous walk the Shekinah
accompanies them and does not abandon them. Joseph walked through the
valley of the shadow of death, having been brought down to Egypt, but the
Shekinah was with him, as we read: “And the Lord was with Joseph”, and by
reason of the presence of the Shekinah all that he did prospered in his hand; so
much so that if he had something in his hand and his master wanted something
of a different kind, it changed in his hand to the kind his master wanted.

The following reference to the Shekinah accompanying God's people, outside of

the Land of Israel, also includes a mystical reference to the number forty-two
which is significant. (See previous studies on the meaning of this number.) Here,
the Shekinah is accompanied by the "celestial Jacob" -- representative of the
bride and groom being in union:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 4b - Said R. Simeon: ‘When the

Shekinah went down to Egypt, a celestial “living being” (Hayah, cf.Ezek. 1:5),
called “Israel”, in form like the patriarch Jacob, went down with Her,
accompanied by forty- two heavenly attendants, each of whom bore a letter
belonging to the Holy Name. They all descended with Jacob to Egypt, and hence
it says “and these are the names of the children of Israel which came into
Egypt ... with Jacob”.’

Though the Shekinah is considered to be "God's presence in the world," one

should not make the mistake of "dividing" God in any sense. The Zohar speaks of
the Shekinah being both "above" and "below" as follows:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 159b - In a similar sense it is
written: “And God remembered Rachel”, which has a meaning similar to that of
the passage"and I remembered my covenant”. Now, if we say that the term
“visiting” is used only of the female principle (the Shekinah), we are met with a
difficulty in the text: “I have surely visited you”. For how could the Shekinah
speak thus, seeing that she was herself in exile, and, in fact, how could she
appear to Moses at all? But in truth there is a deep significance in this passage.
For as the sun, although his centre is in heaven, yet spreads his power and
might throughout the earth, so that the whole earth is full of his glory, so, as
long as the Temple was in existence, the whole earth, to wit, the Holy Land, was
full of God's glory; but now that Israel is in exile, the Shekinah is on high, but still
her might surrounds Israel so as to shield them, even when they are in a strange
land. For the Shekinah is both here below and on high. The Shekinah on high
abides in the twelve holy chariots and the twelve supernal Hayyoth; the lower
Shekinah is among the twelve holy tribes, and thus the upper Shekinah and the
lower Shekinah are intertwined, and both operate together and simultaneously.
Now, when Israel is in exile, the upper Shekinah is not complete because the
lower Shekinah is not complete, and that is what is meant by the Shekinah being
in exile when Israel is in exile. It is like a king who has lost a son, and who as a
sign of his mourning turns over his couch and spreads thistles and thorns on its
underside and then lays himself down on it. Similarly when Israel went into exile
and the Temple was destroyed, God took thorns and thistles and put them
underneath Him, as it were, as it is written: “And the angel of the Lord appeared
unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thorn-bush” (Ex. III, 2), the
reason being that Israel was in exile.
2
and being with child she doth cry out, travailing and pained to bring forth.

The idea of the Shekinah being a "mother" and giving birth to Messiah(s) is found
in the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 14b - “My dove, my undefiled, is

but one, she is the only one of her mother” (S.S. VI, 9), the Holy Shekinah, who
proceeds from the twelve flashes of the radiance which illumines all things, and
is called “Mother”. And the Holy One, blessed be He, dealt according to this
principle with the earth: He scattered the nations abroad in separation and
appointed supernal chiefs over them, as it is written, “which the Lord hath
imparted to all the nations under heaven” (Deut. VI, 19). But He took unto
Himself the congregation of Israel to be His own portion and His own choice, as it
is written, “For the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob is the lot of his inheritance”
(Ibid. XXXII, 9). Thus it is clear that Israel is directly under God and none other;
and He says of her: “My dove, my undefiled, is but one, she is the only one of
her Mother.” She is the only one of her Mother Shekinah who dwells in her midst.
“Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all” (Prov. XXXI,
29).’

Zohar, Ra'aya Mehemma, 3:67b-68a - The Faithful Shepherd said, "At that
time (there will come) pangs and pains upon the woman in childbirth, that is, the
Shekinah ... And through these pains, which will make her cry out, seventy
supernal Sanhedrins will be aroused, until her voice reaches the Lord ... And
from those voices which she gives forth ... her womb opens -- and her womb
consists of two houses -- to give birth to two Messiahs ... and she bends her head
betwixt her knees; her head is the Middle Column and her two thighs are Eternity
and Majesty [the Sephiot of Netzah and Hod] ... and from there are born two
Messiahs. In that time the forests will be denuded, and the Serpent will pass
from the world.
3
And there was seen another sign in the heaven, and, lo, a great red dragon,
having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his head seven diadems,

At the level of Beriah, evil is associated with the angelic name "Samael" which is
literally "poison-god." He is the dragon of Revelation:

Soncino Zohar Appendix III - The Designations and The Categories - The
distinction between ‘right’ and ‘left’ in the Zohar corresponds, not only to the
distinction between reward and punishment in the next world, but also between
good and evil, and specifically moral good and evil in this world. Samael, the
power of evil, the tempter, the accuser, the evil Serpent, is placed on the left
and is identified with the grade Geburah. Now Samael is represented as the
opponent not of Hesed but of Tifereth [identified with the archangel Michael.] He
is the Great Dragon, who on New Year swallows the Moon, that is, prevents the
union of the Matrona with the Holy King, until Israel by their sacrifice on the Day
of Atonement induce him to desist. He also, by means of his minions, Lilith and
others, seduces men to defile their souls, contrary to the desire of the Holy King.

GEMMATRIA

The Beriatic dragon has seven heads which represent the physical
materialization of its power - seven being the number of "maximum
compactness" in the physical world. It also has ten horns, which are heavenly
powers, understood as the "evil counterpart" to the ten divine sephirot.

The numbers seven and ten, when associated with each other, speak of an
earthly and heavenly manifestation of a common idea. Consider the concept of
ten heavenly Sephirot, compare to the seven Sephirot that relate to the physical
world. This is also reflected in the teaching that the "spiritually wise" Moses had
ten names, whereas his "earthly wise" father-in-law, Jethro, is said to have had
seven names.

A "positive example" of such a union (between "seven" and "ten") is seen in the
idea of the "great Tzaddik" who unites (the seven) below with (the ten) above.
The sum of seven and ten equals seventeen which is the gemmatria of the word
TOV (Tet-Bet-Vav = 9+2+6=17), the Hebrew word for "good." In kabbalah, the
aspect of "tov" is associated with the Sephirah of Yesod (foundation) which, as
we have discussed earlier, is the idea of the (divine) "tzaddik" -- or "righteous
one."
The great tzaddikim are those seen as unifying above and below, which in both
the past and future is symbolized by the establishing of God's Tabernacle/Temple
on earth. Three people who come to mind are Moses, Betzalel and Yeshua. (For
those unaware, Betzalel was the young man who was given the "divine insight"
into the details of the Tabernacle construction.)

We find a common thread between these three:

• Moses is associated with "tov" in that his original Hebrew name (before
Pharaoh's daughter named him "Moses") was Tovia (meaning "goodness
of God) and derived from the root "tov," with its numerical value of 17.

• Betzalel's name has a numerical value of 153 -- which in Kabbalah is the

"triangle" of the number 17 -- that being the sum of all numbers from 1 to
17.

• Yeshua is also associated with the number 153 as seen in John's gospel
which makes a point to specifically mention that 153 fish were
miraculously caught in the disciple's nets after Yeshua told them to recast
their nets.

The following texts offer additional insight into the concepts brough forth in
verse 2. The first two describe the relationship between seven and ten (here
muliplied with a product of 70) with regard to the "division" of physical and
spiritual realms into 70 units. (i.e., the "70 nations" of the earth). Mention is also
made of how the fate Egypt met will be the same for Rome one day:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 30b - Observe that whatever is

engendered on earth grows through the stimulus of a celestial Chieftain who has
charge over it, and that all on earth is shaped after a celestial pattern. There are
on high seven firmaments, and seven zones of earth. Correspondingly, in the
lower world there are seven graded firmaments and seven zones of earth.
These, as the Companions have expounded, are arranged like the rungs of a
ladder, rising one above the other, and each zone has ten divisions, so that there
are seventy in all. Each one of these is presided over by a Chieftain, and these
seventy Chieftains have under their charge the seventy nations of the earth.
These seventy earth-divisions, again, border on and surround the Holy Land, as
Scripture says: “Behold, it is the couch of Solomon; threescore mighty men are
about, of the mighty men of Israel” (S.S. III, 7), there being, in addition to the
threescore mentioned, ten concealed among their number. All these surround
the Holy Land. This alludes to the upper world, and the same is reproduced in
the lower world. Now at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, stretched forth
His finger over the zone that was allotted to the Egyptians, and a fiery flame
passed through the whole tract and dried up all the alluvial soil, with the result
that the dust of the earth generated vermin. It was Aaron that smote the dust, in
order to show that the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, breaks His
enemies, as we read: “Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy” (Ex.
xv, 6). The same punishment is destined to be meted out by the Holy One,
blessed be He, to Rome the great Metropolis, as it is written: “And the streams
thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone” (Isa.
XXXIV, 9). Thus “all the dust of the earth became vermin throughout all the land
of Egypt”.

The following text offers another insight into the relationship between seven and
ten, here with regard to Israel's struggles in conquering the Land:

This is also the reason why the Jewish people were only commanded to conquer
seven nations of Canaan upon entering the land, as opposed to the original ten
that G-d first spoke about; we didn't merit a complete acquisition of Eretz Yisroel,
due to our sins in the desert. The ten nations, of course, correspond to the Ten
Sefiros, and the seven nations we did have to fight against represent only the
lower seven Sefiros, indicating our lack of spiritual ability to bring complete
perfection to creation. 3

THE DRAGON

The "dragon," as an image of evil in the higher realms, is referred to througout

Hebraic literature. It is not only associated with the archangel Samael, but also
with Israel's enemies in the physical realm.

In this midrash, the dragon is associated with the leader of Babylon:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXVIII:13 - Thus it is written, And I will punish Bel
in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed
up (Jer. LI, 44). For Nebuchadnezzar had a great dragon which swallowed up
everything thrown to it. Said Nebuchadnezzar to Daniel: ‘How great is its might
that it swallows up everything that is thrown to it!’ ' Give me permission,’ he
rejoined, ' and I will make him weak.’ On being granted permission, what did he
do? He took straw, hid nails in it, and threw it to the dragon, and the nails
lacerated his bowels. That is the meaning of the verse, ’And I will bring forth out
of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up.)

Here the dragon is linked to the leader of Egypt:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus III:12 - AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: PUT
FORTH THY HAND, AND TAKE IT BY THE TAIL (IV, 4). We have already explained
what the serpent implied for Moses; but what did this sign signify for Israel? R.
Eleazar opined that the rod was converted into a serpent as symbolic Of Pharaoh
who was called a serpent, as it says: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh King of
Egypt, the great-dragon (Ezek. XXIX, 3). He is also referred to as the leviathan
the slant serpent (Isa. XXVII, 1), because he hit Israel. God said to him [Moses]: '
Dost thou see Pharaoh who is like a serpent? Well, thou wilt smite him with the
rod and in the end he will become like wood; and just as the rod cannot bite, so
he will no longer bite’; hence: PUT FORTH THY HAND AND TAKE IT BY THE TAIL.
THAT THEY MAY BELIEVE THAT THE LORD, THE GOD OF THEIR FATHERS... HATH
APPEARED UNTO THEE (IV, 5). Go and perform before them this miracle that they
should believe that I appeared unto thee.
An examination of Scripture shows an association being made between other
leaders and the evil side (i.e., the king of Tyre). The following text mentions the
idea of there being "more than one Samael" -- a key point in understanding how
evil manifests itself:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 29a - Various impurities are

mingled in the composition of Israel, like animals among men. One kind is from
the side of the serpent; another from the side of the Gentiles, who are compared
to the beasts of the field; another from the side of mazikin (goblins), for the souls
of the wicked are literally the mazikin (goblins) of the world; and there is an
impurity from the side of the demons and evil spirits; and there is none so
cursed among them as Amalek, who is the evil serpent, the “strange god”. He is
the cause of all unchastity and murder, and his twin-soul is the poison of
idolatry, the two together being called Samael (lit. poison-god). There is more
than one Samael, and they are not all equal, but this side of the serpent is
accursed above all of them.

The ultimate manifestationof evil is linked to Amalek, whom Jewish tradition

teaches is present in every generation (as is the potential for the coming Elijah
and Messiah) and who will be strong again at the time of Messiah's return:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 194b-195a - AND MOSES

ASSEMBLED ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, ETC. R. Hiya
opened here a discourse on the text: “And Saul said unto the Kenites: Go
depart”, etc. (I Sam. xv, 6). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that in regard to Amalek it is
written: “I remember that which Amalek did to Israel”, etc. (Ibid. xv, 2). What is
the reason that none of the wars waged by other nations against Israel was so
displeasing to the Almighty as was the war waged against them by Amalek? The
reason, assuredly, is that the battle with Amalek was waged on both fronts, both
on high and below; for at that time the evil serpent gathered all its forces both
above and below. It is the way of a serpent to lie in wait on the cross-roads. So
Amalek, the evil serpent of Israel, was lying in wait for them on the cross-roads,
as it is written: “how he set himself against him in the way” (Ibid.). He was Iying
in ambush on high in order to defile the Sanctuary, and below in order to defile
Israel. This we deduce from the expression, “how he met thee by the way”
(Deut. XXV, 18), where the term qar'kha is meant to suggest the kindred term in
the passage, “If there be among you any man that is not clean by reason of that
which chanceth him (miqre) by night” (Ibid. XXIII, 11). By using the term qar'kha,
the text as much as says: “He has arrayed against thee that evil serpent from
above that he may defile thee on all sides”; and were it not that Moses from
above, and Joshua from below, put forth all their strength, Israel would not have
prevailed against him. It is for this reason that the Holy One, blessed be He,
cherished His enmity against him throughout all generations, inasmuch as he
planned to uproot the sign of the covenant from its place. ([Tr. note: i.e. to lead
Israel into ways of unchastity.]

Samael can manifest himself in such a fashion that he can come into direct
conflict with individuals. Two such people are Moses and Jacob. The first text
below also hints at the complexity of the spiritual realm in that Samael and "the
serpent" are seen as both the same, yet different:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 145b,146a - ... each incident

recorded in the Torah contains a multitude of deep significations, and each word
is itself an expression of wisdom and the doctrine of truth. The words of the
Torah, then, are all sacred, revealing wondrous things, as we read: “Open thou
mine eyes, that may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Ps. CXIX, 18). Here
is a proof. When the serpent had subverted Adam and his wife, and infected her
with impurity, the world fell thereby in a state of defilement, and was laid under
a curse, and death was brought into it. So the world had to be punished through
him until the tree of life came and made atonement for man and prevented the
serpent from ever again having dominion over the seed of Jacob. For each time
the Israelites offered up a he-goat the serpent was subdued and led captive, as
already said. Hence Jacob brought his father two he-goats (se'irim), one to
subdue Esau, who was hairy (sa'ir), and the other to subdue the grade to which
Esau was beholden and to which he adhered, as has been said already. And it is
through this that the world will be preserved until a woman will appear after the
pattern of Eve and a man after the pattern of Adam, who will circumvent and
out-manoeuvre the evil serpent and him who rides on him, as explained
elsewhere.’ R. Jose further discoursed as follows: And Esau was a cunning
hunter... and Jacob was a perfect man, dwelling in tents (Gen. XXV, 27). ‘In which
way was he “perfect”? In that he was “dwelling in tents”, i.e. that he held fast to
the two sides, to that of Abraham and that of Isaac. In dealing with Esau he
advanced from the side of Isaac, as already said, and in the spirit of the passage:
“With the merciful thou dost show thyself merciful... and with the crooked thou
dost show thyself subtle” (Ps. XVIII, 26-27). But when he came to receive the
blessings, he came with help from on high, and with support from both Abraham
and Isaac, and thus all was prescribed by wisdom, as already said above. For
Jacob conquered the serpent with prudence and craft, but chiefly by means of
the he-goat; and although the serpent and Samael are the same, yet he also
conquered Samael by another method, as described in the passage, saying:
“and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he
saw that he prevailed not against him” (Gen. XXXII, 25-26). Observe how great
Jacob's merit must have been. For as his adversary was intent on destroying him
completely, and that night was the night when the moon was created, it was
doubly unpropitious for Jacob, who remained behind all alone. ... Samael thus
came and attacked him, in order to destroy him utterly. Jacob, however, had
strong support on all sides, on the side of Isaac and on the side of Abraham, both
of whom constituted the strength of Jacob. When Samael attacked Jacob's right
he saw there Abraham equipped with the strength of day, being of the side of
the Right, the same being Mercy (Hesed). When he attacked his left, he saw
there Isaac with the strength of stern judgement. When he attacked in front, he
found Jacob strong on either side by reason of those surrounding him, and thus
we read: “And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the
hollow of his thigh” (Gen. XXXII, 26), that is, a part that is outside of the trunk
and one of its supports. Hence, “the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained” (Ibid.).
When day appeared and night departed, Jacob's strength increased and
Samael's waned, so that the latter said: “Let me go, for the moment of the
recital of the morning hymn had arrived”, and it was therefore necessary for him
to depart. He thus confirmed Jacob's blessings and added to them one blessing
more, as it says: “And he blessed him there” (Ibid. 30).

This next text speaks of Moses' encounter:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 240b - AND MOSES REARED UP

THE TABERNACLE, AND LAID (vayiten) ITS SOCKETS. At the time when these
pillars and supports were put into their places, the pillars and supports of the evil
side were loosened and swept away from their places. Moses, as we have learnt,
saw the wicked Samael advancing towards him with intent to bring accusations
against him. But he overpowered him and bound him in fetters, and then reared
up the tabernacle, and fixed its sockets. The term vayiten (and he laid) indicates
the use of intense force, for no other man but Moses would have been able to
overcome this antagonist and to fix the foundations in their place. It was on the
first of Nisan that the Tabernacle was reared up, a season when the evil powers
are let loose in the world; for in the days of Nisan, as the saying goes, “even
when the ox has his head in the fodder basket, go up the roof”[Tr. note: T. P.
Pesahim, 112.] Moses saw Samael going round and round him to confuse him,
but he overpowered him.

The concept of "horns" has to do with (spiritual) power. Midrash speaks of

Israel's ten horns, being given over to the nations due to the former's sin:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations II:6 - 6. HE HATH CUT OFF IN FIERCE ANGER

ALL THE HORN OF ISRAEL (II, 3). There are ten horns: of Abraham, of Isaac, of
Joseph, of Moses, of the Torah, of the priesthood, of the Levites, of prophecy, of
the Temple, and of Israel. There are some who add: the horn of the Messiah. '
The horn of Abraham,’ as it is said, My well-beloved had a vineyard in a very
fruitful hill (Isa. V, 1).2 ‘The horn of Isaac,’ as it is said, Caught in the thicket by
his horns (Gen. XXII, 13).3 ‘The horn of Joseph,’ as it is said, And his horns are
the horns of the wild-ox (Deut. XXXIII, 17). ‘The horn of Moses,’ as it is written,
The skin of his face sent forth beams (Ex. XXXIV, 29).4 ‘The horn of the Torah,’
as it is written, Horns hath He from His hands (Hab. III, 4).5 ‘The horn of the
priesthood,’ as it is written, His horn shall be exalted in honour (Ps. CXII, 9).6
‘The horn of the Levites,’ as it is written, All these where the sons of Heman the
king's seer in the things pertaining to God, to lift up the horn (I Chron. XXV, 5).7
‘The horn of prophecy,’ as it is written, My horn is exalted in the Lord (I Sam. II,
1).8 ‘The horn of the Temple,’ as it is written, From the horns of the wild-oxen do
Thou answer me (Ps. XXII, 22).9 ‘The horn of Israel,’ as it is said, And He hath
lifted up a horn for His people (ib. CXLVIII, 14). ' There are some who add the
horn of the Messiah,’ as it is written, And He will give strength unto His king, and
exalt the horn of His anointed (I Sam. II, 10). All of these horns were set on the
head of Israel1; and when they sinned these were taken from them--as it is said,
HE HATH CUT OFF IN FIERCE ANGER ALL THE HORN OF ISRAEL--and given to the
other nations, as it is said, And concerning the ten horns that were on its head,
and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell (Dan. VII, 20),
after which it is written, And so for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten
kings arise; and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the
former, and he shall put down three kings (ib. 24). When Israel repents, the Holy
One, blessed be He, will restore the horns to their place, as it is stated, All the
horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be
lifted up (PS. LXXV, 11), i.e. the horns which the Righteous One of the Universe
had cut off. When will He restore them to their place? When the Holy One,
blessed be He, raises aloft the horn of His Messiah, as it is written, ’And He will
give strength unto His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.’
4
and his tail doth draw the third of the stars of the heaven, and he did cast
them to the earth; and the dragon did stand before the woman who is about to
bring forth, that when she may bring forth, her child he may devour;

The following Zohar passage is relates some similar themes. It speaks of the
origin of souls (Beriah), how the serpent's role (in attampting to "bite" these
souls as they enter the world) is in fact ordained by God, and how the souls of
the especially righteous (i.e., Messiah) are protected with a "sanctified body,"
and how all of this is tied to the coming of Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 219b - R. Simeon and R. Eleazar

his son were one night sitting together studying the Torah. Said R. Eleazar to his
father, R. Simeon: ‘It is written: “Unto the woman he said: I will greatly multiply
thy pain and thy travail, in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire
shall be to thy husband”, etc. (Gen. III, 16). We have learned that this passage
contains a profound mystical teaching. One may comprehend this passage in its
terrestrial significance, but what corresponds in the supernal world?’ R. Simeon
cited the verse: “As the hart panteth after the water brooks”, etc. (Ps. XLII, 2).
‘This verse has already been expounded,’ he said. ‘There is, however, a certain
female animal that has under her daily charge a thousand keys, and that pants
continually after the water brooks to drink and quench her thirst, of which it is
thus written, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks.” It is to be observed
that this verse commences with a masculine subject, “hart” (‘ayyal), and
continues with a feminine predicate, tha'erog (she panteth). The recondite
explanation of this is that it is an allusion to the male-female as one undivided
and inseparable; and so it is the female part of the same that “panteth for the
water brooks” and then becomes impregnated from the male element, and is in
labour, coming under the scrutiny of Rigour. But at the moment when she is
about to be delivered of offspring the Holy One, blessed be He, prepares for her
a huge celestial serpent through whose bite she is safely delivered. And this is
the hidden meaning of, “I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy travail”, for she is
in daily convulsions and pain because of the deeds of mankind: “in pain thou
shalt bring forth children”, a hidden allusion to the Serpent who casts a gloom
over the faces of mankind; “and thy desire shall be to thy husband”: this is in
harmony with the expression, “she panteth for the water brooks”; “and he shall
rule over thee”: this has been already expounded elsewhere. Why all this? It was
on account of the Moon's dissatisfaction with her state, in punishment for which,
as tradition teaches us, her light was diminished, also her power was reduced so
that she is beholden to what they grant her from outside. It may be asked, Why
is the Serpent necessary in this connection? It is because it is he who opens the
passage for the descent of souls into the world. For if he did not open the way,
no soul would come down to animate a man's body in the world. So Scripture
says, “sin coucheth at the door” (Gen. III, 7), alluding to the celestial door
through which pass the souls at birth to emerge into this world. He, the Serpent,
waits at that door. It is true, when the souls about to emerge are such as are to
enter sanctified bodies, he is not present, having no dominion over such souls.
But otherwise, the Serpent bites, and that spot is defiled and the soul passing
through is unpurified. Herein is concealed a sublime mystical teaching. “In pain
thou shalt bring forth children” is a mystical allusion to that Serpent, as it is with
him that She brings forth souls, since he is responsible for the body and she for
the soul, and the two are combined. The Serpent is destined in the future to
bring about the birth of the whole of the bodies before its own time comes, as
Scripture says: “Before she travailed, she brought forth” (Isa. LXVI, 7). For,
whereas the period of the serpent's gestation is seven years, that will be at the
end of six. And at that hour, when he will have brought about their birth, he
himself will die. Of this, Scripture says: “He will swallow up death for ever” (Ibid.
xxv, 8), also “Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise” (Ibid. XXVI, 19).’
Said R. Simeon: ‘At the time when the dead will be awakened and be in
readiness for the resurrection in the Holy Land, legions upon legions will arise on
the soil of Galilee, as it is there that the Messiah is destined to reveal himself.
For that is the portion of Joseph, and it was the first part of the Holy Land to be
destroyed, and it was thence that the exile of Israel and their dispersion among
the nations began, as Scripture says, “but they are not grieved for the hurt of
Joseph” (Amos VI, 6). Thus there they will rise up first, for the reason that it is
the portion of him who was put in an ark, as it says, “and he was put in an ark in
Egypt”(Gen. L, 26), and subsequently was buried in the Holy Land, as it says
“And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt,
buried they in Shechem” (Jos. XXIV, 32); and he it was who kept the purity of the
holy covenant symbol in a special degree. As soon as they will rise from the dead
all those hosts will march, each man to the portion of his ancestors, as Scripture
says, “and ye shall return every man unto his possession” (Lev. xxv, 10). They
shall recognize each other, and God will clothe every one in embroidered
garments; and they will all come and offer up thanksgiving to their Master in
Jerusalem, where there will assemble multitudes upon multitudes. Jerusalem
itself will spread out in all directions, to a further extent even than when the
exiles returned there. When they assemble and offer up praises to their Master
the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in them. So Scripture says: “And they
shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of the
Lord”, etc. (Jer. XXXI, 12), namely, every one to his portion and the portion of his
ancestors. And the possession of Israel will extend till it will reach Damietta of
the Romans, and even there they will study the Torah. All this has already been
stated, and it is in harmony with the Scriptural passage, saying: “Awake and
sing, ye that dwell in the dust”, etc. (Isa. XVI, 19). Blessed be the Lord for
evermore! Amen and Amen!’
5
and she brought forth a male child, who is about to rule all the nations with a
rod of iron, and caught away was her child unto God and His throne,

The one who rules is Messiah ben David:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XCVII - THE SCEPTRE [STAFF] SHALL NOT DEPART
FROM JUDAH alludes to the Messiah, son of David, who will chastise the State
with a staff, as it says, Thou shalt break them with a rod [staff] of iron (Ps. II, 9).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 238a - BINDING HIS FOAL UNTO
THE VINE . The vine is the Community of Israel, so called also in the verse: “Thou
didst remove a vine from Egypt” (Ps. LXXX, 9). By “his foal” is meant the
Messiah, who is destined to rule over all the hosts of the peoples, that is to say,
the heavenly hosts who have charge of the Gentiles, and from whom they derive
their strength. The Messiah will prevail over them, because this vine dominates
all those lower crowns through which the Gentiles have dominion. This will be
the victory above. Israel, who are “a choice vine”, will conquer and destroy other
hosts below; and the Messiah will prevail over all. Hence it is written of him that
he will be “poor and riding on an ass and on a young ass's colt” (Zech. IX, 9).
“Colt” and “ass” are two crowns by virtue of which the Gentiles have dominion,
and they are from the left side, the side of uncleanness. It is strange that the
Messiah should be called “poor”. R. Simeon explained that it is because he has
nothing of his own, and he is compared to the holy moon above, which has no
light save from the sun. This Messiah will have dominion and will be established
in his place. Below he is “poor”, because he is of the side of the moon, and
above he is poor, being a “mirror which does not radiate”, “the bread of
poverty”. Yet withal he “rides upon an ass and upon a colt”, to overthrow the
strength of the Gentiles; and God will keep him firm. HE HATH WASHED HIS
GARMENT IN WINE . With this may be compared the verse: “Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” (IS. LXIII, 1); and also: “I
have trodden the winepress alone, etc.” (Ibid. 3). “Wine” here alludes to the side
of Geburah, of stern justice which will be visited on the idolatrous nations. AND
HIS VESTURE IN THE BLOOD OF GRAPE . This is the lower-world tree, the
judgement court which is called “grapes”, in which the “wine” is kept. Thus the
Messiah will be clothed in both to crush beneath him all the idolatrous peoples
and kings.

The Book of Enoch (chapter 62) mentions the idea of the "Son of Man" being
"hidden" from the earliest time:

For from the beginning the Son of Man was hidden, and the Most High kept him
in the presence of his power.

The following Zohar passage, deeply esoteric in nature, speaks to the idea of
Messiah being hidden for some period of time in a spiritual abode called "the
bird's nest" - both of which are taken up to the heavenly realm (i.e., the Throne
of God in Beriah):
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 8a - ”If a bird's nest chance to be
before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, young ones or eggs, and
the dam sitting upon the young... thou shalt in no wise let the dam go” (Deut.
XXII, 6-7). ‘This passage’, he said, ‘we interpret as an esoteric commandment in
the Law, containing mysteries of doctrine, paths and ways known to the
Fellowship and belonging to the thirty-two paths of the Torah.’ Then, turning to
R. Eleazar, his son, he said: ‘At the time when the Messiah shall arise, there will
be great wonders in the world. See now, in the lower Paradise there is a secret
and unknown spot, broidered with many colours, in which a thousand palaces of
longing are concealed. No one may enter it, except the Messiah, whose abode is
in Paradise. The Garden is encompassed with multitudes of saints who look to
the Messiah as their leader, along with many hosts and bands of the souls of the
righteous there. On New Moons, festivals, and Sabbaths, he enters that place, in
order to find joyous delight in those secret palaces. Behind those palaces there is
another place, entirely hidden and undiscoverable. It is called “Eden”, and no
one may enter to behold it. Now the Messiah is hidden in its outskirts until a
place is revealed to him which is called “the Bird's Nest”. This is the place
proclaimed by that Bird (the Shekinah) which flies about the Garden of Eden
every day. In that place the effigies are woven of all the nations who band
together against Israel. The Messiah enters that abode, lifts up his eyes and
beholds the Fathers (Patriarchs) visiting the ruins of God's Sanctuary. He
perceives mother Rachel, with tears upon her face; the Holy One, blessed be He,
tries to comfort her, but she refuses to be comforted (Jer. XXXI, 14). Then the
Messiah lifts up his voice and weeps, and the whole Garden of Eden quakes, and
all the righteous and saints who are there break out in crying and lamentation
with him. When the crying and weeping resound for the second time, the whole
firmament above the Garden begins to shake, and the cry echoes from five
hundred myriads of supernal hosts, until it reaches the highest Throne. Then the
Holy One, blessed be He, beckons to that “Bird”, which then enters its nest and
comes to the Messiah, and flits about, uttering strange cries. Then from the holy
Throne the Bird's Nest and the Messiah are summoned three times, and they
both ascend into the heavenly places, and the Holy One swears to them to
destroy the wicked kingdom (Rome) by the hand of the Messiah, to avenge
Israel, and to give her all the good things which he has promised her. Then the
Bird returns to her place. The Messiah, however, is hidden again in the same
place as before.

6 and the woman did flee to the wilderness, where she hath a place made
ready from God, that there they may nourish her -- days a thousand, two
hundred, sixty.

The idea of "42 months" (1,260 days = 42 months of 30 days) presents itself
here again, with relation to a period of time leading up a time of unification. The
"wilderness," where the Shekinah and Israel take refuge, can be seen both
literally and metaphorically.

The following passages are concerned with these themes:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 225a - Not all men know that
the Shekinah at its last exile did not withdraw to heaven, but to “the wilderness,
to an inn of travellers” (Jer. IX, 1), and that since then it is always to be found in
the place where Israel is particularly in distress.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 134a - So in the days to come,

when the Holy One, blessed be He, will remember His people, the community of
Israel, the Shekinah will return from exile first and proceed to her House, as the
holy Temple will be built first. The Holy One, blessed be He, will then say to the
Community of Israel: “Shake thyself from the dust, arise and sit down, O
Jerusalem”

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 70b - R. Hizkiah said: ‘The Holy
One, blessed be He, will one day sweep away the unclean spirit, as it is written,
“And the unclean spirit I will cause to pass out of the land” (Zech. XIII, 2), and
further, “He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away
tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all
the earth, for the Lord hath spoken it” (Is. XXV, 8). The Holy One, blessed be He,
will also one day restore the moon [i.e., the Shekinah], to its full light, and
dissipate the darkness brought on her by the evil serpent, as it is written, “And
the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun
shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days” (Ibid. XXX, 26), the reference
here being to the primordial light which the Holy One, blessed be He, stored
away during the period of the creation.’

The departure of the Shekinah from its place is directly linked to the sin of Israel.
This verse from Midrash clearly links such sin with the departure of the Shekinah
for a period of "forty-two stages":

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs 1:41 - MY MOTHER'S SONS, the sons
of my nation, namely the spies, WERE INCENSED AGAINST ME: they attacked
me, they filled the Judge with wrath against me. THEYMADE ME KEEPER OF THE
VINEYARDS: because I stayed in the wilderness journeying forty-two stages, I
was not able to enter the land of Israel. Hence, MY OWN VINEYARD I DID NOT
KEEP.

These texts expound on the idea of Israel's apostacy (i.e., 2 Thessalonians 2:3)
causing the departure of the Shekinah from the land:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 84b - The community of Israel

does not dwell outside its own place save in the time of exile, and because it is
in exile, therefore other nations enjoy greater prosperity. When Israel were in
their own land everything was as it should be, the heavenly throne was fully
spread over them, and the liturgy which they performed pierced through the
ether and ascended on high to its place. For Israel alone was qualified to serve
God in that land, and therefore the Gentiles kept aloof, since they did not rule
over it as now, but were nourished only by the “residue”. You may say, How do
you reconcile this with the fact that a number of (foreign) kings ruled over it at
the time when the Temple still existed. The answer is that in the time of the first
Temple, before Israel defiled the land, the Gentiles did not rule over it but were
nourished from the “residue”. But when Israel sinned and defiled the land, they,
as it were, drove the Shekinah from its place, and it went to another place, and
therefore other nations were allowed to rule over the land. For no angel has
control of the land of Israel, but only God. When Israel sinned and burned
incense to other gods in the Holy Land, the Shekinah was driven from its place,
and other gods were associated with it, and so other nations obtained dominion
and the prophets died out, and all the higher grades ceased to rule, and
dominion was not withdrawn from other nations, because they drew the
Shekinah to themselves. Hence in the time of the second Temple the rule of the
other nations did not cease, and even less so in the period of the Exile, when the
Shekinah found herself among other nations where other chieftains exercise
dominion, deriving their sustenance from the Shekinah, which has consorted
with them.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 27b - Before Israel went into
captivity, and while the Shekinah was still with them, God commanded Israel:
“thou shalt not uncover thy mother's nakedness” (Lev. XVIII, 7), and this
captivity is the uncovering of the nakedness of the Shekinah, as it is written, “On
account of your sins your mother has been put away” (Is. L, 1), i.e. for the sin of
unchastity Israel has been sent into captivity and the Shekinah also, and this is
the uncovering of the Shekinah. This unchastity is Lilith, the mother of the
“mixed multitude”. It is they who separate the two He’s of the sacred name, and
prevent the Vau from entering between them; so it is written, “the nakedness of
a woman and her daughter thou shalt not uncover”, referring to the upper and
lower Shekinah. When the “mixed multitude” are between the one He and the
other, the Holy One, blessed be He, cannot link them together, and consequently
“the river becomes dry and parched”-dry in the upper He and parched in the
lower He, in order that the “mixed multitude” may not be nourished by the Vau,
which is the Tree of Life. Therefore the Vau does not link together the two He’s
when the mixed multitude is between them, and the letter Yod is not able to
draw near to the second He’; thus the precept “thou shalt not uncover the
nakedness of thy daughter-in-law” is transgressed. Further, they separate the
Yod from the upper He, and so break the command “thou shalt not uncover the
nakedness of thy father's wife”, the Yod being the father, the first He the
mother, Vau the son and the second He the daughter. Therefore it is ordained
with regard to the upper He, “thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy
father's wife”; “the nakedness of thy sister the daughter of thy father” refers to
the lower He; “her son's daughter and her daughter's daughter” refers to the He
and He which are the children of He; “the nakedness of the father's brother”
refers to the Yod, which is the product of the letter Yod, a brother to Vau. In a
word, when the “mixed multitude” are mingled with Israel, the letters of the
name YHVH cannot be joined and linked together; but as soon as they are
removed from the world, then it is said of the letters of God's name that “On that
day the Lord shall be one and his name one” (Zech. XIV, 9). This is why Adam,
who is Israel, is closely linked with the Torah, of which it is said, “It is a tree of
life to those who take hold on it”; this tree is the Matron, the Sefirah Malkhuth
(Kingship), through their connection with which Israel are called “sons of kings”.
On this account God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will
make him an help meet for him” (Gen. II, 18). This help is the Mishnah (the oral
Law), the handmaid of the Shekinah. If Israel deserve well, it is a help to them in
the captivity from the side of the permitted, the clean, and the proper; if they do
not deserve well, it is a hindrance to them from the side of the unclean, the unfit,
and the forbidden, the clean, the permitted, and the fit signifying the good
inclination, and the unfit, the unclean, and the forbidden signifying the evil
inclination. Thus the Mishnah resembles the woman, who has both pure and
impure blood of menstruation. But the Mishnah is not the spouse of his real
union, for real union is denied to him until the “mixed multitude” shall be
removed from the earth. On account of this Moses was buried outside of the Holy
Land.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 191a - ... when the days of the
Messiah shall be come, when we shall see face to face, all the “faces” will give
their consent. Now, the sin which the “outsiders”- “the mixed multitude”-
committed, and in which the holy people participated, was a sin against the
“Holy Mother”, the Shekinah, because they said, “Up, make us a god” (Elohim)
(Ex. XXXII, 1)- Elohim, the Glory of Israel, She who rested upon them like a
mother on her children. This is the secret contained in the words: “They changed
their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass” (Ps. CVI, 20). Yea,
verily, that is the Glory of Israel: their Mother. Therefore it also says, “The glory
has departed” (I Sam. IV, 22), because they caused the Shekinah to go into exile
with them. They changed their glory with what? “The similitude of an ox.” Herein
lies a mystery. From out of the midst of the dregs of the wine, the dregs of evil,
an Accuser emerges, the first Damager, in the form of a man approaching the
Sanctuary. As soon as he passes on from there and desires to descend and
wreak his evil will upon the earth he has to cover himself with a garment. Then
he comes down with his hosts. And the first garment in which he clothes himself
is the form of an ox. Therefore the first of those accusing demons is an ox. He is
one of the “four principal damagers”[Tr. note: Cf. T. B. Baba Kama, ad init]. who
come down to inflict misery on the world. All the three other damagers belong to
and are under this first ox.

The idea of the Shekinah "being nourished" while in exile has a positive side to it.
Exile causes repentance, which in turn gives deeper insight into God and His
Torah. A modern kabbalistic text views more recent exiles in this way:

"... by means of the gerushin, the forced banishments or exile wanderings from
place to place, the kabbalists were elevated above their own state of exile, for
they gave support to the weakened Shekinah and received mystical illumination
in the form of innovative Scriptural interpretations. 4

The idea of "innovative Scriptural interpretations has to do with the deeper

(hidden, Hebrew: "sod") levels of the Torah. Through the study of Torah, prayer
and righteous actions, the Shekinah is strengthened.

The Zohar offers the following commentaries on this idea:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 151b-152a - Said R. Simeon:
‘Alas for the man who regards the Torah as a book of mere tales and everyday
matters! If that were so, we, even we could compose a torah dealing with
everyday affairs, and of even greater excellence. Nay, even the princes of the
world possess books of greater worth which we could use as a model for
composing some such torah. The Torah, however, contains in all its words
supernal truths and sublime mysteries. Observe the perfect balancing of the
upper and the lower worlds. Israel here below is balanced by the angels on high,
of whom it says: “who makest thy angels into winds” (Ps. CIV, 4). For the angels
in descending on earth put on themselves earthly garments, as otherwise they
could not stay in this world, nor could the world endure them. Now, if thus it is
with the angels, how much more so must it be with the Torah-the Torah that
created them, that created all the worlds and is the means by which these are
sustained. Thus had the Torah not clothed herself in garments of this world the
world could not endure it. The stories of the Torah are thus only her outer
garments, and whoever looks upon that garment as being the Torah itself, woe
to that man-such a one will have no portion in the next world. David thus said:
“Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Ps.
CXIX, 18), to wit, the things that are beneath the garment. Observe this. The
garments worn by a man are the most visible part of him, and senseless people
looking at the man do not seem to see more in him than the garments. But in
truth the pride of the garments is the body of the man, and the pride of the body
is the soul. Similarly the Torah has a body made up of the precepts of the Torah,
called gufe torah (bodies, main principles of the Torah), and that body is
enveloped in garments made up of worldly narrations. The senseless people only
see the garment, the mere narrations; those who are somewhat wiser penetrate
as far as the body. But the really wise, the servants of the most high King, those
who stood on Mount Sinai, penetrate right through to the soul, the root principle
of all, namely, to the real Torah. In the future the same are destined to penetrate
even to the super-soul (soul of the soul) of the Torah. Observe that in a similar
way in the supernal world there is garment, body, soul and super-soul. The
heavens and their hosts are the outer garment, the Community of Israel is the
body which receives the soul, to wit, the “Glory of Israel”; and the super-soul is
the Ancient Holy One. All these are interlocked within each other. Woe to the
sinners who consider the Torah as mere worldly tales, who only see its outer
garment; happy are the righteous who fix their gaze on the Torah proper Wine
cannot be kept save in a jar; so the Torah needs an outer garment. These are
the stories and narratives, but it behoves us to penetrate beneath them.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 26a - AND THE LORD GOD
CAUSED TO GROW. The two names may be referred to the Father and the
Mother; “every pleasant tree” refers to the Zaddik; “good to eat” refers to the
Central Column, through which He provided food for all, and from which alone
the Zaddik is nourished, as the Shekinah from him. These have no need of the
lower world, but, on the contrary, all below are nourished from him. For in this
period of captivity the Shekinah and “the Life of the universe” are only nourished
by the eighteen blessings of Israel's prayer, but at the time he will be food for all.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 174a - Whilst they were walking,
R. Jose said to R. Eleazar: ‘It has been said that with Rachel's death the house
was transferred to Her who required to be adorned with twelve tribes.
Nevertheless, why should Rachel have died immediately after the birth of
Benjamin?’ R. Eleazar in reply said: ‘It was in order that the Shekinah should be
duly crowned and take her place in the house as “a joyful mother of children”.
With Benjamin, the Shekinah was equipped with the full twelve tribes, and with
him the kingdom of heaven began to be made manifest on earth. Now the
beginning of any manifestation is brought about with strain, and involves a doom
of death before it can become established. Here, when the Shekinah was about
to assume her rightful place and to take over the house, the doom fell upon
Rachel. Similarly, when the kingdom was about to be made manifest on earth, it
commenced with a judgement, and the kingdom was not established in its place
until a doom had fallen upon Saul, in accordance with his deserts; and only then
was it established. It is a general rule that beginnings are rough, whereas the
subsequent course is smooth. Thus, on New Year's day (Rosh-hashana) the year
opens with severity, as the whole world passes under judgement, each individual
according to his deeds, but soon after comes relief and forgiveness and
atonement. The reason is that the beginning is from the left side, and so it brings
harsh judgements, until the right side is aroused and ease follows. In time to
come God will first treat the idolatrous nations gently and indulgently, but
afterwards with severity and stern judgement. So Scripture says: “The Lord will
go forth as a mighty one, he will stir up jealousy as a warrior; he will cry, yea, he
will shout aloud, he will prove himself mighty against his enemies” (Is. XLII, 13);
which interpreted means that first He will manifest Himself as YHVH (the Lord),
in His attribute of mercy, then as a mighty one, but not in His full might, then as
a warrior, but not in His full war panoply, and finally, His whole might will
become manifest against them in order to exterminate them, so that “he will
cry, yea, he will shout aloud, he will prove himself mighty against his enemies.”
Again, it is written: “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations,
as when he fighteth in the day of battle” (Zech. XIV, 3). Also: “Who is this that
cometh from Edom with crimson garments from Bozrah? etc.” (Is. LXIII, 1).’ AND
IT CAME TO PASS, AS HER SOUL WAS IN DEPARTING FOR SHE DIED-THAT SHE
CALLED HIS NAME BEN-ONI; BUT HIS FATHER CALLED HIM BENJAMIN. R. Judah
discoursed on the verse: The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;
and he knoweth them that take refuge in him (Nahum I, 7). ‘Happy’, he said, ‘is
the man who finds his strength in the Holy One, blessed be He, since His
strength is invincible. The Lord is indeed “good to all” (Ps. CXLV, 9), “a
stronghold”, wherein is salvation, as we read: “He is a stronghold of salvation”
(Ibid. XXVIII, 8); “in the day of trouble”, to wit, in the day of Israel's oppression at
the hand of other nations. Now of him who relaxes his hold of the Holy One,
blessed be He, it is written: “If thou art faint in the day of adversity, thy strength
is straitened” (Prov. XXIV, 10), and the only way of holding firmly to God is to
hold firmly to the Torah; for whosoever holds firmly to the Torah holds firmly to
the tree of life, and, as it were, adds strength to the community of Israel. But if
he relaxes his hold of the Torah, then, as it were, he presses hard the Shekinah,
which is the strength of the world. Again, when a man relaxes his hold of the
Torah and walks in the wrong path, ever so many enemies are ready at hand to
act as his accusers in the day of trouble, nay, even his own soul, which is his
power and strength, turns against him, and becomes his enemy, so that it may
be said of him “thy strength becomes an enemy” (zar=enemy, or straitened).’
Said R. Abba: ‘When a man follows the guidance of the Torah and walks in the
straight path, many are the advocates that rise up to say a good word for him.
Thus we read: “If there be for him an angel, an intercessor, one among a
thousand, to vouch for man's uprightness; then he is gracious unto him, and
saith: Deliver him from the pit, I have found a ransom” (Job XXXIII, 23, 24).

1. A Kabbalistic Universe, Z'ev ben Shimon Halevi, Samuel Weiser, Inc. York
Beach Maine, 1977, p. 63.

2. The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, 1979, Wayne State University Press,
Detroit, pp. 181-182.

3. From http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/shoftim.html

4. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism and Hermeneutics,

Ellliot Wolfson, 1995, State University of New York Press, p.91

Revelation 12:7 to 12:17

Last update: June 1, 2003

With verse 7 we begin to see a transition from a purely Beriatic vision to one
where events "play out" in time.
7
And there came war in the heaven; Michael and his messengers did war
against the dragon, and the dragon did war, and his messengers,

Traditional commentaries on this "battle" typically convey the idea of a "fight"

between these two spiritual entities. However, we know that haSatan's role is
that of "accuser" and this puts a different spin on what is going on "behind the
scenes." This is alluded to in verse 9, where John uses the term "adversary," and
also in verse 10 where he is called, "accuser of our brethren."

Author Raphael Patai, in his classic work, "The Messiah Texts" puts it as follows:

Part of the contest ...- is not a combat between opposing powers ... but a legal
conflict between Michael, the celestial prince of Israel, and Samael, the celstial
prince of Edom-Rome, epitomizing the nations of the world. Samael accuses
Israel of the same sins for which Michael demands the punishment of Edom.
Finally it is only God Himself who can present the clinching argument in defense
of His children. This is in keeping with the old Jewish idea that the fate of Israel
and the relations between Israel and the nations depend on the degree of piety
of Israel. 1
This idea is found in the Midrashim on Ruth and Exodus:

Midrash Rabbah - Ruth Prologue I - AND IT CAME TO PASS, IN THE DAYS

THAT THE JUDGES JUDGED (I, 1). R. Johanan introduced his exposition with the
verse Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee
(Ps. L, 7). R. Johanan said: Evidence is given only in the hearing [of the
defendant]. R. Judan b. R. Simon said: In the past, Israel had a name like all the
nations, [for instance] And Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabteca (Gen. X, 7);
henceforth they are called solely ‘My people’, thus: ’Hear, O My people, and I will
speak’: Whence have ye merited to be called ’ My people’ ? From the time of '
and I will speak’, from that which ye uttered before Me at Sinai and said, All that
the Lord hath spoken will we do, and hearken (Ex. XXIV, 7). R. Johanan said ’
Hear, O My people ‘, to that [which was said] in the past; ‘and I will speak’ in the
future; ‘Hear, O My people’ in this world; ’and I will speak’ in the World to Come,
in order that I may have a retort to the princes of the nations of the world, who
are destined to act as their prosecutors before Me, and say ‘Lord of the Universe,
they have served idols and we have served idols; they have been guilty of
immorality and we have been guilty of immorality; they have shed blood and we
have shed blood. Why do they go into the Garden of Eden while we descend to
Gehenna? ' In that moment the defender of Israel keeps silence. That is the
meaning of the verse And at that time shall Michael stand up (Dan. XII, 1). Do
they then as a rule sit in Heaven? Did not R. Hanina say, there is no sitting in
Heaven, as it is written I came near unto one of ka'amaya (ib. VII, 16), the
meaning of this word ' ka'amaya ‘ being that stood by, as it is written, Above him
stood the seraphim (Isa. VI, 2), and it s also written And all the host of heaven
standing on His right hand and on His left (II Chron. XVIII, 18)? And yet the verse
says ‘shall [Michael] stand up’!.What then is the meaning here of ’stand up’?
‘Stand silent,’ as it is said, And shall I wait because they speak not, because they
stand still, and answer no more? (Job XXXII, 16). And the Holy One, blessed be
He, says to him: ' Dost thou stand silent and hast no defence to offer for My
people? By thy life, I will speak righteousness and save My people! ' With what
righteousness? R. Eleazar and R. Johanan:-one says: The righteousness which ye
wrought for My word in that ye accepted My Torah, for had ye not accepted My
Torah, I should have caused the world to revert to void and desolation. For R.
Huna said in the name of R. Aha: When the earth and all the inhabitants thereof
are dissolved (Ps. LXXV, 4) means that the world would long have gone into
dissolution had not Israel stood before Mount Sinai. Who then set the world
firmly upon its foundation? I myself establish the pillars of it (ib.). By the merit of
‘I’: I have established its pillars for ever. The other Rabbi says: By the
righteousness which ye wrought unto yourselves in that ye accepted my Torah;
for were it not for this, I should have caused thee to disappear from the nations.

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XVIII:5 - To what may Michael and Samael be

compared? To an intercessor and an accuser before a tribunal: each speaks in
turn, and when each has finished the intercessor sees that he has triumphed,
and he begins to praise the judge that he may issue his verdict; and when the
accuser wishes to add anything, the intercessor says to him: ‘You remain quiet
and let us hear the judge.’ So also do Michael and Samael both stand before the
Divine Presence; Satan accuses, while Michael points out Israel's virtues, and
when Satan wishes to speak again, Michael silences him, because, as it says: I
will hear what God the Lord will speak; for He will speak peace unto His people
(Ps. LXXXV, 9).3 This is the meaning of: ’In the night I will call to remembrance
my song’ (ib. LXXVII, 7),4 referring to the miracle of Hezekiah.
8
and they did not prevail, nor was their place found any more in the heaven;

The verse speaks of these evil entities being cast out of heaven (Beriah). See
comments to verse 12.
9
and the great dragon was cast forth -- the old serpent, who is called `Devil,'
and `the Adversary,' who is leading astray the whole world -- he was cast forth to
the earth, and his messengers were cast forth with him.

Verses 9 through 12 make a transition from a thematic Beriatic view to the

physical manifestation of "preordained" events.

The following text discusses how evil "descends" from the "Left" above when
Israel's "faith" falters. The term "Community of Israel" is a reference to both the
Shekinah and people of Israel (similar to the "woman" of verse 1 above). Again,
we see the idea of events "above" and "below" being directly tied to one
another:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 197a - R. Abba discoursed on

the passage beginning: "If thou know not, O thou fairest among women", etc.
(S.S. I, 8). ‘The Community of Israel’, he said, ‘is she that gathers in from all the
camps above, and holds in all that she gathers, letting it escape only by drops
like dew, because there is not sufficient faith below. For if She were to find faith
as it is found in her, She would pour the light on every side without restraint, and
they would give to her also gifts and presents without stint. But it is those of the
lower world who restrain them and restrain her, and therefore she is called
Azereth (the restrainer). Nevertheless, as a mother gives to her sons in secret
and unbeknown, so she does with her children, Israel. We have learnt from the
Sacred Lamp [Rabbi Shimon Ben Yohai of the Zohar], that when She ascends to
receive delights and dainties, if then there is a blemish in Israel She is separated
from her Spouse a fixed number of days. Then it is known above that there is a
blemish in Israel and the Left awakens and lets down a thread below. Then
Samael quickly rouses himself to assail the world, as it says, "And he called Esau
his elder (lit. great) son" (Gen. XXVII, 1). He is indeed great with the camps of
the "other side" and he steers all the ships of the sea of accusations with the evil
breeze to sink them in the depths of the sea. Now when the Holy One, blessed
be He, is in merciful mood, He gives to him all the sins of Israel and he casts
them into the depths of the sea-for so his camps are called-and they take them
and flow with them to all other peoples. Are, then, the sins and guilt of Israel
scattered among their people? The truth is that they wait for gifts from above
like a dog at a table, and when God takes all the sins of Israel and throws them
to them, they think that He is diverting from Israel the gifts which He intended to
give them, and giving to them instead, and they straightway rejoice and throw
them to the other peoples.
10
And I heard a great voice saying in the heaven, `Now did come the salvation,
and the power, and the reign, of our God, and the authority of His Messiah,
because cast down was the accuser of our brethren, who is accusing them before
our God day and night;

See Midrash Rabbah above in verse 7 for the dragon being the "accuser." Note
that the accusations were made "before God," i.e., at the level of the Throne
Room (Beriah). The process of rectification of each world (Beriah, Yetzirah,
Asiyyah - as mentioned in our earlier chapter notes) is linked directly to the
"coming of the salvation, power and reign of God and authority of Messiah."
11
and they did overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of
the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life -- unto death;

See comments on Smyrna in chapter 2 notes regarding those "faithful unto

death." Viewing this as "overcoming" the accusations brought forth by Samael
(haSatan), the brethren are able to do this due to a combination of two things:

1. the "blood of the lamb"

2. the word of their testimony

Two principles of Judaism come into play here:

1. the atonement provided to others by a Tzaddik

2. associating oneself with that Tzaddik in order to receive this atonement

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatton (RaMCHaL) in his classic work, Derech Hashem,
states that these concepts are fundamental to Judaism:

"... suffering and pain may be imposed on a tzaddik as an atonement for his
entire generation. This tzaddik must then accept this suffering with love for the
benefit of his generation, just as he accepts the suffering imposed upon him for
his own sake. In doing so, he benefits his generation by atoning for it, and at the
same time is himself elevated to a very great degree ... In addition, there is a
special, higher type of suffering that comes to a tzaddik who is even greater and
more highly perfected than the ones discussed above. This suffering comes to
provide the help necessary to bring about the chain of events leading to the
ultimate perfection of mankind as a whole." 2

As mentioned in our background study on Messiah and Atonement, the idea of

the "shed blood of the tzaddik" is considered with regard to bringing atonement
to others. The Zohar directly associates this "one righteous person" with the
"suffering servant" of Isaiah 53:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 218a – Why is it that whenever

sinners multiply in the world and punishment impends over the world, the
virtuous among them are smitten for them, as we have learnt, that for the guilt
of the generation the holy and righteous are seized upon? Why should this be? If
because they do not reprove mankind for their evil deeds, how many are there
who do reprove but are not listened to (though the righteous do humble
themselves before them)? If it is in order that there may be no one to shield
them, let them not die and let them not be seized for their sins, since it is a
satisfaction to the righteous to see their destruction. He replied: It is true that for
the guilt of the generation the righteous are seized upon, but we may explain
this on the analogy of the limbs of the body. When all the limbs are in pain and
suffering from sickness one limb has to be smitten in order that all may be
healed. Which is the one? The arm. The arm is smitten and blood is drawn from
it, and this is healing for all the limbs of the body. So men are like limbs of one
body. When God desires to give healing to the world He smites one righteous
man among them with disease and suffering, and through him gives healing to
all, as it is written, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities... and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. LIII, 5). A righteous
man is never afflicted save to bring healing to his generation and to make
atonement for it, for the "other side" prefers that punishment should light upon
the virtuous man rather than on any other, for then it cares not for the whole
world on account of the joy it finds in having power over him.

Here, Yeshua is in the role of the great Tzaddik, Messiah ben Joseph, who is able
to take upon Himself the sins of Israel (and the world). As Messiah ben Joseph is
seen as being "slain" throughout kabbalistic literature, and as the tzaddik is
likened to the "foundation" of the world (see background studies), so is Yeshua
the "lamb slain since the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).

Atonement through "association" with the Tzaddik is done by "walking as he

walked" (which meant walking according to the Torah, i.e., 1st John 2:3-6,
Romans 3:31, Matthew 5:17-21, etc.) and "drinking his blood and eating his
flesh" (John, chapter 6) a Hebraic euphemism for following Torah as Yeshua
taught it. John makes this clear in verse 17 below, where he plainly refers to the
keeping of the Torah's commandments as a sign of being associated with the
Messiah.
12
because of this be glad, ye heavens, and those in them who do tabernacle;
wo to those inhabiting the land and the sea, because the Devil did go down unto
you, having great wrath, having known that he hath little time.'

Three groups of inhabitants are mentioned here, those of the heavens (Beriah),
the land (Asiyyah) and the sea (Yetzirah). The inhabitants of the heavens are
made glad by the removal of the evil presence. Those of the lower realms are
warned of his "arrival." This includes the human inhabitants of Asiyyah, as well
as the angels of Yetzirah.

The following text reflects these themes:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 35b - AND THE SERPENT. R.

Isaac said: ‘This is the evil tempter’. R. Judah said that it means literally a
serpent. They consulted R. Simeon, and he said to them: ‘Both are correct. It was
Samael, and he appeared on a serpent, for the ideal form of the serpent is the
Satan. We have learnt that at that moment Samael came down from heaven
riding on this serpent, and all creatures saw his form and fled before him. They
then entered into conversation with the woman, and the two brought death into
the world. Of a surety Samael brought curses on the world through Wisdom and
destroyed the first tree that God had created in the world. This responsibility
rested on Samael until another holy tree came, namely Jacob, who wrested the
blessings from him, in order that Samael might not be blessed above and Esau
below. For Jacob was the reproduction of Adam, and he had the same beauty as
Adam. Therefore as Samael withheld blessings from the first tree, so Jacob, who
was such another tree as Adam, withheld blessings, both upper and lower, from
Samael; and in doing so Jacob but took back his own. It is written: AND THE
SERPENT WAS SUBTLE. This serpent is the evil tempter and the angel of death. It
is because the serpent is the angel of death that it brought death to the world.’

The idea of evil "intensifying" as its time grows short is described by Rabbi
Nachman of Breslov in terms of the yetzer hara (evil inclination) which is often
synonymous with haSatan:

The Baal Shem Tov compared the evil inclination's "last stand" to a warrior who
knows his end is near. An enemy who is dying throws everything he has into a
last attempt to save the day. 3

Beginning with verse 13 John "repeats" the theme of the dragon seeking to
destroy the offspring of the woman and her being protected by God -- only the
scene takes place in the physical realm. In this case, no immediate mention is
made of her child being "taken up" to God.
13
And when the dragon saw that he was cast forth to the earth, he pursued the
woman who did bring forth the male,
14
and there were given to the woman two wings of the great eagle, that she
may fly to the wilderness, to her place, where she is nourished a time, and times,
and half a time, from the face of the serpent;

The reference to a "time," "times" and "half a time," may again be understood as
related to the "forty-two months" in terms of 1 year, 2 years and a half year. the
woman is said to protected from the "face" of the serpent, which again is allusion
to its physical manifestation.

The "wilderness" mentioned in verse 14 may include an area outside of Israel as

the Shekinah is said to follow Israel outside of the land with regard to protecting
them:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 166a - ”Jacob said when he saw
them, etc.” (Ibid. 3). It was from these angels that he sent a mission to Esau, as
it says: “And Jacob sent angels” (mal'akhim).’ R. Isaac said: ‘Why, in one place in
the Psalms does it say “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear him and delivereth them” (Ps. XXXIV, 8), in the singular, and in another
place, “For he will give his angels charge over thee” (Ibid. XCI, 11), in the plural?
The reason is that the term “angels” is a reference to angels proper, whereas in
the verse: “The angel of the Lord encampeth”, the reference is to the Shekinah,
as in the verse: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire
out of the midst of a bush” (Ex. III, 2). Thus “the angel of the Lord encampeth
round about those who fear him” to deliver them; and when the Shekinah abides
within a man, ever so many holy legions rally round him. David uttered this
verse when he escaped from Achish the king of Gath, because the Shekinah
encompassed him and delivered him from Achish and his people, and all those
who assailed him. It is written in the same connection: “And he feigned himself
mad (vayitholel) in their hands” (I Sam. XXI, 14). The term vayitholel here, in
place of the more usual vayishtagea’, contains an allusion to the kindred term
used formerly by David when he said: “For I was envious of the madmen
(holelim)” (Ps. LXXIII, 3). God thus said in effect to David: “As thou livest, since
thou enviest madmen, thou thyself wilt yet be driven to play the madman”; and
so it came to pass when he was brought before Achish and his life was in danger;
he then “feigned himself mad (vayitholel) in their hand”, that is, he behaved like
one of those madmen (holelim) whom he had once envied; and only then did the
Shekinah come to his rescue. How, it may be asked, could this be, seeing that
the Shekinah abides only in her own heritage, the Holy Land? The answer is that
from there only she bestows blessings, but for purposes of protection she is to
be found elsewhere also. So here, when Jacob departed from Laban, all the holy
legions surrounded him, so that he was not left by himself.’
15
and the serpent did cast forth after the woman, out of his mouth, water as a
river, that he may cause her to be carried away by the river,

In kabbalistic literature, "water" is often an allusion to the "watery" mixed realm

of Yetzirah. The concept of "rivers" has to do with the idea of transmission of
power from a higher to lower realm:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus IX:4 - Another reason why he told him to perform
the miracle of the serpent was because Pharaoh was like a serpent, as it is said:
The great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers (Ezek. XXIX, 3)

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 28a - R. Hiya asked R. Jose: ‘As
the Holy One knew that the Egyptian magicians were able to turn their rods into
serpents, why did He command Moses and Aaron to perform this sign before
Pharaoh? There was nothing wonderful in this to him.’ R. Jose replied: ‘Pharaoh's
dominion originated with the Serpent, and therefore his punishment commenced
with the serpent. When the magicians saw it they rejoiced because they knew
that they could do the same, but then Aaron's serpent turned into a dry rod
again, as it says, “and Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods” (v. I 2). Then they
were astonished, realizing that there was a superior Power on earth. Thus Aaron
showed in fact a double sign, one above and one below: one above, by showing
to Pharaoh that there was a higher Serpent which ruled over theirs, and one
below by making wood subdue their serpents. Do not think that the magicians’
performance was mere make-believe: their rods actually did “become serpents”
(Ibid.). It is written: “Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great
dragon (tanin) that lies in the midst of his rivers” (Ezek. XXIX, 4). It is from there
that the Egyptian magicians derived their power of witchcraft, but the source of
their wisdom was the lowest of all grades.’ Observe that their wisdom consisted
in subjecting the lowest grades to higher grades, the chiefs of their dominion.
These in turn derive their power from the Dragon underneath whom they are
situated, as is indicated by the phrase, “who is behind the mill “ (Ex. XI, 5).

The following text delves deeper into the theme of "dragons and rivers,"
decribing a total of ten dragons and ten rivers. This may be seen as associated
with the ten horns of the dragon mentioned in verse 3:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 34a-b - R. Simeon continued: ‘It

is now fitting to reveal mysteries connected with that which is above and that
which is below. Why is it written here, “Come (bo) unto Pharaoh”? Ought it not
rather to have said “go” (lekh)? It is to indicate that the Holy One, blessed be He,
guided Moses through a labyrinth right into the abode of a certain supernal
mighty dragon-that is to say, Egypt's celestial representative - from whom many
lesser dragons emanate. Moses was afraid to approach him, because his roots
are in supernal regions, and he only approached his subsidiary streams. When
the Holy One saw that Moses feared the dragon, and that none of the supernal
messengers was able to overcome him, He proclaimed: “Behold, I am against
thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon (tanim) that lieth in the midst of
his rivers, which hath said: My river is my own, and I have made it for myself”
(Ezek. XXIX, 3). Yea, truly, the Lord Himself had to war against this dragon, and
no lesser being. This is the mystery of the “great dragon” for those who are
familiar with the esoteric lore.’ Said R. Simeon further: ‘It is written: “And God
created the great dragons (taninim) and every living creature that moveth,
which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind” (Gen. 1, 2I). This
verse’, he said, ‘we have already discussed, but the words “He created the great
dragons” contain a yet more special and particular mystery: they refer to the
Leviathan and his mate, which last was slain and is preserved by the Holy One
for the regaling of the righteous (in the days of the Messiah). The great dragon
reposes between nine rivers, the waters of which are turbulent; and there is a
tenth river whose waters are calm, and into the depth of which the blessings of
the waters of Paradise descend three times a year. Into this river the dragon
enters, making there his habitation; and thence he sallies forth and swims down
to the sea, and devours there fish of all kinds, and then returns again to the
river. The nine swift rivers are banked by trees and fringed with flowers. The
parent river issued from the Left Side and from it three drops fell into a certain
channel, and each of the three was divided again into three, and every drop
became a river. These are the nine rivers which flow through all the firmaments.
And from the final moisture that remained when all the drops had issued forth
yet another drop was formed, which issued gently, and of this drop was formed
that tenth river, which flows calmly. Into this river also flows a drop from the
blessings poured forth from the Right side by the “perennially flowing stream”,
and it is greater than all the rest. When the four rivers which flow out of the
Garden of Eden divide, the one called Pison flows into and is fused with the calm
tenth river of which we have spoken. Out of the calm river, thus augmented, are
fed and filled all the other rivers; in each of which a dragon dwells, so that the
number of the dragons is nine. And each of these nine has a hole in his head,
and the great dragon as well, because each of them emits breath upwards and
not downwards. It is written: “In the beginning God created...” and also “And
God created the great dragons”. This indicates that all the ten acts of Creation
had their counterpart in these ten rivers, on each of which one of the dragons
breathes heavily. Now, that great dragon, when he raises his fins, heaves up the
waters around him, and all the earth is shaken and all the lesser dragons, and
this takes place every seventy years.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘Verily, though the
members of the Fellowship are students of the story of Creation, having
knowledge of its wonders and perception of the paths of the Holy One, blessed
be He, yet even among them there are few who know how to interpret it in
connection with the mystery of the great dragon.
16
and the land did help the woman, and the land did open its mouth and did
swallow up the river, that the dragon did cast forth out of his mouth;

The following texts link God "swallowing up death" to His removal of the power of
the serpent which seeks to polute Israel:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 54a - Therefore a man should be

on his guard on every side against the side of this evil serpent, which otherwise
will gain the better of him. God has promised one day to remove it from this
world, as it is written, “I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the land”
(Zech. XIII, 2), and also “He will swallow up death for ever” (Is. XXV, 8).’

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 70b - ‘The Holy One, blessed be
He, will one day sweep away the unclean spirit, as it is written, “And the unclean
spirit I will cause to pass out of the land” (Zech. XIII, 2), and further, “He will
swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth, for the
Lord hath spoken it” (Is. XXV, 8). The Holy One, blessed be He, will also one day
restore the moon to its full light, and dissipate the darkness brought on her by
the evil serpent, as it is written, “And the light of the moon shall be as the light
of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven
days” (Ibid. XXX, 26), the reference here being to the primordial light which the
Holy One, blessed be He, stored away during the period of the creation.’
17
and the dragon was angry against the woman, and went away to make war
with the rest of her seed, those keeping the commands of God, and having the
testimony of Yeshua the Messiah.

The "keeping of the commands of God" (the Torah) is of paramount importance

with regard to protection during these dark times:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 151a - R. Hiya and R. Hizkiah

were once sitting underneath a tree in the field of Ono. R. Hiya fell into a
slumber and beheld Elijah. He said to him: ‘The whole field is illumined with your
presence.’ Elijah answered: ‘I am come to tell you that Jerusalem is about to be
laid waste together with all the towns of the sages, for the reason that Jerusalem
is the embodiment of judgement, and is preserved by judgement, and now
judgement demands its destruction; and Samael has already been given power
over it and over its mighty ones. I have therefore come to advise the sages
thereof so that they may try to obtain for Jerusalem some years of grace. For so
long as knowledge of the Torah is found therein it will be spared, the Torah being
the tree of life by which all live. But when the study of the Torah ceases below,
the tree of life disappears from the world. Hence so long as the sages cling to
the Torah, Samael has no power over them, as Scripture says: “The voice is the
voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau” (Gen. XXVII, 22). The voice
is the Torah, which is termed the voice of Jacob, and so long as that voice pours
forth, the utterance also dominates and prevails (over the hands of Esau). Hence
the study of the Torah should never cease.’

1. The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, 1979, Wayne State University Press,
Detroit, p. 90.

2. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated
and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 122.

3. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (an exposition of the
teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer, Breslov Resarch
Institute, Jerusalem, p. 187.

Revelation 13:1 to 13:10

Last update: August 10, 2003

In attempting to understand the text from this point forward, we will keep in
mind several principles:

1. As discussed, God's ultimate plan is represented by the "Unification of His

Name" (Zechariah 14:9). This is symbolized in various ways such as; the union of
the heavens and earth (which includes the removal of Yetzirah - the "mixed
realm" 1), establishment of the third Temple, coming of Elijah and Messiah,
marriage of the bride and groom, etc. If we have a grasp of what the Unification
of the Name involves, we can better understand the story of Revelation.

2. Simply stated, haSatan's plan is to counter the above unification and establish
his own (i.e., "I will be like the Most High" - Isaiah 14:14). His tactics include;
deception, counterfeiting and instilling of doubt in the minds of people. It is
imperative to keep in mind however, that everything haSatan (and any part of
the evil realm) does serves God's ultimate purpose.

3. The main expression of the disunity of the Name of God is that of the Shekinah
(God's "presence in the world") being in exile - "separated" in a sense from the
rest of God. (The Shekinah being represented by the final "hey" of the 4-letter
name Y-H-V-H.) This separation is mainly caused by a disregard for Torah on the
part of Israel (and to a lesser extent, the world). The result is greater power to
haSatan and the dark side, which causes greater disunion (i.e., of Malkut from
Yesod), thus lessening God's protection. This causes an even worse apostacy
(i.e., the hearts of many will fail).

This is expressed as follows in Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs II:33 - R. Johanan said: In the first year
of the septennate in which the scion of David will come, will be fulfilled the
statement of the Scripture, And I will cause it to rain upon one city, etc. (Amos
IV, 7). In the second year famine will assail it. In the third year there will be a
great famine, from which men, women, and children will perish, and pious men
and men of good deeds will become few, and the Torah will begin to be forgotten
in Israel. In the fourth year there will be scarcity of a kind and plenty of a kind. In
the fifth year there will be great plenty and the people will eat, drink, and be
merry, and the Torah will be renewed and restored to Israel. In the sixth year
there will be thunderings, in the seventh year wars. At the expiration of the
seventh year the scion of David will come. Said Abaye: How many septennates
have passed like this, and yet he has not come I He will only come in the
circumstances described by Resh Lakish:, In the generation in which the scion of
David will come, the meeting [Torah study] house shall be a bawdy house and
Galilee shall be laid waste and Gabalina shall be desolate and the men of Galilee
shall go about from town to town and find no pity and the wisdom of the scribes
shall become putrid and the God-fearing and pious shall cease and truth shall be
abandoned and the generation will be brazen-faced like a dog, How do we know
that Truth will be abandoned? Because it says, And truth is lacking (ne-’edereth),
and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey (Isa. LIX, 15). Whither
does Truth go? The School of R. Jannai said: It will go and settle in separate
groups (‘adarim) in the wilderness.’ The Rabbis say: In the generation in which
the scion of David will come, the wise men of the generation will die and the rest
will waste away with grief and sorrow and much trouble will come upon the
community and cruel decrees will be promulgated, one coming on top of
another. R. Nehorai said: In the generation in which the scion of David will come,
the young will insult their elders and the old will rise before the young, as it says,
The daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house (Micah VII, 6), and
a son will feel no shame before his father. R. Nehemiah said: Before the days of
the Messiah there will be great poverty and scarcity, and the vine will cast its
fruit and the wine will turn bad and the whole of the government will be
converted to minuth and there will be no reproof. R. Abba b. Kahana said: The
scion of David will come only in a generation which is brazen-faced like a dog. R.
Levi said: The scion of David will come only in a generation which is full of
impudence and deserves to be exterminated. R. Jannai said: If you see one
generation after another cursing and blaspheming, look out for the coming of the
Messiah, as it says, Wherewith Thine enemies have taunted, O Lord, wherewith
Thine enemies he taunted the footsteps of Thine anointed (Ps. LXXXIX, 52), and
immediately afterwards it is written, Blessed be the Lord for evermore, Amen
and Amen.

Ultimately and ironically, the result of all of this is positive - the arrival of
Messiah. The following kabbalistic text even associates this idea with the
teaching of the metzora (afflicted person) who is struck with the skin disease of
tzarat (as found in Levitixus chapter 13 and incorrectly called "leprosy"). Here it
is taught that just as when the metzora's tzarat covers him fully and he is
actually declared "clean" by the priest, so shall Messiah come when Israel is in a
similar state:

When people sin, the attribute of judgment is extended against them, and then
God, who is YHVH, sees that if the judgment is fulfilled, then worlds will be
utterly destroyed, so what can He do? He removes judgment from there and he
brings it up to the attribute of mercy ... Thus it is written: "The son of David will
only come when a generation is collectively guilty of sin." ... "When the whole
turns white it is pure" (Leviticus 13:14). 2

4. The nature and tactics of haSatan, as demonstrated by Israel's historical

enemies (i.e., Amalek, Balaam, Haman, Nebuchednezzar), can give us insight
into the prophecies of Revelation, as we are told:

Ecclesiastes 1:9 - That which has been is what will be, That which is done is
what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.

5. When studying these historical accounts, one must examine them on various
levels (i.e., literal, allegorical and metaphysical - see background study on
Methods of Study.)

In this chapter, John's vision moves from the Beriatic "dragon" and becomes
more "down to earth" in the form of two "beasts." The first of these is said to
emerge from the "sea" (the world of Yetzirah) and the second from the "land"
(the world of Asiyyah.)

All three of these entities work in "conjunction" with each other. The theme of a
"heavenly power" with two earthly manifestations is seen throughout history in
the form of king and priest, pharaoh and magician, chief and medicine man, etc.
Within Judaism, the end time scenario involves the Messiah and prophet Elijah
being sent by God.
1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw out of the sea a beast coming
up, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon its horns ten diadems, and
upon its heads a name of evil speaking,

John describes his "spiritual location" as being on the sand of the sea, an allusion
to the angelic world of Yetzirah. Here the Beriatic concepts introduced in the
previous chapter begin to take "form" (Yezirah = world of Formation).
As alluded to in earlier sections of this study, that which exists below is a
reflection of that which exists in higher realms:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 48b - “There go the ships; there
is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein” (Ibid. v, 26). And all the
fishes of the sea gather to their places, and all the creatures rejoice over it and
the Hayoth of the supernal fields, as it is written: “And all the beasts of the field
play there” (Job XL, 20). Come and see! The likeness of that which is above is
that which is below, and what is below is also in the sea, and the likeness of that
which is above is that which is in the supernal sea, and what is below is also in
the lower sea.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 34a - LET THE WATERS SWARM
WITH SWARMS OF LIVING CREATURES. R. Eleazar said: ‘These are the lower
waters, which brought forth species corresponding to those above, so that there
was a lower order and a higher order.’ R. Hiya said: ‘It was the upper waters
which brought forth a “living soul”, to wit, the soul of the first man, as it is
written, “and the man became a living soul” (Gen. II, 7).’ AND FOWL TO FLY
ABOVE THE EARTH. These are the emissaries from the upper world which appear
to men in visible shape. For there are others of whose existence man knows only
by conjecture. These latter are referred to in the next verse in the words, “every
winged fowl after its kind”. The words “after its kind” are used in connection with
the latter and not with the former, because the latter never take the forms of
another species, whereas the former do. Nevertheless, they do differ one from
another.

This beast may be seen as representing both a "governing entity" as well as an

individual, as historically the head of a government is often identified with that
which he rules. This beast emerges from Yetzirah, suggesting that it may be an
angel (from the "angelic world" of Yetzirah) taking on the appearance of a
human. Aside from the mention of "emmisaries that take visible shape," as
mentioned in the above Zohar reference, the following texts also support this
possibility:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 101a - When Abraham was still
suffering from the effects of the circumcision, the Holy One sent him three
angels, in visible shape, to enquire of his well-being. You may, perhaps, wonder
how angels can ever be visible, since it is written, “Who makes his angels spirits”
(Ps. CIV, 4). Abraham, however, assuredly did see them, as they descended to
earth in the form of men. And, indeed, whenever the celestial spirits descend to
earth, they clothe themselves in corporeal elements and appear to men in
human shape.

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXXV:4 - MALAKIM-E.V. MESSENGERS (XXXVII, 4).

These were none but human messengers. The Rabbis said: It means literally
angels. If an angel escorted Eliezer, who was but a servant of the house, how
much the more this one [Jacob], who was the beloved of the house! R. Hama b.
Hanina observed: Hagar was but Sarah's handmaid, yet five angels appeared to
her; how much the more then to this man [Jacob], who was the beloved of the
house! R. Jannai said: Joseph was the youngest of the tribal ancestors, yet three
angels met him, as it is written, And a certain man found him... and the man
asked him... and the man said: (Gen. XXXVII, 15 ff.). Then how much the more
this one Jacob], who was the father of them all!

Hebrews 13:2 - Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have
unwittingly entertained angels.

Another idea regarding the nature of this beast is that a pre-existing soul has
been placed into a human body. (We will be dealing with this subject in depth in
future segments of our Judaism 101 study.) This would be in a similar fashion to
the idea of the soul of Elijah having the possibility of coming into John the
Baptist, as alluded to by Yeshua, as well as the disciples' statement regarding
who the people thought Yeshua was:

Matthew 11:13-14 - For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

Matthew 16:13-14 - When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He
asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So
they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of
the prophets."

(Also see notes to verse 4 below for more on this idea.)

2
and the beast that I saw was like to a leopard, and its feet as of a bear, and its
mouth as the mouth of a lion, and the dragon did give to it his power, and his
throne, and great authority.

The relationship between the world of forces (Beriah) and formation (Yetzirah) is
illustrated in this verse in terms of the "dragon" of Beriah giving power to the
"beast" of Yetzirah. The idea of the dragon having a throne is consistent with the
kabbalistic teaching of their being an "evil form" of that which we view as being
associated with God (i.e., God's throne in Beriah - also see Isaiah 14:13)

The following text speaks of the awesome power of this heavenly dragon:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 34a,b - R. Simeon continued: ‘It

is now fitting to reveal mysteries connected with that which is above and that
which is below. Why is it written here, “Come (bo) unto Pharaoh”? Ought it not
rather to have said “go” (lekh)? It is to indicate that the Holy One, blessed be He,
guided Moses through a labyrinth right into the abode of a certain supernal
mighty dragon-that is to say, Egypt's celestial representative- from whom many
lesser dragons emanate. Moses was afraid to approach him, because his roots
are in supernal regions, and he only approached his subsidiary streams. When
the Holy One saw that Moses feared the dragon, and that none of the supernal
messengers was able to overcome him, He proclaimed: “Behold, I am against
thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon (tanim) that lieth in the midst of
his rivers, which hath said: My river is my own, and I have made it for myself”
(Ezek. XXIX, 3). Yea, truly, the Lord Himself had to war against this dragon, and
no lesser being. This is the mystery of the “great dragon” for those who are
familiar with the esoteric lore.’ Said R. Simeon further: ‘It is written: “And God
created the great dragons (taninim) and every living creature that moveth,
which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind” (Gen. 1, 2I). This
verse’, he said, ‘we have already discussed, but the words “He created the great
dragons” contain a yet more special and particular mystery: they refer to the
Leviathan and his mate, which last was slain and is preserved by the Holy One
for the regaling of the righteous (in the days of the Messiah).

As mentioned in most commentaries, the leopard, bear and lion mirror the
beasts mentioned in the book of Daniel. These are symnolic of the nations that
turn on Israel when they turn from God and His Torah.

For example:

Talmud - Mas. Megilah 11a - As a roaring lion and a ravenous bear, so is a

wicked ruler over a poor people. ‘A roaring lion’: this is the wicked
Nebuchadnezzar, of whom it is written, A lion is gone up from his thicket. ‘A
ravenous bear’: this is Ahasuerus, of whom it is written, And behold another
beast, a second, like to a bear’, and R. Joseph learnt: These are the Persians,
who eat and drink like bears, and are coated with flesh like bears, and are hairy
like bears, and can never keep still like bears. ‘A wicked ruler’: this is Haman.
‘Over a poor people’: this is Israel, who are poor in [the observance of] precepts.

God describes Himself in terms of these three beasts in passing His judgment on
unfaithful Israel:

Hosea 13:4-9 - And I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, and you
know no god but me; for there is no savior beside me. I knew you in the
wilderness, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, they became
full; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore they have forgotten
me. Therefore I will be to them as a lion; as a leopard by the way will I observe
them; I will meet them like a bear that is bereaved of her cubs, and will tear their
closed up heart, and there I will devour them like a lion; the wild beast shall tear
them. O Israel, you have destroyed yourself; for you are against me, against
your help.

The above passage would remind us that every action of the evil side, especially
those taken "against" Israel, is controlled by God for the purpose of achivieving
His perfect will.
3
And I saw one of its heads as slain to death, and its deadly stroke was healed,
and all the earth did wonder after the beast,

The significance of what appears to be a resurrection will be addressed in the

comments to verse 12 in the next section.
4
and they did bow before the dragon who did give authority to the beast, and
they did bow before the beast, saying, `Who [is] like to the beast? who is able to
war with it?'

The idea of a powerful evil ruler oppressing Israel in the end times, is spoken of
in Daniel:

Daniel 8:23-25 - And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the
transgressors have reached their full measure, a king of fierce countenance, and
one who understand riddles, shall arise. And his power shall be mighty, but not
by his own power; and he shall cause awesome destruction, and he shall
prosper, and act, and he shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And
through his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand; and he shall
magnify himself in his heart, and without difficulty shall destroy many; he shall
also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken by no human
hand.

As mentioned in our introduction to this chapter, examining some of Israel's

historical enemies offers insight into this future evil king. As one modern rabbi
writes:

In the end, the Talmud reaches a "compromise:" If the Jewish people are NOT
deserving of being redeemed at the End-of-Days, G-d will cause a ruler to arise
who will decree against the Jewish people as did Haman in the days of Mordechai
and Esther, making their lives so difficult that Jews far and wide will be "forced"
to turn back to G-d, and BECOME deserving of redemption. 3

The verse in question reads:

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 97b - R. Eliezer said: if Israel repent, they will be
redeemed; if not, they will not be redeemed. R. Joshua said to him, if they do not
repent, will they not be redeemed! But the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a
king over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman's, whereby Israel
shall engage in repentance, and he will thus bring them back to the right path.

Hebraic literature does contain ideas concerning a future "anti-Messiah" who

comes against Israel, God and the true Messiah. Raphael Patai, in his classic
work, "The Messiah Texts," devotes an entire chapter to a figure named
"Armilus" who epitomizes this evil ruler. 4

Traditional commentaries on Revelation view this as depicting a "resurrected

anti-Christ." How this plays out in the physical realm is not made clear by John.

It is interesting to note that the Zohar states that God will bring back the souls of
some of Israel's worst enemies in the end of days in order to judge his people
and return them to Him:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 58b - IN THE GREATNESS OF

THINE EXCELLENCY (lit. uplifting) THOU OVERTHROWEST THEM THAT RISE UP
AGAINST THEE. R. Hezekiah found here the same idea as in the verse: “Why
standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in time of trouble?”
(Psalm 10:1). ‘The sins of mankind,’ he said, ‘cause the Holy One to ascend
higher and higher, and then men cry bitterly but without avail, because the Holy
One has departed from the world, and they are unable to return to Him.’ R.
Isaac, however, applied these words to the time when the Holy One will adorn
Himself with majesty in face of the nations who will gather against Him, of whom
it says: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together against the Lord and against his anointed” (Psalm 2:2). We are told that
the seventy guardians of the nations will at that time gather from all sides with
the armies of the whole world and start war against Jerusalem the holy city, and
take counsel together against the Holy One. They will say: “Let us rise first
against the Patron, and then against His people and against His sanctuary!”
Then “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in
derision” (v. 4). He will put on His majesty and shall dash them in pieces.’ R.
Abba said, in the name of R. Jesse the Elder-and R. Simeon made the same
remark- that the Holy One will bring to life again all those kings who afflicted
Israel and Jerusalem: Hadrian, Lupinus, Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, and all
the other kings of the nations who have destroyed His house, and set them up
again as rulers, and they shall gather many nations, and then He will do
vengeance and justice upon them near Jerusalem, as it is written: “And this shall
be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought
against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:12). On the other hand, here it says: “In the
greatness of thy excellency Thou wilt overthrow thine opponents”, which refers
to the Messianic times; and so this song has an eternal significance.
5
And there was given to it a mouth speaking great things, and evil-speakings,
and there was given to it authority to make war forty-two months,

Again we have mention of a forty-two month period, which as mentioned

already, carries the idea of stages (of reproving/rectification) leading to a
conclusion. Compare this to the sacrifices offered by Balaam and Balak against
Israel -- forty-two in all -- as explained in the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 224a - the side of holiness, the
other that of defilement; the one destined for the righteous, the other for the
wicked. Happy are those righteous who have no portion in this world but only in
the world to come. Observe that all is predisposed and revealed before the Holy
One, blessed be He. Even so was it with Balak and Balaam: although the motive
of their action [Tr. note: Viz. the building of the altars and the offering of
sacrifices.] was not the glory of Heaven, yet was all they did duly recorded
before the Lord, who did not diminish aught of their reward in this world. Thus,
through the power of the forty-two offerings which they brought on the seven
altars, Balak and Balaam obtained for the time being dominion over Israel, so
that twenty and four thousand Israelites died by the plague besides those who
were slain, as we read: “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them up unto
the Lord in face of the sun.... Slay ye every one his men that have joined
themselves unto the Baal of Peor” (Num. XXV 4-5).’ R. Simeon said: ‘Observe
that the forty-two offerings brought by Balaam and Balak were offerings diverted
from the “other side” towards the Holy One, blessed be He, and so the “other
side”, which is called “curse”, had to be repaid these offerings from Israel.

The idea of blasphemous speech, especially in the end of days, is found in

Ezekiel's passage concerning Edom:

Ezekiel 35:1-15 - And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, set
your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it, And say to it, Thus says
the Lord God: Behold, O Mount Seir, I am against you, and I will stretch out my
hand against you, and I will make you a total desolation. I will lay your cities
waste, and you shall be desolate, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Because you have had an everlasting hatred, and have shed the blood of the
people of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the
time of their final punishment; Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, I will
prepare you for blood, and blood shall pursue you; surely you have hated your
own blood; therefore blood shall pursue you. Thus will I make Mount Seir a total
desolation, and cut off from it all who come and go. And I will fill its mountains
with its slain men; in your hills, and in your valleys, and in all your rivers, shall
fall those who are slain with the sword. I will make you everlasting desolations,
and your cities shall not be restored; and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Because you have said, These two nations and these two countries shall be
mine, and we will possess it; though the Lord was there; Therefore, as I live, says
the Lord God, I will do according to your anger, and according to your envy
which you showed because of your hatred against them; and I will make myself
known among them, when I shall judge you. And you shall know that I am the
Lord, and that I have heard all your blasphemies which you have spoken against
the mountains of Israel, saying: They are laid desolate, they are given us to
devour. Thus with your mouth you have boasted against me, and have multiplied
your words against me; I have heard them. Thus says the Lord God: When the
whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. As you rejoiced at the inheritance
of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do to you; you shall be
desolate, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it; and they shall know that I am the
Lord.

Paul made clear that the coming "anti-Messiah" would do no less than seek to
put himself in the place of God:

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 - Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day
will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God
or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself
that he is God.

The arrogance of this being is also linked to a strategical maneuver. In its effort
to destroy Israel, the enemy will seek to take on the God Israel directly, as
outlined in this Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah - Esther VII:18 - R. Levi said: Accursed are the wicked, who
all devise evil against Israel, each one devising according to his own idea and
saying, ‘My device is better than yours.’ Esau said: Cain was a fool for killing his
brother in the lifetime of his father, not knowing that his father would still have
children. I will not do so, But let the days of mourning for my father be at hand
then will I slay my brother Jacob (Gen. XXVII, 41). Pharaoh said: Esau was a fool.
Did he not know that his brother would have children in the lifetime of his father?
I will not make such a mistake, but while they are tiny and scarce out of their
mothers’ womb I will strangle them; and so it says, ’Every son that is born ye
shall cast into the river’ (Ex. I, 22). Haman said: Pharaoh was a fool for saying,
’Every son that ts born ye shall cast into the river’; did he not know that the
daughters would marry and have children? I will not make such a mistake, but
will decree ’To destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish’, etc. And so Gog and
Magog in the time to come will say: Our predecessors were fools for laying their
plans, they and their kings together against Israel, not knowing that they have a
protector in heaven. I will not do so, but I will first attack their protector and then
I will attack them; and so it says, The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers
take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed (Ps. II, 2). Says
the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘Wretch, do you come to try conclusions
with Me? How many hosts are at My service, how many lightnings, how many
thunders,’ as it says, The Lord thundered with a great thunder (X Sam. VII, 10); '
how many Seraphim and how many angels! But My might shall go forth and fight
with thee,'
6
and it did open its mouth for evil-speaking toward God, to speak evil of His
name, and of His tabernacle, and of those who in the heaven tabernacle,

The blasphemous speech is said to be against the heavenly tabernacle as well as

God as the former is an extension of the Divine. This is another representation of
haSatan's counter plan, as the unification of the Name of God goes hand in hand
with the coming third temple. (See notes concerning Amalek in verse 15 of the
next section for more on this idea.)

The number forty-two is once again significant as it represents this union of

above and below as represented by the third temple, specifically the coming
together of the gate to the heavenly Holy of Holies -- which measures six by
seven cubits [6x7=42] -- through which God's greatest blessings will one day
flow.

(See section on "The Gate to the Holy of Holies" in our previous study on the
Millennial Temple as well as the Gemmatria section on the third temple as
discussed in our chapter 7 notes.)

The following text links a number of these themes (i.e., how the 42-letter name is
associated with the idea of the heavenly and earthly realms coming together):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 234a-235a - R. Judah followed

with a discourse on the verse: “The counsel (sod) of the Lord is with them that
fear him; and his covenant to make them know it” (Ps. xxv, 14). ‘ “The counsel”
(sod),’[Tr. note: Sod in the Bible =counsel; in post-Biblical Hebrew = secret.] he
said, ‘alludes to the sublime mystical knowledge which remains hidden and
undisclosed save for those that fear the Lord continuously and thus prove
themselves worthy of these secrets and able to keep them. Observe that the
world has been made and established by an engraving of forty-two letters, all of
which are the adornment of the Divine Name. These letters combined and
soared aloft and dived downwards, forming themselves into crowns in the four
directions of the world, so that it might endure. They then went forth and
created the upper world and the lower, the world of unification and the world of
division. In the latter they are called “mountains of separation” (bather) (S.S. II,
17), which are watered when the south side begins to come near them. The
water flows with supernal energy and with ecstatic joy. Whilst the Thought
mounts up with exulting joy out of the most Undisclosed One, there flows out of
it a spark: the two then come into contact with each other, as explained
elsewhere. [Tr. note: Zohar, Exodus, 220b.] These forty-two letters thus
constitute the supernal mystical principle; by them were created the upper and
the lower worlds, and they indeed constitute the basis and recondite significance
of all the worlds. Thus is explained the verse, “The secret of the Lord is to them
that fear him; and his covenant to make them know it”, the first part alluding to
the undisclosed engraven letters, whereas the latter speaks of the revealed.
Now, it is written: “And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgement the Urim
and the Thummim” (Ex. XXVIII, 30). The term “Urim” (lit. Iight, illumination)
signifies the luminous speculum, which consisted of the engravure of the Divine
Name composed of forty-two letters by which the world was created; whereas
the Thummim consisted of the non-luminous speculum made of the Divine Name
as manifested in the twenty-two letters. The combination of the two is thus
called Urim and Thummim Observe that by the power of these sunken letters
were the other letters, namely, the raised letters forming the names of the
tribes, now illumined, now darkened. The letters of the Divine Name embrace
the mystery of the Torah, and all the worlds are a projection of the mystery of
those letters. The Torah begins with a Beth followed by an Aleph,[Tr. note:
Allusion to B ereshith B ara E lohim (in the beginning God created).] indicating
thereby that the world was created by the power of these letters, the Beth
symbolizing the female principle and the Aleph the male principle, and both
engendering, as it were, the group of the twenty-two letters. Thus we read, “In
the beginning God created the (eth) heaven and the (eth) earth” (Gen. I, 1),
where the particle eth (consisting of Aleph and Tau) is a summary of the twenty-
two letters by which the earth is nourished. [Tr. note: v. Zohar, Gen. 16b.] Now,
the same letters were the instruments used in the building of the Tabernacle.
This work was carried out by Bezalel for the reason that, as his very name
(Bezel-EI=in the shadow of God) implies, he had a knowledge of the various
permutations of the letters, by the power of which heaven and earth were
created. Without such knowledge Bezalel could not have accomplished the work
of the Tabernacle; for, inasmuch as the celestial Tabernacle was made in all its
parts by the mystical power of those letters, the lower Tabernacle could only be
prepared by the power of the same letters. Bezalel was skilled in the various
permutations of the Divine Name, and for each several part he employed the
appropriate permutation of the letters. But when it came to the rearing up of the
Tabernacle it was beyond his power, for the reason that the disposition of those
letter-groups was entrusted to Moses alone, and hence it was by Moses that the
Tabernacle was erected. So Scripture says: “And Moses reared up... and [he]
laid... and put in...” (Ex. XL, 18) Moses, but not Bezalel.’
7
and there was given to it to make war with the saints, and to overcome them,
and there was given to it authority over every tribe, and tongue, and nation.

God allows the evil side to gain the upper hand (for a period of time) in order to
serve His purpose. (See notes on the congregation at Smyrna in chapter 2 for
more on this theme.) The account of Balaam and Balak shown above in verse 5
(Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 224a) also depicts a limited success
against Israel.
8
And bow before it shall all who are dwelling upon the land, whose names have
not been written in the scroll of the life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world;

The idea of heavenly "books" in which names are inscribed is found in numerous
Hebraic texts such as the Book of Enoch and the Talmud:

Talmud - Mas. Rosh HaShana 16b - R. Kruspedai said in the name of R.

Johanan: Three books are opened [in heaven] on New Year, one for the
thoroughly wicked, one for the thoroughly righteous, and one for the
intermediate. The thoroughly righteous are forthwith inscribed definitively in the
book of life; the thoroughly wicked are forthwith inscribed definitively in the book
of death; the doom of the intermediate is suspended from New Year till the Day
of Atonement; if they deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of life; if they
do not deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of death.

(The subject of things "existing" since "the foundation of the world" and then
"playing out in time" in the physical realm will be addressed in our notes to
Chapter 15.)
9
if any one hath an ear -- let him hear:
10
if any one a captivity doth gather, into captivity he doth go away; if any one
by sword doth kill, it behoveth him by sword to be killed; here is the endurance
and the faith of the saints.

The p'shat (plain meaning) conveys the idea of midah knegged midah -
"measure for measure" punishment (or reward). See Isaiah 14:2 regarding those
who made Israel captive becoming captive themselves.

We will conclude this section with the following texts, which provide some "food
for thought" regarding death by the sword (compare with verse 14 in the next
section), measure for measure punishment, etc:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 194b - When Balaam came

down in front of Phineas, he said to him: Wretch, how many evil haps hast thou
brought upon the holy people! He then said to Zilya: Kill him, but not with the
Name, for it is not meet that the divine sanctity should be mentioned over him,
so that his soul in leaving him should not be united with matters of holy grades,
and his prayer be fulfilled: “May my soul die the death of the righteous” (Num.
XXIII, 10). He then tried to kill him in many ways, but did not succeed, until he
took a sword on which was engraved a snake on each side. Said Phineas: Kill him
with his own weapon. And then he did kill him; for such is the way of that side,
he who follows it is killed by it and it is with his soul when it departs from him,
and he is punished in the other world and never finds burial, and his bones rot
and become noxious serpents, and even the worms that eat his body become
serpents.

Talmud - Mas. Baba Bathra 8b - Raba asked Rabbah b. Mari: Whence is

derived the maxim of the Rabbis that the redemption of captives is a religious
duty of great importance? — He replied: From the verse, And it shall come to
pass when they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth, then thou shalt tell
them, Thus saith the Lord, Such as are for death, to death, and such as are for
the sword, to the sword, and such as are for famine, to the famine, and such as
are for captivity, to captivity: and [commenting on this] R.Johanan said: Each
punishment mentioned in this verse is more severe than the one before. The
sword is worse than death; this I can demonstrate either from Scripture, or, if
you prefer, from observation. The proof from observation is that the sword
deforms but death does not deform; the proof from Scripture is in the verse,
Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints. Famine again is harder
than the sword; this again can be demonstrated either by observation, the proof
being that the one causes [prolonged] suffering but the other not, or, if you
prefer, from the Scripture, from the verse, They that be slain with the sword are
better than they that be slain with hunger. Captivity is harder than all, because it
includes the sufferings of all.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 107b,108a - In his charge to

Solomon concerning this Shimei, David said: “And behold thou hast with thee
Shimei....which cursed me with a strong curse... and I sware to him by the Lord
saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.” Was Shimei, then, a fool to
accept an oath like this, which forbade David only to kill him with a sword, but
not with a spear or arrow? But this sentence can be taken in two ways. One is ...
that when David swore he swore by his sword upon which was engraved the
Ineffable Name (YHVH); and thus he swore to Shimei, as it is written: “I sware to
him by the Lord (YHVH)... I will not put thee to death (swearing) by the sword.”
But Solomon interpreted it differently. He said: “This man cursed my father with
words; he shall die by means of a Word (YHVH).” And, in fact, he did not kill him
with the actual sword, but with the Name.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 240a - “In that day will I raise up
the tabernacle of David that is fallen” (Amos IX, 11). ‘It speaks of the day’, he
said, ‘when the Almighty will execute divine justice upon the world and will visit
their deeds upon the wicked of the world. For the Community of Israel cannot
rise from the dust so long as the sinners from among Israel exist in the world.
Thus the previous verse says: “AII the sinners of my people shall die by the
sword, that say: The evil shall not overtake nor confront us” (Ibid. 10); and this is
immediately followed by the verse, saying: “In that day will I raise up the
tabernacle... and close up their breaches, and I will raise up its ruins”, where the
plural “their” breaches can only point to “the sinners of My people” who form
breaches in Israel, and so when “the sinners of My people shall die by the sword”
those “breaches” will be closed up; “and I will raise up its ruins”, to wit, the ruins
of the tabernacle of David which was laid into ruins what time the wicked
kingdom obtained dominion in the world. For, as we have learnt, of the two
powers, as the one gathers strength the other languishes; as the one is filled the
other is laid waste. So, until that day the wicked kingdom will be in power, but on
that day the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise up the Holy Kingdom and “will
raise up its ruins, and will build it as in the days of old” (Ibid.). This last is in
allusion to: “Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, etc.”
(Isa. xxx, 26).

1. The subject of the world of Yetzirah as it relates to the principle of

"uncertainty" in the physics of the world of Asiyyah will be explored in section
1.5 of our "Judaism 101 study" scheduled for release in early 2005.

2. Sha'are Orah (Gates of Light) Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, English translation by Avi
Weinstein, Altamira Press, London, 1994, p. 205.

3. Perceptions On The Parsha, Parshas Vayeilech - Shabbos Shuva, "Going" In

The Direction of TeSHUVAH, Rabbi Pinchas Winston -
http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/vayeilech.html

4. The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit,
1979, pp. 156-164

Revelation 13:11 to 13:15

Last update: August 10, 2003

11
And I saw another beast coming up out of the land, and it had two horns, like
a lamb, and it was speaking as a dragon,

The origin of this second beast is said to be from "the land," giving it a more
direct connection to the physical world of Asiyyah. (Recall however, that Asiyyah
also has a spiritual aspect to it.)

Throughout this chapter, John presents the idea of an unholy unity of beings. The
following passage from the Zohar adds some insight. Compare the context of the
words of Ephraim in the text below, "I have become rich ..." [from Hosea 12:8],
with that of the Laodicean congregation in chapter 3 of this study:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 67b - 'Observe this. In the mystic
doctrine of the Holy Name we speak of King and Priest, both above and below.
The King above is the mystic Holy of Holies,. [Tr. note: Binah.] and under him
there is a Priest, the mystic Primeval Light, who ministers before him; he is the
priest who is called “great” and is stationed at the right hand. There is a King
below, in the likeness of the King above, who is king over all that is below; and
under him there is a Priest who ministers to him: this is he whom we call
Michael, the High Priest, who is at the right hand. All this constitutes the true
object of faith, that of the side of holiness. On the “other side”, the side which is
not holy, there is also a king, the one who is called “an old king and a fool” (Eccl.
IV, 13), and the priest, who is under him and ministers to him, is On (=aven,
nothingness, idolatry); he is alluded to in the verse: “And Ephraim said, Yet I am
become rich, I have found me out power”, namely, the celestial unholy power
which presided over the act of idolatry committted by Jeroboam (I Kings XII, 28),
without which he would not have been able to succeed. Now, when this king and
this priest of the “other side” are subdued, and their power broken, all the “other
sides” follow suit, and are also subdued and broken, and acknowledge the
sovereignty of the Holy One, and in this way He alone rules above and below, as
it is written: “And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa. II, 11). In just
the same way God broke here on earth the power of an “old and foolish king”,
namely Pharaoh, who, when Moses said to him, “The God of the Hebrews hath
met with us”, replied, “I know not the Lord,” but when the Holy One, desiring
that His Name should be glorified on earth as it is in heaven, punished him and
his people, he came and acknowledged the Holy One. Subsequently his priest
also, namely Jethro, the priest of On, i.e. idolatry, was also humbled, so that he
came and acknowledged the Holy One, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, who hath
delivered you.... Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods...” (Ex.
XVIII, 10, 11). So when that king and that priest acknowledged the Holy One,
blessed be He, and were humbled before Him, He was exalted above and below,
and then, and then only did He give forth the Torah, as undisputed sovereign
over all.’
12
and all the authority of the first beast doth it do before it, and it maketh the
land and those dwelling in it that they shall bow before the first beast, whose
deadly stroke was healed,
13
and it doth great signs, that fire also it may make to come down from the
heaven to the earth before men,

This deception mimics Elijah's bringing fire down from heaven, thus showing
himself to be a "prophet of God." Jewish tradition is clear that Elijah will come
with Messiah at the end of the age, thus the two beasts counterfeit the messianic
King and the great prophet:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers II:13 - As any one of the stars can burn up the
whole world, so the righteous; Elijah, for example, at whose word fire came down
from heaven; as it is said, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven,
and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and
consumed him and his fifty (II Kings I, 10).

Another interesting possibility is that the second beast is associated with a

"resurrection" of the first beast. This too would parallel (counterfeit) Jewish ideas
regarding the role of Elijah in the end times.
As seen in the following quotations (cited in Raphael Patai's book, "The Messiah
Texts" 1) Elijah is either responsible for the coming resurrection of the dead, or
the latter is a sign that Elijah is about to appear. Either scenario might relate to
the actions of the beasts or Revelation:

M. Sota 9:15 - The resurrection of the dead will come through Elijah of blessed
memory, Amen.

Y. Sheqalim 47c - The resurrection of the dead will bring about (the coming of)
Elijah of blessed memory.
14
and it leadeth astray those dwelling on the land, because of the signs that
were given it to do before the beast, saying to those dwelling upon the land to
make an image to the beast that hath the stroke of the sword and did live,
15
and there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, that also
the image of the beast may speak, and [that] it may cause as many as shall not
bow before the image of the beast, that they may be killed.

The second beast (emanating from Asiyyah) commands people to make an

image to the first beast (emanating from Yetzirah). This image parallels that of
Nebuchadnezzar - to a greater extent than John informs us. The following text
gives us a critical piece of information regarding Nebuchadnezzar's idol, not
found in the Tenakh -- it actually spoke:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs VII:15 - The Rabbis say:

Nebuchadnezzar tried to entice Daniel, saying to him, ‘Will you not bow down to
the image, for it is strong and real? Come and see what it can do.’ He said to
him, ‘and you will bow down to it of yourself.’ What did that wicked king do? He
took the plate of the High Priest and put it in the mouth of the image, and then
he brought together all manner of musicians who played hymns to it, and it
responded, ‘I am the Lord thy God.’ When Daniel saw this, he said: ‘Will you
permit me to go up to it and kiss your image on the mouth?’ ‘Why on the
mouth?’, he said to him. ' Because,’ he replied, ‘it speaks so excellently.’ He
thereupon gave him permission. Going up to it, he adjured the plate saying, ' I
am flesh and blood, and I am the messenger of the Holy One, blessed be He; I
bid thee take good heed that the name of heaven should not be profaned
through thee, and command thee to follow me.’ He then approached to kiss it
and took that which it had swallowed out of its mouth. When he came down the
various musicians assembled and played hymns before it, but it made no
response; and straightway the wind blew down the image. When the heathen
saw the wonders and mighty deeds that God had wrought with Hananiah and his
companions, they took their idols and broke them, and made them into bells
which they hung on their dogs and their asses, and when they tinkled they said,
‘You see now to what we used to bow down,’ to fulfil what is said, ‘Bel boweth
down, Nebo stoopeth’; their idols are upon the beasts, and upon the cattle (Isa.
XLVI, 1).

One ancient kabbalistic text links Nebuchadnezzar's actions directly to the tower
of Babel and that "Generation of Division":
"It (the Tower of Babel) will make a name for us ..." (Genesis 11:4) Then (later)
Nebuchadnezzar came after he had destroyed lands, uprooted kingdoms and
cast his hand upon the Temple. He saw that he was able to do this and then
returned to activate this evil thought that the Generation of Division had
connived to assert. This is the essence of the statement: "King Nebuchadnezzar
made a statue of gold sixty cubits high and six cubits broad. He set it up in the
BIKAH of Dura in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3:1) This is the same BIKAH:
"They came upon a BIKAH (a valley, also a breach) in the land of Shinar and thus
they gave it the name Babylon. (Genesis 11:9) This same wicked man wanted to
complete the thought of the Generation of Division which could not do it. ... The
one who understands this will understand the essence of all that is said in the
chapters that deal with the Generation of Division, and the idol of
Nebuchadnezzar, and will realize how identical these situations are and he will
realize how far the wicked one's designs reached with that idol ..." 2

THE IMAGE - A HYPOTHESIS

Note that in the previous account, the "power" received by the image, enabling it
to speak, came about by Nebuchadnezzar placing what was a "holy" object (the
head plate of the High Priest) into its mouth. The righteous Daniel actually spoke
to the plate (not to allow itself to be used for evil) and it responded.

There is an important principle in Scripture that we will apply to a hypothesis

regarding John's image, and that is, "timing is everything." A good example is in
the story of the "ten spies" that Moses sent ahead to check out the land. The
result was that the people did not go forward to take the land as they had been
told. Subsequently they regretted what they had done (or failed to do) and
announced they would now go forward. Moses however, told them that they had
lost their chance and to not attempt this. In a moment of great "religious fervor,"
they disregarded Moses' warning, went ahead and were badly beaten by their
enemies.

The "talking image" in Revelation may be such a case of "bad timing." If in fact
this image is once again caused to speak by use of the head plate of the High
Priest (or some other Temple artifact) where would this item have come from?

Interestingly, there are Jewish and Christian groups working today toward
rebuilding the Temple, who have constructed many of the necessary
implements. One might ask however; Who said they were to do this? Where in
Scripture does God give this task to anyone? Does Israel "merit" this temple in its
current spiritual state?

Could it be that this will be another case of "religious fervor" that will backfire
and be used in a nefarious fashion? Is this a wicked generation mistakingly
"going forward" [in what it believes is a "good" action] when it should not? Will
the coming evil one say, "those will do nicely" to the people who have re-created
the Temple implements and then use them for evil?

This is simply something to consider.

SPEECH - THE "WORD"

"Speech" is highly significant throughout Scripture, from the words of Creation,

to the voice of God at the giving of the Torah, to the "Word of God" in heaven,
etc. As mentioned in an earlier study, the Millennial Kingdom is called Malkut Pei
(kingdom of the mouth) for this reason.

Speech, at a deep spiritual level, can be used for good or evil:

Just as the generation of the Tower of Bavel used their power of speech and
potential godliness to rebel against G-d, so too was Bilaam about to use that
very same power to curse the holiest nation on earth. At least, that is what he
thought. What he found out instead was that his diabolical scheme ran in the
face of the primal purpose of creation, something he had to find out from a
donkey's mouth. In fact, Shabbos is called "Malchus Peh," the "Kingdom of the
Mouth," (which is why some people will only speak in Hebrew on Shabbos). 3

Interestingly, Nebuchadnezzar's own guardian angel has a name closely

associated with this idea:

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXI:5 - God does not cast down a nation before He
destroys their guardian angel first. You will find that in the case of
Nebuchadnezzar also God first overthrew his guardian angel, for it says, While
the word was in the king's mouth, there fell Kal [E.V. ‘a voice’] from heaven
(Dan. IV, 28). R. Joshua b. Abin said: The guardian angel of Nebuchadnezzar was
named ' Kal ‘, and him God cast down.

The following amazing text relates the idea of speech to the concepts of "first
born Son," "holy sun," "tabernacle" (for all the sephirot) and "bridegroom". Note
the significance of the letter combinations coming together to create something
spiritually significant. This will be discussed further in the comments to verses
16-18 later in this study:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 136b, 137a - When the Sabbath
day itself lightens, a spirit of tranquil joy ascends through all worlds. This is the
significance of the Psalm (recited on Sabbath morning): “The heavens tell the
glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” ‘What is meant by
“Heaven”? That heaven in which the Supernal Name is made visible (shama-yim-
heaven; shem-Name). What is the meaning of the word “tell” (mesaprim)?
Assuredly not the mere telling of a tale. Far otherwise! It signifies that they are
illumined from the flashing of the supernal Point and ascend in the Name which
is contained in the light-stream of the supernal perfectness. They flash and
lighten of themselves through the lightening and flashing of the Supernal Book;
[Tr. note: Malkuth.] they lighten and flash towards all the sides which are
attached to them, and each sphere retains unto itself a little of this light, for
from that sapphire-like radiance every ring in the chain derives its light and
radiance. For upon this day (Sabbath) the heavens are crowned and ascend in
the power of the Holy Name more than on any other day. “His handiwork” is the
supernal Dew which streams forth from all the hidden regions; it is “the work of
His hands”, and His self-fulfilment wherein He completes and perfects Himself on
this day more than upon any other. This dew “streams down” (maggid in the
Aramaic sense) from the Head of the King, with an abundance of blessing, the
“firmament” here signifying the stream issuing from the Cistern, the “River
which went out of Eden”, which flows earthwards, as the stream of the Supernal
Dew which gleams and flashes from all sides. This “firmament” draws it
downward upon a current of love and desire, in order that it may water the field
of bliss and joy at the entrance of the Sabbath. When that fair pearled Dew
streameth down, the whole becomes full and complete in its holy letters acting
through all their holy channels; since all is united to it, a path is opened to it to
water and bless all below. “Day unto day”-one day to another, one ring or sphere
unto its fellow. Here Scripture speaks in detail concerning the manner in which
the heavens radiate sapphire brightness to that Glory, and how that
“Firmament” of the supernal Dew causes the downward flow of the current. “Day
unto day utters speech.” Day unto day, grade unto grade, in order that the one
should complete itself in the other, and one be illumined by the other from the
luminous and sparkling radiance of the Sapphire which is reflected by the
heavens back to the central glory. The word yabia’ (uttereth) can be translated
“hasteneth”: they hasten to catch the light and the flashing one from another.
The word OMeR (speech) indicates the letters and paths which proceed from the
Father[Tr. note: Hokmah.] the Mother, [Tr. note: Binah.] and the head which
issues from them, who is the firstborn Son. [Tr. note: ‘ Tifereth.] Aleph
symbolizes the Father, and when it ascends and descends, the Mem unites itself
with it, producing em, which signifies Mother; the resh is the Head (rosh =head),
signifying Son. When these three unite the result is that they form “Word”,
“Speech”. Thus the Father, the Mother, and the first born Son radiate one within
the other in one union, which has its reign and duration upon the Sabbath. Thus
all are united so as to become one, and therefore they hasten one to another
that Omer, as a supernal reign, in order that all should be one. But when all has
been conveyed down to that “firmament”, then it diffuses light upon the “Glory
of God” below that it may produce beings in the likeness of the heavens which
give light to that Glory. “And night unto night declareth knowledge.” These are
those “chariots” which form the body of the Throne; they are called “nights”, as
it is written: “My reins also instruct me in the nights” (Ps. XVI, 7). The upper
chariot is called “Days” or “day unto day’,, the lower “Nights”, or “night unto
night”. Ye-hawe (declares) may also mean “makes alive”, to wit, produces the
progeny of the heavens, “brings unto life” generations. “Knowledge” designates
the mystery of the heavens: as the heavens have six sides, so also the
generations which they bring into life in their likeness. Thus “day unto day” is
included in a supernal sphere called “Word” (omer), and “night unto night” in
the mystery of the Male, who gives light to her and whose name is “Knowledge”.
And because this “Word” is not like other words, but is a supernal mystery,
Scripture comes back to it and says: “There is no word (omer) nor speeches,
their voices are not heard” (v. 3). This “word” is a supreme mystery of supernal
grades, where there are no voices nor speech, and which cannot be understood
like the other grades which constitute the mystery of the Faith, and which are
voices that can be heard. And yet “Their line is gone out through all the earth”
(v. 4), although they are supernal mysteries which can never be perfectly
comprehended, yet the current of their flow is downward. Because of this
current, we have a true Faith in this world, and all mankind can discourse of the
mystery of the Faith of the Holy One in connection with these grades, as if they
were revealed to and not hidden from them. Therefore it says: “And their words
to the end of the world” (Ibid.), which means that from the beginning to the end
of the world the “wise of heart” discourse of those hidden grades although they
cannot be comprehended. And how far are they comprehended? “In them hath
he set a tent for the sun” (Ibid.), because the holy sun [Tr. note: ‘ Tifereth.] is as
a tabernacle of all those supreme grades, and is as a light which has taken into
itself all the hidden lights and the whole current of their extension, whereby
Faith is manifested in the whole world. To grasp the Sun is equivalent to
grasping all grades, because the sun is a “tent” including all and absorbing all;
and he in turn lights up all the shining colours below. Hence “He is a bridegroom
coming forth from his canopy (covering)” (v. 6), in the gleam and flash of those
hidden lights which in strong yearning and desire give him tokens of their love,
as to a bridegroom to whom all his friends give presents and gifts.

IDOLATRY

The sin of verse 15 of course is idolatry. It has been typical of Israel's enemies in
the past to try to induce them into this sin. The following passage informs us that
Haman (from the book of Esther) was also involved in having God's people bow
to an idol. Note that this Midrash makes a point to associate the refusal to bow to
an idol with the idea of "unification of the Name of God," which as we mentioned
in the introductory comments to this chapter, is the "battleground" of Revelation:

Midrash Rabbah - Esther VI:2 -2. THERE WAS A MAN, A JEW IN SHUSHAN THE
CASTLE. The word MAN here tells us that Mordecai in his generation was equal to
Moses in his; for of Moses too it is written, Now the man Moses was very meek
(Num. XII, 3). Just as Moses stood in the breach, as it is written, Therefore He
said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in
the breach (Ps. CVI, 23), so did Mordecai, as it is written, Seeking the good of his
people and speaking peace to all his seed (Est. X, 3). Just as Moses taught Israel
Torah, as it is written, Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances (Deut.
IV, 5), so did Mordecai, as it is written, And he sent letters... with words of peace
and truth (Est. IX, 30), [and truth means Torah], as it is written, Buy the truth,
and sell it not (Prov. XXIII, 23). WHOSE NAME WAS MORDECAI. The wicked in
Scripture come before their name, as it says, Nabal was his name, Sheba son of
Bikri was his name. But the righteous are preceded by the word ' name ‘, as it
says, And his name was Manoah, And his name was Kish, And his name was
Elkanah, And his name was Boaz, AND HIS NAME WAS MORDECAI. The reason is
that they resemble their Creator, of whom it is written, But by My name The Lord
made Me not known to them (Ex. VI, 2). A JEW [lit. A JUDEAN]. Why is he called A
JUDEAN; surely he was a Benjamite? Because he declared the unity of God's
name in the face of all mankind, as it is written, But Mordecai bowed not down
nor prostrated himself before him (Est. III, 2). Was Mordecai then looking for
quarrels or disobedient to the king's command? The fact is that when Ahasuerus
ordered that all should bow down to Haman, the latter fixed an idolatrous image
on his breast for the purpose of making all bow down to an idol. When Haman
saw that Mordecai did not bow down to it, he was filled with wrath. Said
Mordecai to him: ' There is a lord who is exalted above all the exalted; how can I
abandon Him and bow down to an idol?’ And so because he proclaimed the unity
of God's name he was called YEHUDI (JUDEAN), as much as to say yehidi
(unique). Some say he was equal to Abraham in his generation. Just as our father
Abraham allowed himself to be cast into the fiery furnace and converted his
fellowmen and made them acknowledge the greatness of the Holy One, blessed
be He, as it says, And the souls which they had gotten in Haran (Gen. XII, 5), so
in the days of Mordecai men acknowledged the greatness of the Holy One,
blessed be He, as it says, And many from among the peoples of the land became
Jews (Est. VIII, 17), and he proclaimed the unity of God's name and sanctified it.
Therefore he was called YEHUDI, as it says, A JUDEAN MAN; read not YEHUDI but
yehidi.

AMALEK & THE "MIXED MULTITUDE"

What is happening to cause these terrible events to happen to Israel and to the
world? As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter's notes, in order to gain
understanding of what may happen in the future, we can often go to the
historical record.

The figure of Amalek (first mentioned in Genesis 14:17) gives us a specific

insight as his persecution of Israel. Amalek is directly tied to "doubt" (versus
faith) on the part of God's people. When the Hebrew people doubt God, Amalek
strikes. In gammatria, the numerical value of "Amalek" (240) and the word for
"doubt" (safek) are the same.

We begin with a short citation from the Midrash on Numbers:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XIX:20 - The Amalekites were ever a strap of

chastisement for Israel. You find that as soon as they said, Is the Lord among us?
(Deuteronomy 17:7), Came Amalek (ib. 8). When They said one to another: Let
us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt (Num. XIV, 4), Then the
Amalakite and the Canaanite... came down (ib. 45).

The Zohar offers a similar view:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 65b-66a - When a young man

who lives at ease in his father's house begins to make all sorts of complaints and
demands, saying, “I want this, and I do not want that”, he attaches himself to
that “sore evil”, and he will be punished both in this world and in the world to
come. Concerning such a case, King Solomon said: “There is a sore evil... riches
kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.” Such was the case of the Israelites:
the Holy One, blessed be He, carried them on eagles’ wings, encircled them with
the clouds of glory, made the Shekinah go before them, gave them manna to
eat, and sweet water to drink, and yet they complained! Hence, “and Amalek
came."
The idea of "doubt" being a critical sin was actually brought up earlier in John's
vision:

Revelation 3:15-16 - I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I
could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither
cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

These ideas of doubt and lukewarmness, as connected to Amalek, are said to

infect the Jewish people at certain times in history, one being at the time of the
sin of the golden calf:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 28b - The mixed multitude are
the impurity which the serpent injected into Eve. From this impurity came forth
Cain, who killed Abel.... From Cain was descended Jethro, the father-in-law of
Moses, as it is written, “And the sons of the Kenite the father-in-law of Moses”
(Jud. I, 16), and according to tradition he was called Kenite because he
originated from Cain. Moses, in order to screen the reproach of his father-in-law,
sought to convert the “mixed multitude” (the descendants of Cain), although
God warned him, saying, “They are of an evil stock; beware of them.” Through
them Moses was banished from his proper place and was not privileged to enter
the land of Israel, for through them he sinned in striking the rock when he was
told to speak to it (Num. XX, 8); it was they who brought him to this. And withal
God takes account of a good motive, and since Moses’ motive in converting
them was good, as has been said, therefore God said to him, “I shall make thee
a nation greater and mightier than he” (Ibid. XIV, 12). In regard to them it is
written, “Whoso hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (Ex.
XXXII, 33), for they are of the seed of Amalek, of whom it is said, “thou shalt blot
out the memory of Amalek” (Deut. XXV, 19): it was they who caused the two
tablets of the Law to be broken.

Amalek's power is traced directly to the serpent, the master of planting doubt in
the minds of humans (i.e, such as in the Garden of Eden story).

"What does DOR DOR (from generation to generation) mean? Amalek the wicked
comes from the power of the primordial snake, and it is there that he connects
and draws his strength." 4

Amalek is directly associated with Samael, the archangel of evil. He is the cause
of the "three great sins" -- idolatry, murder and unchastity (sexual sin):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 28b,29a - Various impurities are

mingled in the composition of Israel, like animals among men. One kind is from
the side of the serpent; another from the side of the Gentiles, who are compared
to the beasts of the field; another from the side of mazikin (goblins), for the souls
of the wicked are literally the mazikin (goblins) of the world; and there is an
impurity from the side of the demons and evil spirits; and there is none so
cursed among them as Amalek, who is the evil serpent, the “strange god”. He is
the cause of all unchastity and murder, and his twin-soul is the poison of
idolatry, the two together being called Samael (lit. poison-god). There is more
than one Samael, and they are not all equal, but this side of the serpent is
accursed above all of them.

The three sins of idolatry, murder and unchastity are those for which a Jew is
expected to give up his life. In other cases, it is permitted to sin if one's life is at
stake:

Talmud, Sanhedrin 74a - R. Johanan said in the name of R. Simeon b.

Jehozadak: By a majority vote, it was resolved in the upper chambers of the
house of Nithza in Lydda18 that in every [other] law of the Torah, if a man is
commanded: ‘Transgress and suffer not death’ he may transgress and not suffer
death, excepting idolatry, incest, [which includes adultery] and murder.

These three sins are said to be what caused the destruction of the first temple:

Talmud, Yoma 9b - Why was the first Sanctuary destroyed? Because of three
[evil] things which prevailed there: idolatry, immorality, bloodshed.

(See Revelation 9:21 which adds "theft" to these others.)

The greatness of Amalek's power is seen in this commentary on Israel's war with
with him:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 66a - R. Simeon said: ‘There is a

deep allusion in the name “Rephidim”. This war emanated from the attribute of
Severe Judgement and it was a war above and a war below. The Holy One, as it
were, said: “when Israel is worthy below My power prevails in the universe; but
when Israel is found to be unworthy she weakens My power above, and the
power of severe judgement predominates in the world.’ So here, “Amalek came
and fought with Israel in Rephidim”, because the Israelites were “weak” (raphe)
in the study of the Torah, as we have explained on another occasion.’ AND
MOSES SAID UNTO JOSHUA, CHOOSE US OUT MEN, AND GO OUT, FIGHT WITH
AMALEK. Why did Moses abstain from fighting the first battle which God Himself
commanded? Because he was able to divine the true meaning of his Master's
command. Hence he said: “I will prepare myself for the war above, and thou,
Joshua, prepare thyself for the war below.” This is the meaning of the
words :”When Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed” (Ibid. v, 11), namely
Israel above. Therefore Moses did not participate in the war on earth, so that he
might throw himself with greater zeal into the war in Heaven, and thus promote
victory on earth. Said R. Simeon: ‘Let us not think lightly of this war with Amalek.
Verily, from the creation of the world until then, and since then till the coming of
the Messiah, there has been and will be no war like that, nor can even the war of
Gog and Magog be compared with it; and this not because of the mighty armies
taking part in it, but because it was launched against all the attributes of the
Holy One, blessed be He.’ AND MOSES SAID TO JOSHUA. Why to him, who was
then but a “youth” (Ex. XXXIII, 11)? Were there in Israel no greater warriors than
Joshua? The reason was that Moses in his wisdom was aware that it was not
going to be merely a battle against flesh and blood, but against Samael, who
was coming down to assist Amalek. Now Joshua, “the youth”, had reached at
that time a high degree of spiritual perception, not, indeed, as high as Moses,
who was united with the Shekinah, but his soul was, in fact, attached to the
supernal region called “Youth” (=Metatron). Now when Moses perceived that
Samael was going to fight for Amalek, he thought: “this young man, Joshua, will
surely stand against him and prevail”, and therefore he said unto him: “go and
fight against Amalek! It is thy battle, the battle here below, and I will prepare
myself for the battle above. Choose worthy men, righteous and the sons of the
righteous, to accompany thee”.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘At the moment when Joshua,
the “young man”, started out to fight Amalek, the “Young Man” above was
stirred, and was equipped with weapons prepared by his “Mother” (the
Shekinah) for the battle in order to “avenge the covenant” (cf. Lev. XXVI, 25)
with the “sword” (Ex. XVII, 13). Moses equipped himself for the war above. “His
hands were heavy” (Ibid. v, 12), that is to say, “weighty, honourable, holy
hands”, that had never been defiled, hands worthy to wage the war above. AND
THEY TOOK A STONE AND PUT IT UNDER HIM AND HE SAT THEREON: to
participate in the distress of Israel.

The Talmud equates the elevation of Moses' hands in the battle against Amalek
with faith on the part of Israel (and conversely, the lowering of his hands with
their doubt):

Talmud, Rosh Hashana 29a - Now did the hands of Moses wage war or crush
the enemy? Not so; only the text signifies that so long as Israel turned their
thoughts above and subjected their hearts to their father in heaven they
prevailed, but otherwise they fell.

Although Amalek was killed long ago, the Torah and other writings testify to the
idea that the spirit of Amalek will not be done away with until the coming of
Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 25b - But withal redemption will
not be complete until Amalek will be exterminated, for against Amalek the oath
was taken that “the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to
generation” (Ex. XVII,16).

The following passage associates the coming of Amalek with the union of two evil
spiritual forces coming together. This text also portrays the brazenness of
Amalek as having no regard for God whatsoever:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 65a - And this is the meaning of
the words, “blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the
feet of the ox and the ass”, namely, the two “Crowns of the Left”, to which are
attached the pagan nations who are called “ox and ass”. When the Israelites are
worthy, then they dismiss these evil powers, and they have no dominion over
them.’ Said R. Abba: ‘When the two (i.e. the ox and the ass) are united, the
inhabitants of the world cannot stand up against them. For this reason it is
prohibited to “plough with an ox and an ass together” (Deut. XXII, 10). From
them, when united, emanates the power, called “dog”, which is more insolent
than all of them. Said the Holy One, blessed be He: “Ye said, ‘is the Lord in our
midst or not?’ Behold, I will deliver you to the dog!”, and straightway came
Amalek.’ R. Judah said: ‘It is written, “Amalek is the first of the nations; but his
latter end shall be that he perish for ever” (Num. XXIV, 20). Was, then, Amalek
the first of the nations? Were there not many tribes, nations, and peoples in the
world before Amalek came? But the meaning is that Amalek was the first nation
who feared not to proclaim war against Israel, as it says, “and he feared not
God” (Deut. XXIV, 18); whilst the other nations were filled with fear and
trembling before Israel at the time of the Exodus, as it says: “The peoples heard
and were afraid; trembling took hold of the inhabitants of Pelesheth” (Ex. xv,
14); in fact, apart from Amalek there was no nation that was not awestruck
before the mighty works of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore “his latter
end shall be that he perish for ever”.’

As mentioned throughout this study, the cure for Israel's woes is the Torah:

The Torah says: "Amalek battled Israel in (a place called) Refidim" (Exodus 17:8).
The Midrash explains that the name "Refidim" is a contraction of Hebrew words
meaning "they loosened their grip on Torah." As long as the Jews were diligent in
Torah study, Amalek had no dominion over them. But as soon as Jewish study
became lax, they were in danger. 5

We can now make the following contrasts and comparisons:

• faith is contrasted to Amalek/doubt (and the anti-Messiah of Revelation)

• the establishment of the Temple (and the Throne of God) is contrasted to

haSatan's opposition to this. (See previous notes to 13:6 on the beast
blaspheming the Holy Temple.)

• study of Torah is the antidote to this doubt

Thus "doubt," caused by lack of Torah study, is a tactic used by the enemy to
prevent the "completion" of the Temple/Throne of God and the unification of His
Name. Anything that disuades people from being "hearers and doers" of the
Torah is of Amalek and the anti-Messiah.

A modern teacher/author ties this all together as follows:

When the Beit HaMikdash was eventually constructed on the holy mountain,
symbolizing the possibility of human connection with God and holiness, its
spiritual foundations are traced back to the prayers Moshe uttered on that hill in
the desert. In the aftermath of that first battle we are told that until Amalek is
ultimately and completely defeated, something will remain missing in this world
and the celestial spheres (Exodus 17:14-16) ... for as long as Amalek is around,
spewing his venom, the throne of God and God's Name are, as it were,
incomplete. Evil has a foothold in this world as long as God's holiness is not
completely manifest. The symbol of the destruction of evil is the final victory in
the epic battle with Amalek. Yerusshlayim (Jerusalem) represents God's throne
on earth; Amalek represents the attack on the throne. 6
1. The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit,
1979, p. 143.

2. Sha'are Orah (Gates of Light) Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, English translation by Avi
Weinstein, Altamira Press, London, 1994, p. 363.

3. Perceptions On The Parsha, Parshas Balak, "Balak Magic," Rabbi Pinchas

Winston - http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5759/balak.html This
parsha study is also interesting as it relates the teaching concerning Balak's
practice of inserting the tongue of a real bird into the statue of a bird in order to
cause it to reveal prophecy.

4. Sha'are Orah (Gates of Light) Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, English translation by Avi
Weinstein, Altamira Press, London, 1994, p. 320.

5. From
http://www.aish.com/purimthemes/purimthemesdefault/Haman_Heir_to_Amalek.
asp

6. Emanations: In-depth analysis of the Jewish holidays through the prism of

rabbinic perspective, Ari D. Kahn, Targum/Feldheim, 2002, p. 114.

Revelation 13:16-18
Last update: November 27, 2006

16
He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive
a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
17
and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of
the beast, or the number of his name.
18
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the
beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Revelation 13:16-18 is perhaps the section of Scripture that has inspired the
most conjecture for centuries. Although John's description certainly does leave a
great deal of interpretive leeway, the proper context in which to approach these
verses is from the one John wrote from -- a Hebraic Kabbalistic one.

Our review of this material will be broken up as follows:

• the "mark" of the beast

• "wisdom" and "understanding"

• the number "666"

THE "MARK" OF THE BEAST

Although the "mark of the beast" carries a negative connotation, there are a
several references in Scripture to a "mark" being placed by God on people (or
property), in order to protect them.

The earliest reference is that placed on Cain:

Genesis 4:15 - And the Lord said to him, Therefore whoever slays Cain,
vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain,
lest any finding him should kill him.

Another type of protective "mark" was that placed on the doors of the Hebrews
in Goshen. Note that when "unmitigated judgment" is released (i.e., descending
from the "left side" directly to Malkut, without being "softened" through Tiferet),
then even God's people may face physical harm unless they take the proper
steps.

Exodus 12:7 - And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side
posts and on the upper door post of the houses, in which they shall eat it.

Exodus 12:13 - And the blood shall be to you for a sign upon the houses where
you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not
be upon you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel chapter 9 speaks of a "mark" of God on the foreheads of the righteous.

This parallels the mark (also called "seal") of God seen elsewhere in the book of
Revelation:

Ezekiel 9:4-6 - And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city,
through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men
that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst
thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the
city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and
young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man
upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the
ancient men which were before the house.

Revelation 7:3 - Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a
seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.

Revelation 9:4 - They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant
or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their
foreheads.

The Zohar associates the letter Tav (Tau), the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet,
with the mark mentioned by Ezekiel (above), associating it with the "seal" of
God:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 2b - IN THE BEGINNING. Rab

Hamnuna the Venerable said: ‘We find here a reversal of the order of the letters
of the Alphabet, the first two words Bereshith bara-”in-the-beginning He-
created”-commencing with beth, whereas the two words following, Elohim
eth-”God the”-commence with aleph. The reason is as follows. When the Holy
One, blessed be He, was about to make the world, all the letters of the Alphabet
were still embryonic, and for two thousand years the Holy One, blessed be He,
had contemplated them and toyed with them. When He came to create the
world, all the letters presented themselves before Him in reversed order. The
letter Tau advanced in front and pleaded: May it please Thee, O Lord of the
world, to place me first in the creation of the world, seeing that I am the
concluding letter of EMeTh (Truth) which is engraved upon Thy seal, and seeing
that Thou art called by this very name of EMeTh, it is most appropriate for the
King to begin with the final letter of EMeTh and to create with me the world. The
Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Thou art worthy and deserving, but it is not
proper that I begin with thee the creation of the world, since thou art destined to
serve as a mark on the foreheads of the faithful ones (vide Ezek. IX, 4) who have
kept the Law from Aleph to Tau, and through the absence of this mark the rest
will be killed; and, further, thou formest the conclusion of MaWeTh (death).
Hence thou art not meet to initiate the creation of the world.

The following, from Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh's book on the Hebrew letters, adds
deeper insight into the meaning of the letter tav and this "seal" of God:

G-d's seal (in Creation) is truth (in Hebrew, emet, spelled out by the final letters
of the three last words in the account of Creation: bara elokim la'asot," " ...G-d
created ‘to do’"). The last letter or seal of the word emet, "truth," itself - the seal
of G-d's seal - is the letter tav, simple faith, the conclusion and culmination of all
twenty-two forces - letters - active in Creation. The three letters which spell emet
are the beginning, middle and ending letters of the alef-beit." The alef
corresponds to one’s initial awareness of Divine paradox in the infinite source
(where the higher and lower waters, joy and bitterness, are absolutely one).
From this awareness issues mem, the fountain of Divine wisdom, ever-
increasing power of insight into the mysteries of Torah. "The final end of
knowledge is not to know." The culmination of the flow of Divine wisdom in the
soul (after all is said and done) is the "majestic" revelation of the infinite
"treasure-house" of simple faith in G-d's absolute omnipresence below innate in
the soul of Israel. The culmination of truth simple faith is the secret of the
"tav." ... So we are taught: "Torah is the impression [the tav] of Divinity; Israel is
the impression [the tav] of Torah." 1

Another text speaks of a good mark that comes from the (right) side of grace:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 104a - Said R. Eleazar: ‘Observe

how merciful the Holy One, blessed be He, shows Himself towards all beings, and
especially towards those who walk in His paths. For when He is about to execute
judgement on the world, before doing so He puts in the way of His beloved the
occasion of performing a good act. We have thus been taught that when the
Holy One loves a man, He sends him a present in the shape of a poor man, so
that he should perform some good deed to him, through the merit of which he
shall draw to himself a cord of grace from the right side which shall wind round
his head and imprint a mark on him, so that, when punishment falls on the
world, the destroyer, raising his eyes and noticing the mark, will be careful to
avoid him and leave him alone.

This next midrash expounds on Ekekiel's "mark," bringing "the prosecution"

(adversary=haSatan) into the equation:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations II:3 - The Holy One, blessed be He, never
associates His name with what is bad, but only with what is good. Hence it is not
written here, ‘And concerning these God said in my hearing,’ but, ’And
concerning these He said in my hearing: Go ye through the city after him, and
smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity; slay utterly the old man, the
young man and the maiden, and little children and women; but come not near
any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary (ib. 5 f.). How can
this be? At that time the prosecution sprang before the Throne of Glory and
spake before Him: ‘Lord of the universe, which of them was slain for Thy name?
Which of them had his head split open for Thy name? Which of them gave his life
for Thy name?’

The following text shows God's "mark" of protection being directly tied to the
Torah:

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy VII:9 - God said to Israel: ‘When are you
called My children? When you receive My words.’ This can be compared to a king
to whom his son said: ' Set some mark upon me in the land [that people should
know] that I am your son.’ Whereupon the king replied: ' If you wish that all
should know that you are my son, then put on my purple cloak and place my
crown on your head, and all will know that you are my son.’ So God said to
Israel: ‘If you wish to be distinguished as My children, then occupy yourselves
with the [study of the] Torah and with the precepts, and all will see that you are
My Children. So, when are you My children? When you receive My words.’ Rabbi
said: When Israel were in the wilderness, a pillar of cloud journeyed in front of
them, and the smoke of the altar and the smoke of the incense went up [towards
heaven], and two sparks of fire issued from between the two staves of the Ark
and devoured in front of them the serpents and scorpions; and when the nations
of the world saw them they exclaimed: ‘These are divine beings, for whatever
they do is with fire.’ Thereupon Moses said to Israel: ' All the distinction which
[God caused to be] lavished upon you is only because you have accepted His
Torah on Sinai.’

The protecive "mark" of God going hand in hand with the Torah is also found
several places in John's revelation:

Revelation 12:17: And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went
to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of
God and have the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah.
Revelation 14:12: Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep
the commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua.

Revelation 22:14: Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they
may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the
city.

As the "anti-Messiah" is referred to as a man of "Torahlessness" in

2Thessalonians 2:3, it would seem the criteria people are judged by has a great
deal to do with their response to and relationship with God's Torah, and not any
Torahless declaration of "belief" (i.e., Matthew 7:21-24).

WISDOM (CHOKMAH) AND UNDERSTANDING (BINAH)

Without a doubt, verse 18 is one of the most kabbalistic in the entire "New
Testament." John expresses the importance of the reader attaining
"understanding" (Binah) to go along with the "wisdom" (Chokmah) that he (John)
is imparting. What exactly is this Understanding, how does it relate to Wisdom,
how does one attain it, and what is the final result?

In a simple sense, the attribute of Wisdom (Chokmah) is considered to "come out

of nowhere" (i.e., Keter - the "unknowable" Sefirah), directly from God. Thus we
see Solomon receiving Wisdom as a gift from God. It may also be said that
wisdom is associated with the potential given to a person.

Understanding (Binah) however, carries with it the idea of effort on our part.
Understanding is required to materialize wisdom's potential. Though Solomon
had Wisdom, he fell into sin due to his lack of Understanding.

The following explanation of Understanding/Binah is by way of author/teacher

Aryeh Kaplan:

The root of Binah is Bin, which is also the root of the word Hitbonenut meaning,
"making oneself understand," that being contemplating something so deeply and
completely that one makes himself understand it in all of its aspects. The word is
also used with respect to God, and in this sense, it is often a preparation for the
mystical state as seen in verses such as these:

Job 37:14 - Contemplate (hitbonen) the wonders of God

Psalms 107:43 - Contemplate the love of God

Psalms 119:95-96 - The wicked waited to destroy me. I contemplate your

testimonies. I have seen a purpose to every end. Your commandment is very
broad

In Psalm 119 above, the Psalmist is saying that from contemplating on the
commandments, he is able to perceive their breadth and true significance. In
general, the word Binah is very closely related to the word Beyn, meaning
"between." Understanding is then the act of separating something in one's mind,
examining it by itself. The reflexive Hitbonen, thus means to cause oneself to
separate something in his mind. 2

As discussed in our earlier studies, Binah is associated with the number "eight,"
it being the eighth Sephirah from Malkut/Kingdom. The idea of the "eighth" has
to do with the "next step" beyond the perfection of the physical realm, which is
itself associated with the number seven. When the number eight is found in
Scripture, it often has to do with bringing someone or something into the
spiritual realm (i.e., circumsicion takes place on the eighth day, the Tabernacle
and first Temple were dedicated on the eighth days, Psalm 119 follows a pattern
of eight verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet).

Binah and the number eight are also associated with the festival of Shavuot,
which is observed on the first day of the eighth week (day 50) following the "first
Sabbath" of Passover week. An important concept to grasp with regard to this is
the idea of our own involvement with "God's will". Whereas Passover was entirely
God's doing, Shavuot involved work, thought and decisions, on the part of His
people. As shown in our background studies, the days leading up to Shavuot are
called the Fifty Gates of Understanding, and are a time of deep contemplation of
God and Torah.

For a deeper look at this subject, see the kabbalisic text, The Palm Tree of
Deborah; Chapter 4, Attaining the Qualities of Binah.

KNOWLEDGE/DA'AT AND THE SIN OF ADAM

Taking this even further, the confluence of Wisdom (considered Abba/Father) and
Understanding (Imma/Mother) is seen as either Da'at/Knowledge or Tiferet
(associated with "the Son"). John's instruction makes a connection between
attaining da'at and calculating the number of the beast. This is indeed a quality
of da'at at this level:

Daat is not just the accumulation of the results of chokhmah and binah; it also
has an active function: to summarize and deduce. It fixes in the soul the picture
that is absorbed by chokhmah and developed by binah, rendering their
constantly changing processes into a focused awareness. Daat is thus the faculty
to reach conclusions. 3

One person who was said to have Wisdom, Understanding and Knowledge, was
Bezalel, the architect of the Tabernacle. Not only was the Tabernacle the
precursor to the Temple and place that God would "appear," it also stands as a
similar model for our bodies being a Temple:

Moses was commanded to build the sanctuary in which God's Divine Presence
would be revealed on earth. "Behold!" God told him, "I have called upon
Bezalel ... I have filled him with a Godly Spirit, with Wisdom, Understanding and
Knowledge." Rashi defines Da'at as ruach hakodesh, divine inspiration. When the
powers of Chokmah and Binah are combined, Da'at (Knowledge) is attained and
a sanctuary is built. This can be achieved on an individual level, too. Every
person is capable of making himself a Holy Temple in which ruach hakodesh can
be manifest!

Rabbi Nachman thus taught, "Acquiring Da'at is comparable to the building of

the Holy Temple, while an absence of Da'at corresponds to its destruction. Man's
goal must therefore be the pursuit of Da'at to build his own personal sanctuary
of spirituality, wherein Godliness can be revealed. 4

One can therefore make a connection between John's admonition regarding

attainment of Da'at and the coming of the Millennial Temple. As mentioned in
our opening notes to Chapter 13, the creation of the Temple is symbolic of the
unification of the Name of God. Thus by unifying Wisdom and Understanding in
our selves, we serve to hasten the coming of Messiah.

Understanding verse 18 as kabbalistic instruction to unify Wisdom and

Understanding for the purpose of achieving a correct (rectified) state of
Knowledge, we see a deeper aspect of what is going on with regard to this
"beast" and his actions.

As discussed in various places of this study, the anti-messiah places himself in

the role of the (false) tzaddik (righteous one) thereby coming between the true
Bride below (Malkut/Shekinah) and Groom above (Tiferet/the Son). This
connective role/action is that of the Sefirah Yesod, which is between the Bride
and the Groom on the kabbalistic Tree of Life.

Throughout kabbalistic literature, this idea of separating the bride from the
groom is directly associated with the sin of Adam. When Adam and Chavah (Eve)
ate of the Tree of Knowledge (Etz ha-Da'at) they caused this "break" to occur
among the Sefirot. Thus, Da'at became "corrupted" and in need of tikkun
(rectification). This tikun occured to a degree at Mount Sinai (with acceptance of
the Written Torah by the Jews) and continued at the time of Esther and Mordecai
(with their acceptance of the Oral Torah). 5

We can therefore draw a direct connection between the events of Gan Edan
(with the serpent and sin of separating Malkut from the rest of the Sefirot) with
those in the end of days as depicted by John's account of the beast/anti-messiah.
HaSatan comes to finish what he started with Adam. The people who "accept his
number" place themselves in the camp of those taking part in this separation of
the Bride from the Groom (i.e., the unification of the Name of God as mentioned
at the beginning of this chapter's notes.)

This sin "against the bride" (the Shekinah) is effectively the same as the "sin
against the Ruach haKodesh" (Holy Spirit), as the latter term is directly
associated with the Shekinah in both Talmudic and Kabbalistic literature. Just as
the sin against the Ruach was deemed the "unpardonable sin" by Yeshua, so is
there also no forgiveness for those who receive the mark of the beast (as John
mentions further in his revelation).

Refer to our previous notes to chapter 2:1-7 on Midag K'neged Midah ("measure
for measure" punishment) for more on this concept.
TEFILLIN - AN ACT OF UNIFICATION

Just as the "beast" causes people to place something on their head and/or one
upper limb to show their allegiance, there is a "similar" action available to the
people of God. This is found in "tefillin" -- the implements a Jew binds to his head
and arm as a means of literally fulfilling a directive of the Torah:

Deuteronomy 6:8 - You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall
be as frontlets between your eyes.

Tefillin serves as a symbol of man's partnership of unifying above with below

(i.e., the "Groom" and "Bride"), the converse of what the "mark of the beast"
stands for. What is fascinating is the idea (mentioned in the text below) that the
tefillin act as a "receiver" for spiritual signals. In this sense, the "mark of the
beast" may also be a means of transmitting spiritual powers of the Sitra Atra
(evil realm) into our world.

The following text from Aryeh Kaplan sheds some light on the essence of tifillin:

Have you ever felt so close to another human being that every moment together
was precious? Where every letter and memento from this person was something
to be treasured? What if this person gave you a meaningful gift? Every time you
looked at it or used it, would it not remind you of this special relationship? ...
Tefillin are a sign of this bond between G-d and man. Faith and love are very
tenuous things. We can speak of them and think about them. But unless we do
something about them we tend to forget; Tefillin serve to help us remember. The
essence of the Torah is its commandments, Mitzvos in Hebrew. The word Mitzvah
comes from the root meaning "to bind." Every commandment or mitzvah serves
to draw us close to G-d and strengthen this connection. With every Mitzvah we
forge a spiritual bond with G-d. In the case of Tefillin, this bond is physical as
well as spiritual. We literally bind G-d's love symbol to our bodies. Thus, our
sages teach us that the commandment of Tefillin encompasses all others. Here,
we can actually see and feel the bond. G-d has given us the commandment of
Tefillin and clearly spelled out how to do it. Tefillin may seem like simple boxes
and straps. But they are much, much more. When a man wears Tefillin, he binds
himself to the very highest spiritual level. He achieves a closeness to G-d that
even the deepest meditation could not accomplish. Of course, when a man
wears Tefillin and also contemplates their significance, his very thoughts are
elevated close to G-d. But even the physical act in itself can bring a man to the
loftiest heights. We can also understand this in a much simpler sense. In order to
create this bond, our Tefillin must conform exactly to G-d's design. The slightest
deviation breaks this link. A good analogy is that of a radio. A radio is specifically
designed to receive a particular type of signal. Every element in it is needed for
this. Cut a single wire, remove a single capacitor, no matter how small, and you
no longer receive the signal. There are precise rules by which a radio must be
built. These include all the laws of electromagnetism and circuits. If these are not
exactly followed, the radio will not function. Tefillin are our receiver for a specific
spiritual signal. As such, they must be designed to receive this particular kind of
signal. Violate a single rule, and they become like a radio with a transistor
removed. The bond just no longer exists. We can carry the analogy still further.
You would have to have an extensive scientific education to even begin to
understand how a radio works. You would have to know calculus and differential
equations and all the complexities of electromagnetic theory. But still, even the
youngest child can turn on a radio. The same is true of the Mitzvos. A lifetime of
study might lead you to begin to understand their significance But anyone can
put them on and receive the signal. 6

THE NUMBER "666"

The number "666" is of course the centerpiece to this section. This number has
been the source of misguided speculation for centuries. Again, any attempt to
understand this number, apart from the Hebrew-Kabbalistic context from which
John writes, will lead to error. As mentioned above, a key is "Binah" -
understanding - which comes from study of Torah at its deepest levels.

We will analyze this mysterious number in the following fashion:

I. the number six

II. the three numbers of; 600 and 60 and 6

III. the total number of "six-hundred sixty six"

I - THE NUMBER "6"

The concepts associated with the number 6 are foundational to understanding

this passage. Unfortunately, commentaries miss the point when addressing this.
A common teaching is the number six is "bad" as it is "the number of man,"
whereas seven is "good" as it is "the number of God." As interesting as that may
sound it has no basis in Torah and has nothing to do with where John is coming
from.

"Six" is no more or less "Godly" than seven. In fact, the number six is closely
associated with both God and the Messiah, and it is for this reason that it is
closely associated with the anti-Messiah, as he comes as a counterfeit. In
contrast to the above idea of six being a "bad" number, an argument could even
be made that the number six is more closely associated with God than any other
number.

An explanation of this is found in a prominent kabbalistic text, regarding the

(sixth) Sephirah of Tiferet and the third letter of the name YHVH (the "vav" - with
a numerical value of six). As seen in the following citations, the "vav" is said to
"stand in place of the complete Name" of YHVH:

The essence of the third letter is the essence of the letter vav, and it includes
the six Spheres which are the numerical equivalent of the letter vav [six], three
above, which is half of vav and three of its other half below. The three of the
upper half are Gedulah (also called Hesed), Gevurah and Tiferet and the three
Spheres on the lower half are Netzach, Hod and Yesod. All these Spheres are
included in the letter vav. Behold, the letter vav of the special Name (YHVH)
stands in place of the complete Name. ... This letter contains the secret of tying
all the upper and lower Spheres. It ascends to Keter and descends to Malchut
and it suits all the Spheres., for all are united in it whether they be above or
below, to the right or to the left, and it is called the center line. ... Know that this
great Name YHVH is the attribute the Kabbalsits call the Middle Line. ... The
meaning of the term "the Middle Line" is the essence of the letter vav that is
found in the Name YHVH, for it stands in the place where the Name is. It is like
an intermediary line, thus this name ascends ever upward until AYN SOF (the
infinte), which is the essence of Keter and unites with the name EHYE, which is
the essence of the Heavenly Line and then returns to unite below with the Name
Adonay. After this He returns and extends to the sides, and all sides from every
direction hold fast toHim. One finds that the letter vav of the Name YHVH, may
He be blessed, stands in the place of the whole Name, and to it all the other
Names hold fast. 7

As shown above, one of the chief ideas associated with the vav is the idea of
connection - specifically connecting the heavenly and earthly realms. (Note that
at the physical level, the vav is in the shape of a hook.) The six Sephirot of;
Hesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzah, Hod and Yesod (known collectively by the term
Ze'er Anpin and singly represented by Tiferet - "the Son"), serve as the
connection between the Throne room of God (represented by Binah) at one
"end," and the physical realm below (represented by Malkhut) at the other "end."

This idea of unifying the heavens and earth is also associated with the tzaddik
(righteous person) specifically Messiah ben Joseph. The following text illustrates
the vav as a pillar, specifically the middle pillar of truth as represented by the
tzaddik:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 51b - AND THE PILLAR OF THE
CLOUD REMOVED FROM BEFORE THEM AND STOOD BEHIND THEM. What was
this pillar of cloud? R. Jose said that it was the cloud which is always seen with
the Shekinah, the cloud into which Moses entered (Ex. XXIV, 18). R. Abba said
that it was that which supports the Zaddik.

This idea of the link between a "cloud" and a great Tzaddik, might shed new light
on certain verses in the New Testament:

Matthew 17:5 - While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud

overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

Matthew 24:30 - Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Acts 1:9 - Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

As discussed in earlier studies, the tzaddik is associated with the Sephirah of

Yesod, which is the sixth of the seven "lower" Sephirot. Yesod is seen as the
connecting point" between Malkut and the upper remaining Sephirot. You could
say that Yesod determins how much or little (if any) of God's blessings make it
"down to us below." With a righteous Messiah in the role of Yesod, these
blessings come full force -- with a false messiah allowed to stand in, it is only a
matter of time before judgment befalls the world. 8

Note the relationship between the Sephirah of Tiferet, which is the sixth of the
totality of the ten Sephirot and which is associated with Jacob, and the Sephirah
of Yesod, which is the sixth of the lower seven Sefirot and associated with
Joseph.

The following texts speak to the mirror image relationship between these two
patriarchs and their related Sefirot:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 180a - THESE ARE THE

GENERATIONS OF JACOB: JOSEPH, ETC. When Jacob was brought to rest in
Joseph, and so the sun was united with the moon, then there commenced a
production of offspring, the progenitor being Joseph. For it is that perennially
flowing stream which fructifies the earth and from which generations are
propagated in the world. For the sun, even when he approaches the moon,
cannot cause vegetation without the help of that grade which goes under the
name of Righteous (Zaddik). It was, then, Joseph who was the grade of Jacob to
bear fruit and bring forth offspring in the world. Hence: “These are the
generations (tol'doth, lit. offspring) of Jacob: Joseph.” Or, again, we may take the
words to signify that whoever looked at Joseph thought he was looking at Jacob.
Hence this form of expression is used only in connection with Joseph and not
with any other of Jacob's sons-it is not written, for instance, “These are the
offspring of Jacob: Reuben”, the reason being that Joseph was the exact image of
his father.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 176b - The Shekinah was thus
leagued with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob together with Joseph, inasmuch as the
two latter are one in essence, each one being the image of the other, as
indicated in the words: “These are the offspring of Jacob: Joseph” (Gen. XXXVII,
2).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 173a - But now that Esau is
biting him and his children, who will stand up against him? Jacob and Joseph, one
on one side and the other on the other side. So Scripture says: “And the house of
Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for
stubble, etc.” (Oba. I, 18).

II. THE THREE NUMBERS OF 600 AND 60 AND 6

The mathematical relationship between these numbers is simple; 60 is10 times

6, and 600 is 10 times 60. This prompts two questions:

• What is the significance of ten times a number?

• Why a set of three numbers?

One of the other key meanings associated with the vav is the power which links
together the souls of Israel. 9 The soul is typically associated with the six
"emotive" Sefirot of; Hesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzah, Hod and Yesod (the six of
which are also known as Ze'er Anpin).

Within the worlds of creation, our souls exist simulaneously Asiyyah, Yetzirah and
Beriah. The soul has a relationship with the Sefirot at each level of "existence"
and is said to have the potential of bringing peace to all worlds -- even that of
the higher Divine world of Atzilut. 10

HaSatan seeks to impact our souls in each of these worlds. (Recall that his desire
is to "be like the Most High.") Thus, he wishes to be the "vav" that unites all
worlds. It is interesting to note that just as our souls are rectified in the three
worlds of creation, God's rectification of creation itself is effected through three
sets of judgments as explained in chapter 6 of this study.

Looking even deeper, the numbers 60 and 600 have an interesting relationship
in kabbalah. The numerical value of the letter Samech is 60 while 600 is the
value of the "final Mem" (a Mem that comes at the end of a word as opposed to a
regular Mem whose numerical value is 40). 11

Once again we turn to Rabbi Ginsburgh's book on the Hebrew letters 12:

The only completely "closed" letters in the Hebrew alphabet are the samech and
the final mem, the circle and the square. As the engraved letters of the "tablets
of covenant" given to Moses at Sinai penetrated through the tablets from "side
to side," the "insides" of these two letters, being entirely closed, were suspended
in mid-air, within the stone of the tablets. "Rabbi Chisda said: the mem and
samech of the tablets stood miraculously.'" In kabbalah it is explained that these
two letters are the secret of the two levels of the future revelation of Divinity of
Souls. The closed mem is called "the Coming World," and the samech is called
"the Future to Come." The Future to Come is an even higher revelation than that
of the Coming World. ... The Future to Come, the secret of the samech, is the
absolute revelation of the future, incomprehensible at present.: "No eye has
seen it, G-d, except yours." According to one tradition based upon this teaching
of kabbalah, the wedding ring placed by the groom on the "pointing" (index)
finger of the bride, is in the form of a circle (samech) inside a square (final
mem). The "pointing" finger of the bride points at the revelation of the future,
the Future to Come within the Coming World. 13

The relational aspects of the numbers 6, 60 and 600, with regard to our souls,
may be seen as follows:

• In Asiyyah: the six emotive Sephirot of the soul (which in turn are
associated with the six "constant commandments" that are not bound by
time or space) 14

• In Yetzirah: the six emotive Sephirot revealed within each of these ten
Sephirot = 60
 • In Beriah: the sixty relationships of Yetzirah (above) within each of these
ten Sephirot = 600

Now we see how the multipying factor of 10 comes into play. This is similar to
the ten menorot Solomon placed in the Temple, representing how all ten Sefirot
are present within each individual Sefirah.

As stated by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh:

... ten times a number alludes, in Kabbalah, to its full revelation in all the ten
powers of the soul, which correspond to the ten supernal sefirot, the channels by
which God created the world. 15

Recall in the previous section of notes that Nebuchadnezzar's idol is linked to the
generation of the Tower of Babel in that each wished to connect "below" to
"above." This explains why Nebuchadnezzar's statue had the peculiar dimensions
of 6 by 60. The addition of 600 to the number of the beast may indicate his
continuation of Nebuchadnezzar's plan and/or greater success in challenging the
very throne of God.

Another interesting fact that connects these three numbers involves the ancient
Babylonian numbering system (used at the time of Nebuchadnezzar). As
explained in a popular mathematics textbook:

The babylonians wrote their numbers in a system based on sixty, in the same
way we write ours based on ten. 16

For an insightful analysis of multiples of six and tens in this context see Rabbi
Pinchas Winston's essay, Since You Asked ... About The Number 600,000.

III. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF "SIX HUNDRED, SIXTY-SIX"

As seen in an earlier study, gemmatria is useful in revealing hidden dimensions

in numbers. In that previous example we showed how the number 153 was
linked to both Betzalel and Yeshua, and how 153 is the "triangle" of 17 (the sum
of all the numbers from 1 to 17). The number 17 in turn is associated with the
idea of joining the spiritual (represented by the number 10) to the physical
(represented by the number 7).

In this chapter we have the number 666, which is the triangle of the number 36
(the sum of the numbers 1 through 36). The number 36 is significant in kabbalah
as it is associated with the idea of 36 tzaddikim (righteous ones) that sustain the
world at any given time.

Sanhedrin 97b, Sukkot 45b - There are not less than thirty-six
tzaddikim/righteous persons in the world who receive the Shekhinah/the Divine
Presence

It is further taught that these thirty-six tzaddikim possess insight into the Divine
order of the universe unknown to the rest of us, hold mystical powers, and that
one of them may emerge as the Messiah. This theme is reflected at Chanukkah,
where a total of 36 candles are lit over the course of eight days.

It may not be surprising to learn that 36 is the triangle of 8, which itself is

associated with the World to Come - the Olam Haba. (See notes on
Understanding/Binah and the number "8" above.)

Just as 153 represents the fullness of the "connective" number 17, and assists in
identifying an especially righteous person, the number 666 may act in the same
fashion toward 36, only in a counterfeit manner.

Finally, as shown in our background study of the Sefirot, there is an amazing

metaphysical revelation found within the kabbalistic Tree of Life diagram that
relates to everything discussed so far.

There are several traditions concerned with the twenty-two "paths" found
between the ten Sefirot on the Tree of Life. Each of these methodologies assigns
one of the twenty-two Hebrew letters to each of these paths. Although the "best
known" system of numerology is that found in the classic text, Sefer Yetzirah
(literally "Book of Formation", often called "Book of Creation"), there is another
method based in the influential Spanish (Toledano) school of the middle ages. 17

In the Toledano tradition, the path from Binah to Gevurah (heading down the left
side) is linked to the Vav, which has a numerical value of 6. Descending from
Gevurah down to Hod we have the letter Samech, with a value of 60. Finishing
the path down the left side, between Hod and Malkut at the bottom, is the letter
Tav, which has the value of 400. The entirety of the three links of this path
therefore has a value of 466.

Compare this journey along the left side to the "descent" of haSatan, who is cast
from the heavenly realm (Binah) down to earth (Malkut). He does remain
stagnant here however. As seen in the text of Revelation, and expounded on in
our notes, from Malkut he elevates himself to the level of Yesod, in the role of
the great (but false) Tzaddik.

This "ascent" from Malkut back up to Yesod, is along the path associated with the
letter Resh, having a numerical value of 200. Thus, the entire "journey" of
haSatan from the Throne Room to his misleading the world, comes to a total
value of 666 (Vav-Samech-Tav-Resh = 6+60+200+400).

This section of the study merits further study and, Lord willing, will be updated at
some point.

1. The Hebrew Letters: Channels of Divine Consciousness, Rabbi Yitzchak

Ginsburgh, Linda Pinsky Publications, Jerusalem, 1990, pp. 323-337.

2. Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser Inc., York Beach
Maine, 1978, p. 131.
3. Opening the Tanya, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Jossey-Bass, 2003, p. 116.

4. Anatomy of the Soul, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, Breslov Research Institute,

Jerusalem, 1998, p. 180.

5. For a fuller discussion on the topic of the rectification of Da'at, see The Aryeh
Kaplan Reader, Mesorah Publications Ltd, Brooklyn NY, 1985, pp. 106-111.

6. From The Mysterious Tefillin, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan,

http://www.innernet.org.il/archives/tefillin.htm

7. Gates of Light (Sha'are Orah), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi

Weinstein, Altimira Press, London, 1994. Excerpts from pp. 147-246.

8. For additional insight into the meaning of the letter vav, see
http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/vav.htm and also, The Hebrew Letters: Channels
of Divine Consciousness, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, Linda Pinsky Publications,
Jerusalem, 1990, pp. 93-105.

9. ibid.

10. See http://www.cybershuk.com/fourworofpea1.html for a T-shirt with this

representation of "Four Worlds of Peace"

11. There are five letters with "final" forms having "secondary" numerical values:
Chaf=500, Mem=600, Nun=700, Pei=800, and Tzadi=900. In addition the Aleph
may have a value of 1000 (in addition to its normal value of 1), thus giving us a
complete number scheme from 1 to 1000.

12. The Hebrew Letters: Channels of Divine Consciousness, Rabbi Yitzchak

Ginsburgh, Linda Pinsky Publications, Jerusalem, 1990, p. 227.

13. It is interesting to note that when one includes the "pointing finger" itself, the
"numerical value" of the bride's finger with the samech and final mem of the
ring, comes to 661. This is also the numerical value of "shoshana" (shin-vav-shin-
nun-hey, meaning either "rose" or "lily") The shoshana represents the
community of Israel (the "bride") as depicted in the opening verse of the Zohar.
See also the online study of the shoshana in Zohar 1:1 as found at
http://www.kolel.org/zohar/mod1.1.html

14. Living in Divine Space: Meditation and Kabbalah, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
Linda Pinsky Publications, Jerusalem, 2003.

15. ibid., p. 102. The six constant commandments consist of; belief in the
existence of God, negation of belief in other gods, belief that God is One, love of
God, fear of God, shielding the mind from negative thoughts.

16. Algebra & Trigonometry, Fifth Edition, Michael Sullivan, Prentice Hall, Upper
Saddle River, NJ, 1999, p. 17.
17. For a view of the tree with its paths and associated letters and values as
found in the Toledano school, see The Way of Kabbalah, Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi,
Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1976, p. 141.

Revelation 14:1a
Last update: April 8, 2005

In the next three sections (expounding on the first verse of chapter 14) we will
review certain concepts, as well as introduce new ones, and how they relate to
what is occuring at this stage of John's vision. In the first of these two sections
we will focus on the concept of "the Lamb." In the second part we will primarily
examine the idea of "Mount Zion."
Of particular consequence is the relationship between various partzufim
(singular: partzuf, having to do with "expressions," "configurations" or
"personifications") of the Sefirah of Yesod, including the tzaddik (righteous
person), the Messiah, "foundation," Mount Zion and Joseph. We will also examine
how these in turn relate to the Sefirah of Malkut (Kingdom), redemption,
judgment, Israel, Esau and the world.1
Some of the material presented here was previously discussed in our
background notes on Messiah (See section VI, Parts 1-8, at
http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/background.htm.) We are adding
additional references to those within the context of this chapter's themes.
1a
Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb ...
THE LAMB AND REDEMPTION
The book of Revelation uses the specific term "the Lamb" as an idiom for the
Messiah. This is also found in John's gospel. There we find a reference
associating the "Lamb" with one "taking away the sin of the world."
John 1:29 - The next day John saw Yeshua coming toward him, and said,
"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John's point is "simple" in one respect. He states that one person, Yeshua, can
atone for others. There is a popular misconception that what John is claiming is
not a "Hebraic concept" (much less one person atoning for many, i.e., the "sin of
the world"). In the Torah classic, Derech Hashem ("The Way of God" by Rabbi
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto) the author states:
... suffering and pain may be imposed on a tzaddik (righteous person) as an
atonement for his entire generation. This tzaddik must then accept this suffering
with love for the benefit of his generation, just as he accepts the suffering
imposed upon him for his own sake. In doing so, he benefits his generation by
atoning for it, and at the same time is himself elevated to a very great degree.
Such suffering also includes cases where a tzaddik suffers because his entire
generation deserves great punishments, bordering on annihilation, but is spared
via the tzaddik's suffering. In atoning for his generation through his suffering,
this tzaddik saves these people in this world and also greatly benefits them in
the World-to-Come.
In addition, there is a special higher type of suffering that comes to a tzaddik
who is even greater and more highly perfected than the ones discussed above.
This suffering comes to provide the help necessary to bring about the chain of
events leading to the ultimate perfection of mankind as a whole.
... Beyond that, the merit and power of these tzaddikim is also increased
because of such suffering, and this gives them even greater ability to rectify the
damage of others. They can therefore not only rectify their own generation, but
can also correct all the spiritual damage done from the beginning, from the time
of the very first sinners. 2
Judaism associates the sacrifice of the lamb specifically with the aspect of God's
mercy. Further, the lamb is one of three "pure animals" that were sacrificed,
each linked to on of the patriarchs. The lamb is associated with Jacob (See
section below on "The Divine Jacob"):
When the life force in the animal, which is called the holy sparks, is properly
sacrificed to G-d, it creates an elevation of all the life force in all the animal
kingdom. It is all elevated to its spiritual source in heaven in order to draw down
great influx and blessing to all Creation. The three pure animals are the cow,
goat and lamb. Our sages teach that these animals correspond to our three
Patriarchs, or to the three properties which the Patriarchs symbolize. The power
of the cow corresponds to Abraham, who represents lovingkindness. The power
of the goat corresponds to Isaac, who represents awe. The power of the lamb
corresponds to Jacob, who represents mercy. The very voice of the lamb arouses
mercy. When the lamb is sacrificed it arouses the mercy of G-d to redeem his
people from bondage and slavery. This is why the lamb was chosen especially to
be the Passover offering. 3
In the following passage, the Zohar elaborates on the idea of God selecting a
righteous person to sufffer in order to obtain atonement for his generation. Note
the reference to Isaiah 53 (the "suffering servant") speaking of "one man":
Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, Section 3, Page 218a – Why is it that whenever
sinners multiply in the world and punishment impends over the world, the
virtuous among them are smitten for them, as we have learnt, that for the guilt
of the generation the holy and righteous are seized upon? Why should this be? If
because they do not reprove mankind for their evil deeds, how many are there
who do reprove but are not listened to (though the righteous do humble
themselves before them)? If it is in order that there may be no one to shield
them, let them not die and let them not be seized for their sins, since it is a
satisfaction to the righteous to see their destruction. He replied: It is true that for
the guilt of the generation the righteous are seized upon, but we may explain
this on the analogy of the limbs of the body. When all the limbs are in pain and
suffering from sickness one limb has to be smitten in order that all may be
healed. Which is the one? The arm. The arm is smitten and blood is drawn from
it, and this is healing for all the limbs of the body. So men are like limbs of one
body. When God desires to give healing to the world He smites one righteous
man among them with disease and suffering, and through him gives healing to
all, as it is written, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities... and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). A righteous
man is never afflicted save to bring healing to his generation and to make
atonement for it, for the "other side" prefers that punishment should light upon
the virtuous man rather than on any other, for then it cares not for the whole
world on account of the joy it finds in having power over him.
Another passage from the Zohar offers the following:
Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, 177a - AND MOSES SAID UNTO AARON, TAKE THY
CENsER, ETC. R. Hiya adduced here the verse: “The wrath of the king is as
messengers of death, but a wise man will pacify it” (Proverbs 16:14). ‘How
careful men should be’, he said, ‘to abstain from sin and to watch their actions,
for at many periods the world is judged and every day deeds are placed in the
balance and examined on high and recorded before the Almighty; and when the
deeds of men are not approved before the King, wrath arises and judgement is
awakened. But if when the executioners of judgement are ready to strike and
wrath impends, there is found in the generation a righteous man who is
inscribed above, then God looks upon him and His wrath is mollified. He is like a
king who is angry with his servants and sends for the executioner to punish
them, but meanwhile the king's friend enters and stands before him, and when
the king sees him his face lights up, and when he begins to speak he is glad. So
when the executioner comes and sees the king all smiling, he goes away and
does not execute judgement, and then the king's friend intercedes for his
servants and procures forgiveness for them.
The model for the "ultimate tzaddik" as described above, found in the corpus of
Hebraic literature, is the Messiah, more specifically, Messiah ben Joseph, the
"suffering Messiah." 4
Further, "true faith" includes a relationship to a tzaddik, particularly the Messiah,
as is also found in Hebraic teachings:
One who attached himself to the true tzaddikim has true faith. Mashiach is the
true tzaddik. One who accepts Mashiach will receive from him pure faith, and
will not have misplaced his faith. 5
It is also taught that a deceased tzaddik continues to merit favor for those alive
(even more so than when he was alive) and that it is possible to "connect" to the
one "above" through prayer - even directly "to" the soul of the tzaddik:
It is certainly permissible to pray to G-d for a blessing at the gravesite of a
tzaddik, in the merit of the tzaddik. In addition one may directly address the soul
of the tzaddik, beseeching him to arouse mercy in heaven. The Zohar writes that
the tzaddik can more effectively arouse Divine mercy after his death than
previously. (See chapter 27 in Igeret Hakodesh of Sefer Hatanya) When one
goes to pray at the gravesite of a tzaddik, it is as if he is entering into yechidus
("private consultation") with that tzaddik. Thus, it is customary to recite chapter
33 in Psalms at the gravesite. This chapter begins with the verse, Ranenu
tzaddikim baHashem, "May the tzaddikim rejoice in Hashem." The verse refers
to tzadikkim in the plural form, which is understood to refer to the union of the
lower tzaddik -- the soul of the person who comes to pray at the gravesite -- and
the higher tzaddik -- the deceased tzaddik. When a person prays at the gravesite
of the tzaddik, the two souls unite to arouse Divine mercy and to bring down
blessing. 6
The great assertion ("mystery") of the New Testament is whereas the Hebrew
sages traditionally viewed Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David (the one
who comes to lead Israel into the Millennial Kingdom) as two different
individuals, the texts of the New Testament teach that the same individual fulfills
both roles, or more precisely, the resurrected Messiah ben Joseph returns as
Messiah ben David.
Further, in the book of Acts, it states that Yeshua could have returned at that
time (as Messiah ben David), if Israel would only have done teshuvah (turned to
God and His Torah).
Peter speaking says:
Acts 3:17-26 - Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did
also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His
prophets, that the Messiah would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Repent therefore
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may
send Yeshua Messiah, who was preached to you before, whom heaven
must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has
spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For
Moses truly said to the fathers, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a
Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever
He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet
shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' Yes, and all the prophets,
from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold
these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made
with our fathers, saying to Abraham, "And in your seed all the families of the
earth shall be blessed.' To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Yeshua,
sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
(The above text implies a "window of opportunity," for Israel, one that would
vanish if they did not take advantage of it. This idea is further discussed in the
next section.)
Another place we see the idea of someone atoning for many (or since the
beginning of time) is in the figure of Simeon bar Yohai, the main character of the
Zohar. Looking in the Talmud, we find mention of bar Yohai, his son and an
associate of theirs, providing such atonement:
Talmud - Sukkah 45b - Hezekiah further stated in the name of R. Jeremiah
who said it in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai, I am able to exempt the whole
world from judgment from the day that I was born until now, and were Eliezer,
my son, to be with me [we could exempt it] from the day of the creation of the
world to the present time, and were Jotham the son of Uzziah with us, [we could
exempt it] from the creation of the world to its final end.
We find a similar reference in Midrash, only this time bar Yohai's partners in
redemption are Abraham and one Ahiyah the Shilonite:
Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 35:2 - AND GOD SAID: THIS IS THE TOKEN OF THE
COVENANT... FOR PERPETUAL GENERATIONS- LEDOROTH (IX, 12). R. Judan said:
This is written le-dorath, which thus excludes two generations, the generation of
Hezekiah and that of the Great Synagogue. R. Hezekiah omitted the generation
of the Men of the Great Synagogue and substituted that of R. Simeon b. Yohai.
Elijah of blessed memory and R. Joshua b. Levi were sitting and studying
together, when they came to a ruling of R. Simeon b. Yohai. Said one: ' Here is
the author of the ruling: let us go and question him about it.’ So Elijah of blessed
memory went to him, ' Who is with you? ' he asked. ' The greatest of his
generation, R. Joshua b. Levi,’ he answered. ' Has the rainbow appeared in his
days?’ he inquired; ' if it has, he is not worthy of being received by me. ‘R.
Hezekiah related in R. Jeremiah's name: R. Simeon b. Yohai had but to say, ' O
field, O field, be filled with gold dinars,’ and it was filled. R. Hezekiah related in
R. Jeremiah's name: Thus did R. Simeon b. Yohai say: If Abraham is willing, he
can effectively intercede for [all generations] from his days until mine, while I
can intercede for [all generations] from my time until the advent of Messiah.
While if he is not willing, let Ahijah the Shilonite unite with me, and we can
intercede for all from the days of Abraham until those of Messiah. R. Hezekiah
said in R. Jeremiah's name: Thus did R. Simeon b. Yohai say: The world
possesses not less than thirty men as righteous as Abraham. If there are thirty,
my son and I are two of them; if ten, my son and I are two of them; if five, my
son and I are two of them; if two, they are my son and I; if there is but one, it is
I.
Note the reference to whether or not a rainbow has appeared at the time of bar
Yohai. The rainbow is another concept linked to the Sefirah of Yesod. The
rainbow is a sign of God's protection - due to their being no one capable of
providing this. A sign of an especially righteous person being alive and providing
such protection, is the lack of a rainbow appearing in his days.
ATONEMENT THROUGH DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS
The idea of someone suffering to provide atonement leads to the question of
whether the actual death of an individual can have similar effect. This concept is
also found in Hebraic sources.
Here are several examples to consider:
• In the Torah, we are given the laws concerning a person guilty of
manslaughter, who flees to the one of the "cities of refuge" in order to
escape those wishing to avenge the death. This person is to remain in the
city until the death of the High Priest, at which point atonement has been
made for the manslaughter death, and he is free to leave the city.

• In the Torah we are told of the story of the death of Aaron's two sons who
bring "strange fire" into the Holy of Holies and are killed by God Himself.
Moses' comment following this seems a bit surprising at first, as he casts
their deaths in a very positive note, stating that God was sanctified
throught this:

Leviticus 10:3 - Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the Lord spoke, saying,
I will be sanctified in them that come near to me, and before all the people I will
be glorified.
What is significant is that Midrash Rabbah shows that Moses expected God to
take someone's life (to sanctify His name at that time) and that Moses had
thought it would be himself or Aaron who would have have been slain by God:
Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus 12:2 - R. Samuel b. Nahman said [of: THROUGH
THEM THAT ARE NIGH UNTO ME I WILL BE SANCTIFIED (10:3)]: This utterance
was addressed to Moses at Sinai, but its application was not known to him until
the occurrence happened, when Moses said to Aaron: ‘My brother, at Sinai, I was
told that I would sanctify this House, and through a great man would I sanctify it,
and I thought that either through me or through you would this House be
sanctified, but now [I see that] your two sons are greater than you or I.’
 • Furthermore, the Stone Edition Chumash, in its comments to Parsha
Acharei (Leviticus 16:1-18:30), ties the death of Nadab and Abihu to Yom
Kippur and atonement, and brings in the element of "trust" in a fashion
similar to how the New Testament speaks of Yeshua:

The Torah introduces the Yom Kippur service by saying that God spoke to Moses
after the death of Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, which implies that there
was a connection between that tragedy and the Yom Kippur service ... Why is
the death of the righteous (i.e., Nadab and Abihu) mentioned in conjunction with
the chapter of the Yom Kippur service? Because just as Yom Kippur brings
atonement, so the death of the righteous brings atonement (Yerushalmi Yoma
1:1) ... When a righteosu person such as Nadab and Abihu dies and his soul
ascends to the world of souls, the other righteous souls in Heaven rejoice at his
coming. This good feeling above can inspire a spirit of forgiveness and
atonement to the righteous person's survivors on earth. This is the connection to
Yom Kippur. However, and this is crucial, both Yom Kippur and the death of the
righteous bring atonement only on one condition. Yom Kiippur atones only for
people who recognize it as a holy day and treat it as such; those to whom it is
merely a day of refraining from food and work, but without a spiritual dimension,
do not find atonement on Yom Kippur. Similarly, those who do not honor the
righteous in life do not benefit from their ascent to Heaven in death. 7
• Although some argue that Zechariah 12:10 is not a "messianic passage"
and/or that it is incorrectly translated in most Bibles, the Talmud clearly
states that the atoning Messiah ben Joseph is to die, associating his
demise with Zechariah 12:10:

Talmud, Mas. Sukkah 52a - What is the cause of the mourning [mentioned in
the last cited verse]? — R. Dosa and the Rabbis differ on the point. One
explained, The cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph, and the other
explained, The cause is the slaying of the Evil Inclination. It is well according to
him who explains that the cause is the slaying of Messiah the son of Joseph,
since that well agrees with the Scriptural verse, And they shall look upon me
because they have thrust him through, and they shall mourn for him as
one mourneth for his only son (Zechariah 12:10)
• The Zohar presents several examples of the death of a righteous person
effecting tikkun (restoration). In Yehuda Liebes book, Studies in the Zohar,
the author cites Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai's teachings on three righteous
men of his day, stating:

Apart from benefiting their own souls, the death of these three sages also
brought about a tikkun of the world ... their deaths parallel that of Rabbi
Simeon ... which is a tikkun of the Shekinah. There too, not only does his soul
arrive in Paradise, which is the Shekinah, but by his death and his dekekut
("clinging" to God) he effects its tikkun. 8
... He (bar Yohai) is the Yesod, the basic element that brings about the tikkun
and simultaneously, himself undergoes tikkun, and it is his coupling with the
Shekinah that brings about its redemption. This is clearly a messianic role. 9
(Regarding bar Yohai being "the Yesod" in the above text, see the subsection
below, "Messiah and the Sefirot," for more about the tzaddik being a physical
manifestation of the Divine Sefirah of Yesod.)
• A more recent example of a teacher of Israel believing his death could
atone for others, is that of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, a prominent figure
in Jewish history. In his English translation of a book about the rabbi's life,
renowned author/teacher Aryeh Kaplan states:

The Rebbe left Breslov on Tuesday morning, arriving in Uman on Thursday, the
5th of Iyar (May 9, 1810). Uman had been the scene of the great massacre of
1768 where thousands of Jews had been slaughtered by Gonta and his
Haidmacks. Rabbi Nachman said that he now had the task of rectifying all these
souls with his own death. 10
MESSIAH AND THE SEFIROT
Throughour Hebraic studies, that which atones for the world is seen as both the
Divine Sefirah of Yesod as well as the human tzaddik.
As author Yehuda Liebes notes:
In Kabbalistic literature, this pillar is regarded as one of the sefirot, and it is
called Yesod (Foundation) ... This, however, did not dispel the ambiguity
presented by the verse, and the conception of, "the righteous, the everlasting
foundation" as both pillar and terrestrial person persisted. This can be seen for
example, in a passage from Sefer ha-Bahir (120) which, citing two opposing
talmudic statements, begins with a pillar and concludes with a righteous person:
"There is one pillar from the earth to the firmament and Righteous is its name,
after the righteous ones, and when there are righteous persons in the world it
gains strength, and when there are not it is weakened, and it bears the burden
of all the world, as it is written, 'Righteous is the foundation of the world,' and if
it is weak the world cannot exist. Therefore even if there is only one righeous
man in the world, he upholds the world." 11
This redemptive aspect of Yesod has a historical Messianic connection, as noted
by Liebes. Speaking of a historic kabbalistic group lead by rabbi Todros Abulafia,
he says:
The Messiah's symbolic rung, according to this Kabbalistic circle, was the sefirah
of Yesod. 12
Regarding Rabbi Abulafia's viewpoint on Messiah being both, "righteous and
redeemed" as well as "righteous, foundation of the world," Liebes adds:
The implication here -- and it is not merely on a symbolic level, for he is
speaking, as we shall see, of total identity -- is that the Messiah is an incarnation
of the sefira of Yesod. 13
The above idea, that Messiah is an embodiment of a Sefirah relates to the idea
of the "divinity of Messiah" -- which we must emphasize means radically
different things in Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism, someone can be "divine"
but not be "God" (i.e., "Ein Sof"), who of course is indivisible and unknowable.
THE "NAME" (I.E., AUTHORITY) OF THE ANNOINTED ONE(S)
The Lamb/Messiah, God's annointed, "comes in the name of the Lord." As seen in
our notes on Revelation 5:6, the Lamb is seen as being amidst the Throne of
God, as is God in 4:8-11. This in no way indicates that the Lamb "is God" (in
accordance with Christian theology) but is rather reflective of the Hebraic
teaching that the one who comes in service to the King is given the same
reverence as if he were the King.
This idea is seen in the following Jewish proverb that links a servant to his
master in an equivalent manner. Further, those who associate themselves with
the servant find themselves linked to the king and are themselves given exalted
status (i.e., 1 Corinthians 6:3):
A king's servant is a king. Attach yourself to a captain and people will bow down
to you. Become close to one who is annointed (important) and you will become
annointed. 14
Examples of divine/godlike status given to men and angels, as found in Hebraic
texts, include:
• In the Torah, Moses is told of the "angel of the Lord" who has "God's Name
in him." Moses is to listen to this angel as he has the same power to
forgive sin that God does.

Exodus 23:20-23 - Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way
and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey
His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My
name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I
will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My
Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and
the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut
them off.
• A number of Hebraic sources consider the "angel of the Lord" to be
Metatron. A title given to the figure Metatron, found in the book of 3
Enoch is, "the Lesser YHVH." This has to do with his role as the head of
creation and relationship to the Throne. (i.e., Revelation 3:11.):

3 Enoch 12:5 - All these things the Holy One Blessed be He, made for me: He
made me a throne, similar to the Throne of Glory ... And He placed it at the door
to the Seventh Hall and seated me on it ... And He called me THE LESSER YHVH
in the presence of all His heavenly household: as it is written: "For my name is in
Him." (Exodus 23:21).
Also see notes on the image of Jacob on the throne [further below] and our
previous studies on the extended Tree of Life and Metatron's placement at the
Keter of Beriah.)
• Commenting on the letter "Shin," found on the outside of every mezuzah,
the following Yemenite Midrash also compares Metatron to God:

There are a dalet and a yod in the knots and a shin outside, because they
(together) produce (the divine name) Shaddai. It is on the outside, because it is
Metatron, whose name is like the name of his master, and about whom it was
said, "now I am sending an angel." (Exodus 23:20). He is the "official in charge
of the world, " and he is the lord of the spiritual entities. 15
• Author Elliot Wolfson, citing commentary of Genesis 2:7 as found in Jacob
ha-Kohen's Sefer ha-'Orah, shows another aspect of Metatron being a
"lesser version" of God, to the degree that Adam was made in the image
 of the former:

"'He blew into his (Adam's) nostrils the breath of life.' this comes to teach you
that this corresponds to the (expression) 'the Lord God' (YHWH Elohim), for the
creation of Adam comes from the small yod, and the small yod from the large
yod..." It would seem that in this context the small yod symbolizes Metatron, in
whose image Adam is created, and the large yod symbolizes the divine essense
represented by the yod of the Tetragrammaton. (YHVH) 16
• Later in the Tenakh, an angel appears whom Joshua falls before. The
ground they stand on is declared "holy" similar to the episode of Moses
and the burning bush:

Joshua 5:13-15 - And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he
lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword
drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or
for our adversaries?" So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the
LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped,
and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" Then the Commander
of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place
where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
• A teaching that follows along the lines of the proverb of the king's servant
(above) comes from one of the great sages in Jewish history, Rabbi
Nachman of Breslov. In one of his discources on Messiah and the
Millennial Kingdom, he expounds on how the tzadikim (righteous ones) will
be called Holy, like God:

Regarding the Messianic age, it is written (Isaiah 4:3), "And it will be, that he
who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, 'holy' shall be said to him."
The Talmud teaches us that the angels will chant, "holy, holy, holy," before the
Tzadikim, just like they do before God (i.e., Rev. 4:8). This is the plain meaning
of the verse. For the Tzadikim who remain faithful before the Messiah's coming,
will deserve this, and much more. 17
• The Talmudic passage cited by Rabbi Nachman makes clear that the
Messiah is called, "the Holy One blessed be He," one of the most common
names used for God in Hebraic literature:

Talmud - Mas. Baba Bathra 75b - Rabbah in the name of R. Johanan further
stated: The righteous will in time to come be called by the name of the Holy
One, blessed be He; for it is said: Every one that is called by My name, and
whom I have created for My glory. I have formed him, yea, I have made him. R.
Samuel b. Nahmani said in the name of R. Johanan: Three were called by the
name of the Holy One; blessed be He, and they are the following: The righteous,
the Messiah and Jerusalem. [This may be inferred as regards] the righteous
[from] what has just been said. [As regards] the Messiah — it is written: And this
is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness. [As
regards] Jerusalem — it is written: It shall be eighteen thousand reeds round
about; and the name of the city from that day shall be ‘the Lord is there.’ Do not
read, ‘there’ but ‘its name’. R. Eleazar said: There will come a time when ‘Holy’
will be said before the righteous as it is said before the Holy One, blessed be He;
for it is said: And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem, ‘shall be called Holy.
In the "Melkizedek Scroll" of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the figure of Melkizedek is
given the status of a divine being.
As stated in the book, The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation:
For our author (of the "Melkizedek Scroll") Melkizedek is an enormously exalted
divine being, to whom are applied names that are generally reserved for God
alone, the Hebrew names El and Elohim. In the author's citation of Isaiah 61:2,
which speaks of "the year of the Lord's favor," "Melkizedek is substituted even
for the most holy name of Israel's God, Yahweh." 18
READ THE MELKIZEDEK SCROLL
• In the classic kabbalistic text, Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light" - which we
will quote from extensively in this and the next section), we find a
discussion on how the Sefirah of Malkut (related to the name Adonay and
associated with "God's presence on earth") is referred to in a redemptive
fashion normally associated with the Sefirah of Yesod (related to El Chay -
"Living God," more associated with "God above"):

When ADoNaY acts for redemption it is an emisary for EL CHaY. Thus ADoNaY is
called the redeeming messenger (haMaLACH haGoAL), i.e., He is called in the
name of the sender. 19
• The Book of Enoch 20 uses the terms; Son of Man, Elect One, Lord of Spirits
and Ancient of Days, quite interchangeably:

Of the Son of Man it says that He accompanied the Ancient of Days, and to Him
righteousness belongs. The Son of Man will overthrow kings and the powerful
and break in pieces the teeth of sinners. He will overthrow those who do not
exalt Him, thereby establishing Himself to be God. He does these things to those
who do not exalt the name of the Lord of Spirits, thus equating Himself with that
entity (Enoch 46:1-4).
The name of this Son of Man was invoked before the sun, stars and signs of
heaven were formed. He is the hope of those who are troubled. All who dwell on
the earth will fall down and worship him, and bless and glorify him. The Elect and
"Concealed One" existed in his presence before the world was created. He
reveals to the saints and the righteous the wisdom of the Lord of Spirits. In his
name will the righteous be preserved, and they will dwell with him forever.
(Enoch 48:3-7; 61:12,17).
This Son of Man existed "in secret" since the beginning. He is also called "son of
woman." The elect will stand before him one day (Enoch 61:9-11). People will
pray to him and petition him for mercy (Enoch 61:13). He is equated with the
Lord of Spirits (Enoch 61:15-18). He or his name live with the Lord of Spirits
(Enoch 69:1) He is equated with the Messiah (Enoch 48:11).
Of the Elect One it says that He will sit upon the Throne of Glory. Either the Elect
One, or the one speaking this prophecy to Enoch, will dwell in the midst of them,
and change, bless and illuminate the face of heaven forever. He will also change
the face of the earth, bless it, and cause those whom He has elected to dwell
upon it. (Enoch 45:3-5; 50:3, 54:5). Wisdom comes out of his mouth. The Lord of
Spirits has gifted and glorified him (Enoch 50:3). He will be exalted at the end of
days (Enoch 50:5). He is equated with the Messiah (Enoch 51:2-5). He will
appear in the presence of the Lord of Spirits at the end of days (Enoch 51:10).
He is also equated with the Lord of Spirits (Enoch 60:7-16)
Of the Lord of Spirits it says that those who believe in His name will be declared
righteous and be saved (Enoch 43:2; 49:3). Sinners who deny His Name will face
his punishment (Enoch 45:2; 53:7) Those who do not repent before him will
perish (Enoch 49:3). The prayers of the righteous (at the end of days - i.e.,
Revelation 8:4), are said to ascend to Him (Enoch 47:1) He sits upon the throne
of glory and before him the saints will be judged in righteousness (Enoch 61:2-
5). He will issue new garments to the righteous (Enoch 61:18).
Of the Ancient of Days it says his head was like white wool and his robe
indescribable (Enoch 46:1; 70:12). He is the one who flooded the earth,
promised to not do this again and gave the rainbow (Enoch 54:1-3). He calls
himself the Lord of spirits (Enoch 54:4).
We find the Messiah connected to this highest level of "Ancient of Days" from
where his power to bring atonement, to all mankind, emanates.
... the Keter (Arikh Anpin) is the loftiest Parfutz. But the ARI writes, Keter actually
has two levels, a lower level corresponding to Arikh Anpin and an upper level,
the intellect of Arikh Anpin, which corresponds to Atik. Atik is referred to in the
holy writings by several names: Atik ("The Ancient One"), Atik Yomin ("The
Ancient of Days"), Atika Kadisha ("The Holy Ancient One"). ... The connection
between Mashiach and Atik is learned from Daniel's vision: "A man came and he
approached (the level of) the Ancient of Days ..." Rashi explains that this refers
to Mashiach, who will minister justice to the entire world. ... Atik thus transcends
anything that we can conceive -- giving and receiving, right and left, reward and
punishment, and so on. At this level there is neither past or future. Everything is
in the present. And, as we have seen, every part of Creation, from the first
constriction, until the lowest level of the world of Asiyah, is contained within
Keter. Thus Atik includes all time and space -- yet transcends it all. The soul of
Mashiach "resides" within Atik, and it is from this level that all his powers will be
drawn. And, since he transcends time and space, Mashiach can transcend every
transgression ever committed and rectify it -- for since he can transcend
everything ever done, he can bring each person to a state prior to his having
sinned. ... With this power inherent in this exalted level, Mashiach will be able to
bring the world to a state of perfection. 21
THE "DIVINE" JACOB
The clearest example of a Divine status being given to a created being is that of,
"the image of Jacob on the throne." The best source for examples of this is the
book, Along the Path, by Elliot Wolfson. Here we find numerous talmudic,
aggadic and esoteric references to Jacob being likened unto God. 22
Consider the following ideas presented by the author. First we have Jacob seen
as active in the process of Creation (even given sole credit in one source) similar
to what we read of Yeshua in Colossians 1:16 and Ephesians 3:9.
• In Genesis Rabbah 78:3, Jacob is consider a Divine partner of God:

For thou art a prince ("saritha" from sar, a prince) together with God, thy
features being engraven on high.
• We see a similar idea in a citation from Midrash Tanhuma:

Jacob was a partner with his Creator in everything.

• Genesis Rabbah 79:8 has Jacob asserting himself to being "god" (El) on
earth:

AND HE ERECTED THERE AN ALTAR, AND CALLED IT EL-ELOHE-ISRAEL (Genesis

33:20). He [Jacob] declared to Him: ‘Thou art God in the celestial spheres and I
am a god in the terrestrial sphere.’
• Citing Rabbi Pinehas ha-Kohen bar Hamma, we have a specifice reference
to Jacob alone being the one who "formed" all things.all things
("formation" = Yetzirah, Jacob himself could thus be seen at the level of
Beriah, i.e., Metatron - "amidst the throne"):

See what is written, Not like these is the portion of Jacob, For it is he who formed
all things.
Next we find examples of divine-like status given to Jacob, comparing him
directly to God, and his image being found in the Throne of God:
• From Sifre on Deuteronomy:

There is none like God O' Jeshurun (a name for Jacob): Israel says, There is none
like God, and the Holy Spirit responds, except Jeshurun.
• From Numbers Rabbah 4:1:

There is a Scriptural text bearing on this: Since thou art precious in My sight,
and honourable, etc. (Isaiah 43:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob:
Jacob, thou art exceedingly precious in my sight. For I have, as it were, set thine
image on My throne, and by thy name the angels praise Me and say: Blessed be
the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting (Psalm 41:14).
• From Midrash Yelammedenu:

The angels descended and saw his (Jacob's) image. They said, "Certainly this is
the form (surah) and this is the image (demut) engraved upon the throne of
glory." All of them responded and said, "Bless the Lord, God of Israel."
• From a liturgical poem of Moses ben Eleazar ha-Darshan:

... the Biblical expression "majesty of Israel" (from Lamentations 2:1) is

transformed into a symbol for the icon of Jacob engraved on the throne.
Wolfson's book also shows many "divine" connections between Jacob and
Metatron. Here are but a few:
• From an ancient liturgical poem of Eliezer ben Nathan of Mainz:

In that passage, the angel of the countenance (sar ha-panim) is identified as

Jacob who is said to be inscribed upon the throne and upon the heart of
Metatron.
• Citing the writngs of Ibn Ezra:

... in the philosophical thought of Ibn Ezra, the first intellect in the chain of being
is Metatron, also called yosher bere'shit, the demiurge. Thus, the secret to which
Ibn Ezra alludes is the identification of the image of Jacob with Metatron who is
the form of the intellect that stands above the tenth sphere.
• Summarizing Jacob ha-Kohen's commentary on Ezekiel's vision, Wolfson
states:

It may be concluded from these passages that the angelic creature named Israel
is the image of Jacob, also named Tif'eret Yisra'el, for it is the lower glory that
correspondes to the upper glory, that is, the sixth emanation likewise called
Tif'eret Yisra'el. Furthermore, according to Jacob ha-Kohen, this creature is
described in language that is used in ancient Jewish esoteric sources to describe
Metatron. One may infer, therefore, that there is a blurring of boundaries
separating Metatron and the creature named Israel. To put the matter in
somewhat different terms, the name Israel is an appropriate designation for
Jacob, and thus the image of Jacob is applied to Metatron and/or the celestial
creature.
• From Sefer Pa'neah Raza (Isaac bar Judah ha-Levi):

Ya'aqov (Jacob) is numerically equal (=182) to mal'akh ha-'elohim ("angel of

God," i.e., Metatron). This alludes to the fact that his image is engraved on the
throne.
• The following is from Or ha-Sekhel, by the well known kabbalist, Abraham
Abulafia:

The secret of "And (the Angel of God) moved (Exodus 14:19), he is the end even
though he is the beginning. The secret is that he is the end of the angels, but he
is still the beginning. He alone is the angel who is called by the name of God
(ha-'elohim). This is the secret of the "jealous God" and he comprises the seven
sefirot of the name (zayyin sefirot ha-shem). Therefore, the image of Jacob
engraved on the throne of glory comprises the seven sefirot.
Wolfson adds:
... the image of Jacob engraved upon the throne is clearly transferred in Abulafia
to Metatron.
Note Abulafia's comments above that "the throne of glory comprises the seven
sefirot." Compare this to Revelation 4:5 and 5:6 where the seven spirits of the
Lord are before the throne.
• From Jacob ha-Kohen's commentary on Ezekiel, we find the idea of a
"glory above/beneath the glory," associated with the "middle line." (The
middle column of the kabbalistic Tree of Life, associated with Metatron -
see our previous study on this.) This idea may also reflect the idea of
Metatron being called "the lesser YHVH," as shown above (from 3 Enoch):

Know, my son, that the upper glory that is called the middle line is that which is
called Tif'eret Yisra'el, and the image of Jacob engraved in the holy creatures
(the four creatures of Ezekiel/Revelation that support the throne) is the glory
that is below the upper glory, and it is likewise called Tif'eret Yisra'el.
• As shown in an earlier study, Metatron plays the role of mediator between
God and man through whom all requests from below to above must pass.
Citing Sefer ha-Roqeah by Eleazar ben Judah of Worms:
When Israel pray, the image of Jacob engraved upon the throne advocates
(before God on their behalf).
Finally, a particularly interesting passage is one where Jacob himself is identified
as the ladder in his dream found in Genesis 28:12, thus making the same
connection stated by Yeshua of himself in John 1:51.
• Citing the Midrash Leqah Tov of Tobias ben Eliezer:

"A ladder was set on the ground,' this refers to Jacob our patriarch himself, 'and
its top reached the sky,' for the image of his icon was engraved on the throne of
glory."
The Zohar links; Jacob's Ladder, Yesod and the Tzaddik, in that they make the
connection between the world above and ours below:
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 149b - AND BEHOLD A LADDER
SET UP ON THE EARTH. This ladder signifies the grade on which the other grades
rest (i.e., Yesod), to wit, the “Foundation of the world” (i.e., the Tzaddik). AND
THE TOP OF IT REACHED TO HEAVEN , so as to be attached to it. For this grade
(Yesod), is the conclusion of the Body (the upper nine Sefirot) standing between
the upper and the lower world in the same way as the sign of the covenant is
situated at the end of the trunk of the body, between the thighs (i.e., between
Netzah and Hod).

1. An understanding of the associations between the partzufim of the various

Sefirot is critical to the deepest levels of understanding of the Torah. Sha'are
Oreh (Gates of Light) mentioned below is the most comprehensive text dealing
with this subject matter. Also see Along the Path (also mentioned below), page
41, where the concepts of; diadem, Shekinah, glory, prayer, bride, king's
daughter, voice of revelation, kingship, shoe of God, angel of the Lord, image of
God and supernal crown, are all said to be linked.
2. Derech Hashem, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translation by Aryeh Kaplan
Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1977, pp 123-125. Written in the early
eighteenth century, Derech Hashem is a "classic" in Torah literature and is used
in Orthodox Yeshivas throughout the world.
3. From Lamb Symbolism and the Temple Service, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/responsa/leter1/resp3.htm
4. See The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit,
1979, which offers a number of citations concerning the "suffering Messiah."
5. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (an exposition of the
teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer, Breslov Resarch
Institute, Jerusalem, p. 86.
6. From Prayer at a Tzaddik's Grave, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh,
http://www.inner.org/responsa/leter2/resp51.htm
7. Stone Edition Chumash, Mesorah Publications, Ltd., Brooklyn NY, 1994, p. 636.
8. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, State University of New York Press, 1993,
p. 52.
9. ibid, p. 64.
10. Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, translated and annotated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan,
Breslov Research Institute, Monsey New York, 1973, pp. 442-443.
11. Studies in the Zohar, Yehuda Liebes, SUNY Press, New York, 1993, p.14.
12. ibid, p. 18.
13. ibid, p. 19.
14. Ariel Chumash, Volume 1 (Bereishit-Chaye Sarah), United Israel Institutes,
Jerusalem, 1997, p. 52.
15. From Midrash ha-Be'ur cited in Yemenite Midrash, Philosophical
Commentaries on the Torah, HarperSanFrancisco, 1996, p. 242.
16. Circle in the Square, Studies in the Use of Gender in Kabbalistic Symbolism,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, 1995, p. 179.
17. Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, translated by Aryeh Kaplan, Breslov Research
Institute, Jerusalem, 1973, p.255.
18. The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr.,
Edward Cook, Harper Collins, San Francisco, 1996, pp. 455-456.
19. Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light") by Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla (13th century) is
most notable for associating various terms found throughout the Tenakh with
the ten Sefirot and their associated Names of God, thus "linking" many portions
of the Tenakh at the Sod level.
20. The Book of Enoch The Prophet, translated by Richard Laurence, Wizards
Bookshelf, San Diego, 1995.
21. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (an exposition of the
teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer, Breslov Resarch
Institute, Jerusalem, pp. 208-209.
22. Along the Path - Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, 1995, pp.1-62 and
footnotes pp.111-187.

Revelation 14:1b
Last update: July 21, 2004

In this section, we continue our analysis of verse 14:1, primarily focusing on the
deeper aspects of "Mount Zion" and its association with the Sefirah of Yesod.
1b
... standing on Mount Zion ...

MOUNT ZION, REDEMPTION AND SHALOM

As mentioned earlier in this study, the three sets of (seven) judgments reflect a
rectification of the three worlds of;

• Beriah ("Creation," the world of the "Throne" of God)

• Yetzirah ("Formation," the world of angels and souls)

• Asiyyah ("Making," the physical world - which also includes a spiritual

dimension)

At this point in John's vision we are concluding the second set of judgments,
placing us at the "end" of Yetzirah. This can also be viewed as Yesod
(Foundation) the "lowest" of the six Sefirot usually associated with the realm of
Yetzirah (also called Zer Anpin - see previous study). Yesod may be considered
"at the end" of Yetzirah as it is the ninth Sefirah that "connects" the Sefirot of the
upper worlds with the Sefirah of Malkut, which is closely linked to the physical
realm.

What "remains" in the grand scheme of Israel's redemption (the "unification of

the Name of God" - i.e., Zechariah 14:9) is the coming together of the bride with
the groom (or daughter with the son, as seen in the book of Songs of Songs
[Song of Solomon] in the Tenakh). This coupling is seen as occurring when
Jerusalem below (Malkut) is permanently united with Mount Zion above (Yesod).

The "location" of this part of John's vision is "on Mount Zion" which of course is
not in the physical world (of Asiyyah). In Kabbalah, "Mount Zion" (Tziyon) is
associated with Yetzirah, specifically the Sefirah of Yesod.

As stated in the classic work, Sha'are Oreh ("Gates of Light"):

Know that the word HaR (mountain) means many things in the Torah, and you
must know which is the proper nuance when you come across the words HaR or
HaRim (mountains) in the Torah. ... Know that HaR TZiYoN (Mount Zion) is
always the attribute YeSOD, which is the essence of El Chay (Living God),
because HaR TZiYoN is the place from where the first attribute for the world's
creation came, as it was said: "From TZiYoN, perfect in beauty, ELoHIM
appeared." (Psalm 50:2) 1

In the same text we also find Mount Zion closely associated with the concept of
redeemer:

Know that at times this attribute (Yesod) is known as GoAL (redeemer). The
essence is to know that when EL CHaY (Living God/Yesod) connects with ADoNaY
(Shekinah/Malkut) which is the essence of redemption and the eighteen
benedictions, then ADoNaY is filled with the everflow of redemption, for then also
the attribute ADoNaY is activated as an emissary of EL CHaY and saves the
righteous and redeems them from all harm and sickness and from all kinds of
destruction and punishment. 2

There are (what we perceive to be) "negative" and "positive" aspects to this time
of redemption. (Perhaps a hidden meaning to Song of Songs 2:7, 3:5 and 8:4,
which repeats the peculiar warning, "Do not stir up nor awaken love until it
pleases.")

Before the coming of Messiah, the nations of the world who have rejected God's
Torah and who have persecuted physical Israel, face harsh judgment. The first
stages of all such judgments are against the "principalities and powers" of these
kingdoms, and this is accomplished in the first two sets of judgments (in Beriah
and Yetzirah). The final set of judgments, seen in the chapters ahead, will be
directly against mankind in the physical realm - similar to what fell upn Egypt in
the book of Exodus.
As shown in Sha'are Oreh:

Know and understand that the nations and the ministers who are called ELoHIM
come before YHVH, may He be Blessed, on Rosh Hashana to be judged. If the
nations have not behaved appropriately, then their ministers punish them, and
the bounty that YHVH has given them will be diminished. When the minister of
the nation is smitten, then the nation falls. Thus the Prophet warned: YHVH will
visit the heavenly hosts in have and the kings of the earth on earth. (Isaiah
24:21) 3

When studying a time of God's "judgment," as we have in the book of Revelation,

we must always keep in mind that what we see as God showing anger is actually
an act of mercy. A withholding of His anger will lead to complete destruction.
Every event that transpires in the world, including the harsh judgments of
Revelation, are bringing us closer to a "positive event" - the completion of His
plan - "the unification of His Name."

The completing of God's plan is expressed in the Hebrew word for peace -
shalom - which is derived from the root shalem, meaning "whole" or "complete."
True shalom is an active force rather than a passive absence of war. Anything
that disturbs and destroys the state of true shalom must be removed in order for
true shalom to exist.

For example, looking in the Torah, we see how Pinchas, through his zealous act
(killing two people who were publicly violating Torah), created peace.

Deuteronomy 25:11-12 - Pinchas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aharon the
Priest, has turned away My anger from the children of Israel, by being zealous for
My vengeance amongst them; and [thus] I did not destroy the children of Israel
in My vengeance. Therefore, I say, behold I give to him My Covenant of Peace.

In the same way Pinchas stopped the plague against the Jewish people and
through a violent act brought peace, so do the terrible events of the last days
bring true peace.

Shalom is directly associated with the Tzaddik (righteous person) and the Sefirah
of Yesod. When the tzaddik brings shalom, he unifies the Name of God above
(i.e., YHVH-Tiferet-Groom) and below (i.e., Adonay-Malkut-Bride). Thus, he brings
"completeness" ( "Shalom" is another partzufim ("expression") of the Sefirah of
Yesod.

As explained in Sha'are Oreh:

When the TZaDIK awakens penance in the world or he repairs that which is
ruined, then this attribute called SHaLoM mediates effectively between YHVH
(Tiferet, the groom) and ADoNaY (Malkut, the bride) and it is the one which
makes peace between them and brings them to dwell together without
separation and mutilation in the world and when this happens YHVH will be one.
You should know and believe that it is impossible to bring blessing to the world
except through this attribute called SHaLoM. ... The attribute SHaLoM empties
life into the attribute ADoNay when they are infused as one. For great is the
power of peace, since even the upper worlds need it, as it is written: "He who
makes SHaLoM in the heavens ..." (Job 25:2). When one latches on to Torah and
other commandments, it is as if he brings SHaLoM to the heavenly household
which is the essential meaning of the verse; "When he holds fast to my refuge,
He makes SHaLoM for me, SHaLoM he makes for me." (Isaiah 27:5). 4

MOUNT ZION, MOUNT MORIAH AND THE MOUNTAIN OF ESAU

Perhaps the most dynamic relationship between any two of the Sefirot is that
found between Malkut and Yesod. The reason is that this is the "connecting
point" between the physical world of man and "all" the spiritual realm above.
Everything in the spiritual realm must "filter through" Yesod to get to Malkut.
This is seen in the diagram of the single Tree of Life (with 10 Sefirot) where
Yesod is the only Sefirah directly connected to Malkut.

The term "all" (Hebrew: "kol") is a common designation for the Sefirah of Yesod.
(As spoken by Yeshua, "Seek first the Kingdom (Malkut) and 'all' (i.e., Yesod,
etc.) else will be added ...") As such, the "Lamb" is associated with one who
unites the physical and spiritual worlds. This is the great Tzaddik (mentioned in
the citation from Derech Hashem in the previous study) and also spoken of in
Sha'are Oreh:

Now come and see what the power is of the TZaDIKim who hold fast to the Torah
and its commandments. They have the power to connect all the emanations
making peace between and within the upper and lower worlds. When the true
pure man joins the attributes TZeDeK (i.e., Malkut) with TZaDIK (i.e., Yesod) it is
then know as YHWH is One (i.e., Zechariah 14:9), thus creating peace between
the upper heavenly court and the lower one. The heavens and the earth are
united by this person. "How fortunate his portion, how fortunate is she who
bore you," and about him it is written: Your father and mother will rejoice, She
who bore you will exult." (Proverbs 23:25) And it is written: YHVH will be
pleased with his doing (Psalm 104:31) 5

Two bold text phrases above, describing the tzaddik, sound similar to verses New
Testament describing Yeshua:

Luke 11:27 - And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman
from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore
You, and the breasts which nursed You!"

Luke 3:22 - And the Ruach haKodesh descended in bodily form like a dove upon
Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You
I am well pleased."

Traditionally, "one who unites above and below" is also the definition of a
"prophet" and thus the idea of "prophecy" underlies what is going on regarding
both the "Lamb" and "the righteous" in Revelation (i.e., Rev. 19:10 - "For the
testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy.") As mentioned before, the story of
Revelation is all about "unifying the Name of God" in fulfillment of Zechariah
14:9.

(See our notes for parsha Lech Lecha at

http://www.yashanet.com/shabbat/parsha/lech_lechah.htm regarding Abraham
and Sarah as prophets.)

The following text from the Zohar speaks of the Tzaddik through whom God's
blessings flow except in times of darkness. At that point, divine blessing is
restricted and evil befalls the earth's inhabitants save those who remain mindful
of God's Torah. What is especially interesting is the statement that God will not
enter heavenly Jerusalem until Israel enters the earthly one:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 231a - “I have made a covenant

with my chosen.,’ This covenant is the secret of faith. Or we may interpret the
“chosen one” of the Zaddik from whom issue blessings to all the lower creation,
all the holy Hayyoth being blessed from the stream which flows forth to the
lower world. “I have sworn unto David my servant”, to wit, that he will always be
established in this Zaddik, the foundation of the world, save in the time of
galuth, when the flow of blessing is cut off, and faith is defective, and all joy is
banished. During this period, at nightfall, joy no longer enters before the King.
Yet, though rejoicings do not enter, angels stand outside and chant hymns, and
at midnight when the impulse from below arrives on high, God arouses all the
hosts of the heaven for lamentation and strikes the firmament, causing upper
and lower worlds to quake; nor is there any respite save when those below
commence to study the Torah. Then God and all those with Him listen with joy to
that voice, and relief is felt. For on the day on which the Sanctuary below was
destroyed, God swore that He would not enter the celestial Jerusalem until Israel
should enter the earthly Jerusalem. Now all those singers stand outside and
chant hymns in the three watches of the night and intone praises, and all the
hosts of the heavens sing at night and Israel by day, nor is the sanctification
recited above until it is recited by Israel below, and only then do all the hosts of
heaven sanctify the holy name together. Hence, Israel are holy and are
sanctified by upper and lower angels, since the sanctification of the holy name is
complete only when uttered above and below together.’

The Talmud goes further than the Zohar stating that God will not enter Jerusalem
above until He Himself enters Jerusalem below:

Talmud, Ta'anith 5a - The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘I will not enter the
heavenly Jerusalem until I can enter the earthly Jerusalem’

In the following excerpt from Sha'are Oreh, we find the Sefirah of Yesod
associated with El Chay (Living God) and Mount Zion, as well as the Sefirah of
Malkut linked to Adonay, Mount Moriah and Jerusalem. Note the critical role
played by Yesod in the grand scheme of things:

All of ADoNaY's actions are drawn from the attribute EL CHaY; so it is with HaR
TZiYon which is the essence of EL CHaI and HaR MoRiYaH which is the essence of
ADoNaY and the essence of Jerusalem. The Holy One Blessed be He (i.e., Tiferet)
does not radiate the everflow and dwell in Jerusalem except by the virtue of
TZiYon, as it is written: "Blessed is God from TZiYoN who dwells in Jerusalem"
(Psalm 135:21). The interpretation of this verse is that from TZiYoN and by virtue
of TZiYon He dwells in Jerusalem. For no blessing comes to the world save by
virtue of TZiYoN when it empties its blessings on Jerusalem. As it is written; "Like
the due of Hermon that falls on HaRReI TZiYoN. There the Lord ordained blessing
and everlasting life" Psalm 133:3 ... HaR ESaV is the accuser from the outside (of
the spheres - i.e., Sefirot) who resides on the left This is the essence of the
verse; "The war of God against AMaLeK every generation" (Exodus 17:16). This is
what will continue to hold back the building of HaR TZiYoN, and the building of
the altar on HaR MoRiYaH until the time has come for EDoM to be punished and
receive its revenge. When will this be? When the HaRReI TZiYon will wear the
garments of vengeance which are the names YHVH TZVAOT and ELoHIM
TZVAOT, and then dwell on HaR TZiYoN. Those are the names which are known
as liberators, YHVH, ELoHIM and TZVAOT, the essence of which is proved in the
verse: "And the liberators went up from HaR TZiYoN to judge HaR ESaV"
(Obadiah 1:21). 6

Combining the lessons of the Zohar and Sha'are Oreh above, we see that
although God does not enter the heavenly (Jerusalem) until He enters the earthly
(Jerusalem), none of this occurs if the heavenly (Yesod/Tziyon) is detached from
the earthly (Malkut/Moriah). Thus, the time of the redemption is affected by
people either following or not following His Torah. (i.e., the timing of the
redemption in not "set," as Yeshua taught in Matthew 24:36.)

An interesting point in the above text has to do with the Sefirot of Netzah and
Hod, which Rabbi Gikatilla (author of Sha'are Orah) calls the "garments of
vengeance" (YHVH TZVAOT and ELoHIM TZVAOT). These two Sefirot are called
"the liberators" based on the text from Obadiah. As discussed in our chapter 11
notes the "two witnesses" are directly associated with the Netzah and Hod
regarding prophecy and judgment.

Another critical detail in the above text may be found in the phrase: "The Holy
One Blessed be He (i.e., Tiferet) does not radiate the everflow and dwell in
Jerusalem except by the virtue of TZiYon (i.e., Yesod) ..."

Here we have the positive result going hand in hand with the judgment and
victory over Esau as seen in the quote from Obadiah; "And the liberators went up
from HaR TZiYoN to judge HaR ESaV." Further, we see that Tiferet needs Yesod
to accomplish this victory. Recall in our previous studies that the Sefirah of
Tiferet ("the Holy One Blessed be He") is associated with Jacob, the brother of
Esau, and the Sefirah of Yesod ("Tziyon") is associated with Joseph.

Thus, we see Jacob and Joseph together with regard to the defeat of Esau:

Obadiah 1:18 - And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a
flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them.
(READ ENTIRE TEXT OF OVADIAH 1)

A highly insightful teaching regarding this important relationship between Jacob,

Joseph and Esau, may be found at:
www.aish.com/torahportion/mayanot/Whats_In_A_Name.asp

This defeat of Esau, at the hands of Jacob and Joseph is linked to the coming of
Messiah:

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy I:20 - R. Samuel b. Nahman said: When

Esau and Jacob met, the former said, ‘Jacob, my brother, let us two walk together
in this world as one.’ Jacob replied: ’ Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before
his servant’ (Gen. XXXIII, 14). What is the meaning of ' Let... pass over ‘? Do you
enjoy your world first. What is the meaning of, And I will journey on gently,
according to the pace of the cattle that are before me... and according to the
pace of the children (ib.). Jacob said to Esau: ' I have yet to raise up Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah,’ of whom Scripture says, Children in whom was no blemish
(Dan.I, 4). Another explanation: He said to him: ‘I have yet to raise up the
Messiah,’ of whom it is written, For a child is born to us (Isa. IX, 5). Until I come
unto my Lord unto Seir (Gen. XXXIII, I4). R. Samuel b. Nahman said: We have
searched all the Scriptures and we have nowhere found [it stated] that Jacob
ever came together with Esau at Seir. What then is the meaning of, ' Unto Seir’ ?
Jacob [meant] to say to him: ' I have yet to raise up judges and saviours to exact
punishment from you.’ Whence this? For it is said, And saviours shall come up on
mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau (Obad. I, 21). Israel asked God: ‘Master
of the Universe, how long shall we remain subjected to him? ' He replied: ' Until
the day comes of which it is written, There shall step forth a star out of Jacob and
a sceptre shall rise out of Israel (Num. XXIV, 17); when a star shall step forth
from Jacob and devour the stubble of Esau.’ (Whence this? For it is said, And the
house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of
Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them and devour them; and there shall
not be any remaining of the house of Esau (Obad. I, 18).) God said: ‘At that time
I will cause my kingdom to shine forth and I will reign over them,’ as it is said,
And saviours shall come up on Mount Zion, to judge the mount of Esau; and the
kingdom shall be the Lord's (ib. 21).

The following section of the Zohar sums up a number of the concepts discussed
so far quite nicely. Jacob's possession is the spiritual realm and Esau's is the
physical. This continues until the coming of Messiah, when Jacob inherits
everything:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 143b - Observe that as soon as

Jacob and Esau commenced to avail themselves of their blessings, the former
possessed himself of his portion on high, and the latter of his portion here below.
R. Jose the son of R. Simeon, the son of Laqunia, once said to R. Eleazar: ‘Have
you ever heard from your father how it comes about that the blessings given by
Isaac to Jacob have not been fulfilled, while those given to Esau have all been
fulfilled in their entirety?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘All the blessings are to be fulfilled,
including other blessings with which God blessed Jacob. For the time being,
however, Jacob took his portion above and Esau here below. But in aftertime,
when the Messiah will arise, Jacob will take both above and below and Esau will
lose all, being left with no portion of inheritance or remembrance whatever. So
Scripture says: “And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a
flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, etc.” (Obad. I, 18), so that Esau will
perish entirely, whilst Jacob will inherit both worlds, this world and the world to
come. Of that time it is further written: “And saviours shall come up on Mount
Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's” (Ibid. I,
21), that is to say, the kingdom which Esau has taken in this world shall revert to
God. For although God rules both above and below, yet for the time being He
has given to all the peoples each a portion and an inheritance in this world; but
at that time He will take away dominion from all of them, so that all will be His,
as it is written, “And the kingdom shall be the Lord's”. It will be the Lord's alone,
as it is further written, “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day
shall the Lord be One, and his name One” (Zech. XIV, 9).’

Another interesting portion of Sha'are Orah is concerned with Yesod as a

"preventative measure" and how the separation of Yesod from Malkut (and
ensuing evil that befalls the world) is expressed:

This attribute (Yesod) is responsible for the prevention of tribulation in the

world ... It is known that at the moment TZaDIK (Yesod) separates from TZeDeK
("righteousness," another term for the Sefirah of Malkut), the attribute of
TZeDeK remains empty; then it rises to plunder and kill, to uproot and annihilate,
bringing to the world several kinds of death: natural death, death from epidemic
plagues, death from bizarre circumstances and other forms of death ... If heaven
forbid, humanity defiles itself, distancing itself from the Torah and the
commandments (i.e., Revelation 14:12) choosing instead iniquity, wickedness
and deceit, the attribute TZaDIK (Yesod) stands, observing their deeds. When it
sees humanity defiling itself, disdaining the Torah and its commandments while
performing iniquities and deceits, the attribute TZaDIK collects itself and soars
far above, thereby ceasing the ebb and flow of the channels. Then the attribute
Adonay (Malkut) is left like a barren land, desolate and empty of all that is good.
7

The above depiction is reminiscent of a couple of sections from the Bible. First, in
the New Testament, there is a mysterious allusion to something that will
be"taken away" (i.e, Yesod) in order for the final great evil to descend upon the
earth:

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 - And now you know what is restraining, that he may be
revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only
He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His
mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Secondly, the above text from Sha'are Orah speaks of the final Sefirah of Malkut
(i.e., the Shekinah) bringing all kinds of death upon the earth. As we will see, a
direct comparison with the plagues of Egypt may be made regarding this.
Looking at another Kabbalistic text, the Bahir describes the separation of Malkut
from Zer Anpin (i.e., Yesod) in terms of strict judgment -- versus the "mitigated"
judgment found when they are in union. The dimensional (spatial) aspect of Zer
Anpin (made up of six Sefirot) plays a key role.8

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan offers the following interesting comments on the Bahir's
viewpoint:

There are two modes through which God judges the world, the Attribute of
Judgment (Midat HaDin) and the Attribute of Mercy (Midat haRachamim). The
Attribute of Judgment demands a single, fixed, unmitigated response for any
wrong, while the Attribute of Mercy admits a number of mitigated responses.
Therefore, Judgment comes from the Female, which is derived from a single
Sefirah, Malkhut-Kingship, and therefore has just one single response. Zer Anpin,
on the other hand, is constructed from six Sefirot, and therefore allows an
infinite blend of responses. It is therefore the source of the Attribute of Mercy.
Actually, however, all providence ultimately comes from the Sefirah of Malkhut-
Kingship, this being the definition of the word. But in order for Malkhut-Kingship
to act in a mode Mercy, it must be bound to Zer Anpin, this being the concept of
the Supernal Union. This Union, however, takes place through Yesod-
Foundation ... 9

In the Bahir as well, judgment is directly associated with man's behavior:

Another important teaching of the Kabbalistic philosophers is that all of man's

reward and punishment is the result of his deeds. Therefore, since man is the
counterpart of Zer Anpin, each individual has a portion there, and each
individual's deeds have an effect on the "body" of Zer Anpin. Conversely, Zer
Anpin is directly linked to man, overseeing and guiding the providence that
effects him. Through Zer Anpin, man's deeds have an important bearing on
providence. It is for this reason that Zer Anpin is called "judgment." The author
therefore concludes by stating that when a person repents, he also elevates the
seven. Everything that takes place in Zer Anpin is a result of man's activities. 10

1. Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light"), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi

Weinstein, Altamira Press, 1994, p. 95. Sha'are Orah (written in the 13th century)
is most notable for associating various terms found throughout the Tenakh with
the ten Sefirot and their associated Names of God, thus "linking" many portions
of the Tenakh at the Sod level.

2. ibid, p. 74.

3. ibid, pp. 96-97.

4. ibid, p. 67.

5. ibid, p. 63.

6. ibid. p. 96.
7. ibid. pp. 58-62.

8. The six Sefirot of Zer Anpin are associated with the spatial dimensions of up-
down (Netzah-Hod), east-west (Tiferet-Yesod) and north-south (Gevurah-Hesed).
Time is associated with past-future (Chokhmah-Binah) and the moral dimension
(good-evil) with Keter-Malkut. With the addition of the 11th "quasi-Sefirah" of
Da'at it may be possible to draw a parallel to the theory of "eleven dimensions"
held by modern physicists.

9. The Bahir, translation by Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser Inc., York Beach Maine,
1979, p. 137.

10. ibid, p. 132.

Revelation 14:1c
Last update: January 14, 2005

1c
... and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's
name written on their foreheads.

Verse 14:1 gives the impression that the presense of the Lord becomes "closer"
as events draw to their conclusion on earth - i.e., the "Lamb" has "moved" from
the Throne (Beriah) to Mount Zion (Yetzirah) - and eventually makes it to Asiyyah
- the physical realm. The idea of the Divine Presence being "nearer" to us at
certain times is fundamentel. We will briefly address this concept before
continuing with the rest of the verse.

"GOD IS NEAR"

Isaiah 55:6 - Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is
near.

Judaism teaches that there are times when "God is near" and at the other end of
the spectrum, when the "evil realm" (the "Sitra Ahra") is allowed by God to have
greater influence.1 These "cycles" of good and evil are found within each day,
week, month, year and throughout history.

For instance;

• In each 24-hour period, the nighttime hours are when evil is said to have
greater dominion. An example of this is is Balaam, who is said to have
acquired his knowledge of manipulating the spiritual realm, at night
(Zohar, Bemidbar, 206b). Another is when Jacob wrestled with an angelic
being (said to be Samael, the guardian angel of Esau) who had to get
away from Jacob when dawn was approaching. Interestingly, although it is
taught that the nighttime hours are treacherous for this reason, Torah
study after midnight is especially blessed. (This having to do with the idea
of a tzaddik rectifying the evil realm - taking it "head on.")
 • In the cycle of each week, Shabbat (the twenty-four hours from sunset
Friday to sunset Saturday) is the "high point." Conversely, Tuesday
evenings (the part of the week furthest away from Shabbat - at the
midpoint of the six days) is a time when the evil realm is strengthened.
Again, some believe that holding a Torah study on Tuesday evenings has
the effect of coming up directly against the forces of darkness.

• In each month, the full moon is the time associated with the Shekinah
being strong, and the new moon is when the dark side is mightier. This is
why the time of the new moon was when the Torah called for special
observance - thus bringing an "extra measure" of protection to the people
at that time.

• On the yearly cycle, the month of Tishrei (with Rosh haShana, Yom Kippur
and Sukkot) is said to be "God's favorite month," while Nissan (the furthest
from Tishrei) is known for heightened demonic activity - thus we find
Pesakh (Passover) in Nissan, again for the sake of "directly combating" the
evil realm.

Another time to "be cautious of" is when transitioning from the mudane into the
holy - i.e., the hours of Erev Shabbat (the afternoon heading into sunset on
Friday) are often very hectic and stressful. (The word "erev" having the
connotation of "mixture" -- as in the "Erev Rav," the mixed multitude that caused
a lot of problems during the Exodus.) This can also be seen on a grand historical
scheme where the six weekdays followed by Shabbat are compared to six
thousand years of human history followed by a 1,000 year Messianic reign. In
this case the time of transition is also quite turbulent - the "birthpangs of
Messiah," preceding his coming, bring great judgment upon the earth.

Conversely, coming out of the holy, back into the mundane, is also a time of
vunerability. A prime example of this is after a woman gives birth. The Torah
gave certain instructions regarding this, as a woman is going from a "godlike"
status ("creating life") back to her "regular" state.

One especially important time when God is said to be "near" is during the Days
of Awe, between Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur. (The above verse from Isaiah
55:6 is often cited as applying to Rosh haShana). As mentioned in an earlier
portion of this study, there is a relationship between this annual period (in terms
of days) and the end-time events depicted in Revelation (in terms of years).

Earlier in John's vision, the "Lamb" was seen "amidst the throne," indicating the
World of Beriah. At this juncture, the Lamb has "descended" to Yetzirah. Later,
we see the Lamb in the physical realm of Asiyyah, as victor over the armies
opposed to God and Light to those who follow God.

It is interesting to consider that the presence of Messiah in fact becomes

"nearer" as things seem to get "darker" in the last days. This has to do with the
fact that the "descent" of the Lamb is parallel to that of haSatan who was/is
driven from the heavenly realm of Beriah into the mixed realm of Yetzirah and
finally "down to the earth" in Assiyah.

Both Messiah and his evil counterpart - haSatan - must reach their "maximum
potential" for the redemption to come. Both end up in physical form and both
make a presence related to the Temple.2

The Torah commentary, Kli Yahar, depicts such a "mutual rise in power" (in
relation to Pharaoh strengthening himself against God) as follows:

Everything in nature that senses an opposing force rising against it tries to

overcome it and strengthens itself against its counterforce, refusing to submit to
it. It naturally labors with whatever strength it can muster, but in the end it is
conquered, for the counterforce overtakes it. 3

The messianic text, Kol Hator, frames this around the ingathering of the exiles:

As the number of ingathered increases, so the Sitra Achra (evil realm) will
increase its strength. 4

The kabbalistic classic, Sha'are Orah, offers the following:

When the time comes for redemption, what is written about Samael, the wicked?
"Should you nest as high as an eagle, or place your nest among the stars, I will
bring you down from there, says the Lord." (Obadiah 1) How will He bring him
down? The masters of salvation, YHVH, ELoHIM, TZVAOT upon HaR TZiToN,
which is the essence of El Chay, are to judge HaR ESaV, which is HaR SAIR
(literally: "mountain of the goat demons" - the domain of Esau.) "For God will
visit the host of heaven in heaven, and the kings of the earth on earth." (Isaiah
24:21). Then "For My sword shall be seen in the sky." (Isaiah 34:5) Afterwards, it
is written: "Behold you will descend upon Edom." (Isaiah 34:5) And since it is
thus, what is written? "Who is this coming from Edom, in crimsoned garments
coming from Bozrah?" (Isaiah 63:1) I say with righteousness salvation is great,
which is the essence of the verse "The liberators will march up to HaR TZiYoN"
(Obadiah 1:21) 5

The antagonistic relationship between the Holy and "dark" realms is centered
around the Sefirah of Yesod (as might be expected!). As mentioned in earlier
studies, haSatan's final bid to mislead mankind comes in the form of the anti-
messiah, the false tzaddik - who places himself at the level of Yesod, thereby
cutting off the blessings of God (via the upper Sefirot through Yesod to Malkut -
i.e., the earth).

Regarding Esau, we find that he came against the Covenant (Brit) which is a
partzufim of the Sefirah of Yesod.

Again we cite from Sha'are Orah:

The "liberators": YHVH, ELoHIM and TZVAOT; HaR TZiYoN is EL CHaY; 'to judge
HaR ESaV': this is AMaLeK, the son of ESaV (Esau), with whom God has to wage
war and he is the one who prosecutes against HaR TZiYon, and he is Samael,
ESaV's guardian angel who went against the BRIT of peace. 6

As mentioned before, peace (shalom) is a very deep concept and is also centered
around the Sefirah of Yesod.

When the TZaDIK awakens penance in the world or he repairs that which is
ruined, then this attribute called SHaLoM mediates effectively between YHVH
(Tiferet, the groom) and ADoNaY (Malkut, the bride) and it is the one which
makes peace between them and brings them to dwell together without
separation and mutilation in the world and when this happens YHVH will be one.
You should know and believe that it is impossible to bring blessing to the world
except through this attribute called SHaLoM. ... The attribute SHaLoM empties
life into the attribute ADoNay when they are infused as one. For great is the
power of peace, since even the upper worlds need it, as it is written: "He who
makes SHaLoM in the heavens ..." (Job 25:2). When one latches on to Torah and
other commandments, it is as if he brings SHaLoM to the heavenly household
which is the essential meaning of the verse; "When he holds fast to my refuge,
He makes SHaLoM for me, SHaLoM he makes for me." (Isaiah 27:5). 7

Samael comes against this Brit of Shalom in many ways (i.e., "doubt" through
the spirit of Amalek, "deception" through the figure of the false Messiah/Tzaddik)
in his efforts to separate the Shekinah (Bride) from her spouse, the
"unforgiveable sin" (see previous notes on this.).

As the world of Yetzirah has now been "dealt with" (with the second set of
judgments) we see the presence of the Lord "arriving" at this point. God, via his
anointed one (Mashiach) has "descended near to us" to offer mercy and declare
judgment. The world of Asiyyah (and physical earth) must still be dealt with
however before Messiah comes. (i.e., Physical Jerusalem before Heavenly
Jerusalem, as mentioned in the previous section.)

THE "144,000"

John's view of Mount Zion is in the Yetziratic realm and thus he views the souls of
the 144,000 of Israel standing before the "Lamb." Traditional commentaries have
difficulty determining if these 144,000 are on earth or "in heaven." However, as
discussed earlier, man "exists" in all four worlds simultaneously, thus John
speaks of them (at this juncture) from the point of view of their souls (i.e., at the
level of Mount Zion/Yetzirah):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 229b, 230a - Man's soul is thus
attired in the raiments of both worlds, the lower and the upper, thereby
achieving perfection. Of this Scripture says: “Surely the righteous shall give
thanks unto thy name”; to wit, in this world-”The upright shall dwell in thy
presence” (Ibid. CXL, 14); namely, in the other world.’ ...

What specfiic significance the number 144,000 has is not clear. However, the
idea of a large group of "righteous ones" being gathered around God is also
found in Talmud:
Talmud - Sukkah 45b - The row [of righteous men immediately] before the
Holy One, blessed be He, consists of eighteen thousand.

THE NAME WRITTEN ON THE FOREHEAD

The "Name of God" being "written" on the forehead of these 144,000 righteous
ones (tzadikim) gives indication of their affinity to God Himself. As shown in the
previous lesson, in one of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's discources on Messiah and
the Millennial Kingdom, he expounds on how the tzadikim (righteous ones) will
be called Holy, like God:

Regarding the Messianic age, it is written (Isaiah 4:3), "And it will be, that he
who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, 'holy' shall be said to him."
The Talmud teaches us that the angels will chant, "holy, holy, holy," before the
Tzadikim, just like they do before God (i.e., Rev. 4:8). This is the plain meaning
of the verse. For the Tzadikim who remain faithful before the Messiah's coming,
will deserve this, and much more. 8

A relationship exists betwen the idea of the "forehead" and the "quasi" Sefirah of
Da'at ("knowledge"). When superimposing the Tree of Life diagram on the image
of Adam Kadmon (the image of man as made in the image of God) Da'at is seen
on the forehead of man. (With Keter above the head, Binah to the left side and
Chokmah to the right.) As mentioned in previous notes, Da'at is the confluence
of wisdom and understanding. Da'at is the revelation of the "hidden" aspect of
God known as Keter (crown).

As shown in the writings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov:

Keter and Da'at are respectively the internal and external manifestations of the
same concept ... In relation to Chokmah and Binah, Da'at represents an external
manifestation. Keter thus contains Chokmah, Binah and Da'at within itself in a
transcendent unity. This is expressed in a very powerful gemmatria (numerical
equivalent): the total numerical value of Chokmah (73) plus Binah (67) plus
Da'at (480) is 620, which is the exact value of Keter. 9

The forehead is associated with the Sefirah of Keter, alluding to the hidden
powers of the mind, yet because it can be "revealling," it is also associated with
Da'at, for as we have seen Da'at is the external manifestation of Keter. 10

As mentioned in chapter 13, John encourages his readers to seek both Chokmah
(Wisdom) and Understanding (Binah), the confluence of which is Da'at. We
therefore have a connection between those who follow John's advice and those
who have God's mark on their foreheads.

The allusion to the forehead reflects deeper spiritual ideas as seen in this
Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs 7:11 - THY FOREHEAD IS LIKE THE
TOWER OF LEBANON. This is the Sanctuary. Just as the forehead is on the
highest part of a man, so the Sanctuary is in the highest part of the world. Just as
most ornaments are suspended from the forehead, so priesthood, Levites, and
kingship are from Jacob.

The above text links the forehead to the Sanctuary (Tabernacle/Temple). Hebraic
teachings compare the attaining of Da'at to the building of the Temple - both the
Millennial Temple as well as the "temple within each of us."

Talmud, Berakhot 33a - Whoever has Da'at, knowledge, it is as if the Holy

Temple was built in his days.

Rabbi Nachman takes this idea even further, comparing the animal sacrifices of
the Temple to the "sacrificing" of our own "animalistic" selves in favor of
"spiritual" Da'at:

The reason why the Temple is the necessary location for the sacrifices which
draw a person near to God is that the Holy Temple corresponds to Da'at,
knowledge of God. This knowledge, which will be revealed to all in the Future, is
the "fountain of wisdom" which will continuously flow from the Holy Temple, i.e.,
the expanded intellect. The Prophet Joel foresaw an era in which this knowledge
will be available for all, for then people will have risen above their animalistic
instincts, which bar the way to their understanding of the Divine. We see then
that a person's mind is the Holy Temple. Or, at least, it could be. By controlling
one's baser instincts and seeing to it that the intellect - not the emotions - is in
charge, he is sacrificing "an animal" in his own Holy Temple. This person, even
today, merits a revelation of Godliness similar to the revelation of Godliness that
will be available in the Days of the Mashiach. 11

This revelation of Godliness (and increase in Da'at) in the Millennium is reflected

in Ezekiel's Temple vision (Ezekiel, chapters 40-48) where we see the
appearance and function of the priests raised to the level of the High Priest. (The
latter traditionally wearing the diadem on his forehead).

GEMMATRIA

This idea of a connection between Chokhah/Wisdom and Binah/Understanding

and the Temple is also found in Chassidic kabbalah. In the following text it is
expressed in terms of the word "Lebanon" which is associated with the Temple:

The teachings of Chassidim are heard by the Neshamah (soul). As Scripture

states, "And flowing streams from Levanon." Levanon stands form Lamed-Bet
and Nun, i.e., the Chokhmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding) in the
Neshamah. 12

The word "Lebanon" is divided into two parts. The first two letters (Lamed-Bet)
form the number 32, alluding to the "32 Paths of Wisdom." The remaining three
letters spell "Nun," which has a numerical value of 50, and alluding to the "50
Gates of Understanding." Thus, again, the Temple is associated with adding
Understanding to Wisdom.
1. Hebraic literature speaks of the power of Balaam who knew about the times
and functions of the spiritual realm and when he would have power to malipulate
this. His power of divination was useless against Israel however, as it is said that
Israel (as well "the righteous") are "above their mazel" (i.e., their "sign").

2. A movie series that exemplifies this concept very well is the kabbalistic
"Matrix" trilogy, where the hero and messiah-type character (Neo) reaches the
culmination of power at the same time the satanic-type character (Smith) does.

3. Kli Yahar - Shemot (Exodus), rendered into English by Elihu Levine,

Targum/Feldheim Press, 2002, p.78.

4. http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/1.htm, Section 10.

5. Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light"), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi

Weinstein, Altamira Press, 1994, p. 99.

6. ibid, p. 97.

7. ibid, p. 67.

8. Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, translated by Aryeh Kaplan, Breslov Research

Institute, Jerusalem, 1973, p.255.

9. Anatomy of the Soul (based on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov)

Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem, 1998, pp. 132-133.

10. ibid p. 318.

11. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When? (based on the teachings
of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov) Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research Institute,
Jerusalem, 1998, p. 54.

12. Mystical Concepts in Chassidim, Jacob Immanuel Schochet, Kehot Publication

Society, Brooklyn, 1988, p. 8.:

Revelation 14:2-5
Last update: January 29, 2006

2a
And I heard a voice from heaven,

THE "BAT KOL"

The concept of a "voice from heaven" exists in Judaism in the Bat Kol (or "Bath
Kol"), meaning "daughter of a voice" (i.e., Luke 3:22). Its feminine attribution is
similar to that of the Shekinah ("Divine Presence") and Ruach haKodesh ("Holy
Spirit").

The Bat Kol is referred to as a "manifestation" of the Holy Spirit in the following
tractate:
Talmud, Makkoth 23b - R. Eleazar said: The Holy Spirit manifested itself in
three places; at the Tribunal of Shem, at the Tribunal of Samuel of Ramah, and
at the Tribunal of Solomon. At the Tribunal of Shem, as it is written, And Judah
acknowledged them, and he said, She is right, it is from me. How did he know
[for certain]? Maybe, just as he had come to [consort with] her, some other man
had come to [consort with] her? [But] it was a Bath Kol that came forth and said,
‘She is right, constrained by Me these things came about.’ ‘At the Tribunal of
Samuel,’ — as it is written, Here I am; witness against me before the Lord and
before His anointed, whose ox have I taken? or whose ass . . . and they said,
Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of
any man's hand. And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you and His
anointed is witness this day that ye have not found aught in my hand,’ and He
said, [He is] witness. ‘And He said’; should it not be ‘And they said’? [But] it was
a Bath Kol that came forth and said, ‘I am witness in this matter.’ ‘At the
Tribunal of Solomon,’ — as it is said, And the king answered and said, Give her
the living child, and in no wise slay it; she is his mother: ‘She is his mother’;
whence knew he [for certain]? Maybe, she had been acting craftily? [But] it was
a Bath Kol that came forth and said, ‘She is his mother’.

(Also see notes to verse 13 regarding "dialogue" between the Bat Kol and Holy
Spirit.)

The guidance of the Bat Kol is said to be what "remained" of prophecy following
the age of the prophets:

Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs VIII:13 - R. Aibu said: Said the Holy
One, blessed be He: ‘It is My intention to assign to Israel an advocate among the
nations.’ What is this? The Bath Kol, as it says, Except the Lord of Hosts had left
unto us a very small remnant (Isaiah 1:9). It has been taught: With the death of
the last prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the holy spirit departed from
Israel, but still the Bath Kol was available to them.

As the voice John hears is from "heaven" (Beriah) which is associated with the
"heavenly Temple," the voice of the Bat Kol was often heard from the earthly
Temple:

Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs VIII:13 - Once Johanan the High Priest
heard a Bath Kol issue from the Holy of Holies and say: ‘The young men who
went out to war have gained a victory at Antioch.’ They made a note of the day
and the hour, and it proved to be so; they did in fact gain a victory on that day.
Once Simon the Just heard a Bath Kol issue from the Holy of Holies and say, ‘The
intention of the enemy to destroy the Temple is frustrated, and Caius Caligula is
slain, and his decrees are annulled’

The Bat Kol is also seen as directly speaking to an enemy of Israel. Note
references to the Temple and singing (as compared to this chapter of
Revelation):
Midrash Rabbah, Lamentations Prologue XXIII - ’And one shall start up at
the voice of a bird’: this refers to the wicked Nebuchadnezzar. Rabbi said: For
eighteen years a Bath Kol used to go forth in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar and
proclaim, ' Wicked servant, go and destroy thy Master's house, because His
children disobey Him.’ ’And all the daughters of music shall be brought low’: thus
Nebuchadnezzar went up and stopped all singing in the house of feasting, and so
it is written, They drink not wine with a song (Isaiah 24:9)
2b
like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder.

The mention of a voice of waters/thunder is reminiscent of Ezekiel's vision.

The following passage from the Zohar offers a description of how "God's voice"
emanates from His pure "thought" and manifests from the place of "Binah" which
is considered "feminine" in nature. The "unity" of God's name is central to this:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 246b - Observe that Thought is the beginning of

all. This Thought is recondite and inscrutable, but when it expands it reaches the
place where spirit abides and is then called Understanding (Binah), which is not
so recondite as the preceding. This spirit expands and produces a Voice
composed of fire, water, and air, which corresponds to north, south, and east.
This Voice embraces in itself all forces, and speaks to Utterance, and this shapes
the word properly. When you examine the grades closely, you find that Thought,
Understanding, Voice, Utterance are all one and the same, and there is no
separation between them, and this is what is meant by the words: “The Lord is
one and His Name is One.”

In the following citation, we see that regarding the "unification of the Name," the
"countepart to the heavenly voice" is that caused by the recitation of the Shema
on our part: 1

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Raya Mehemna, 43b ... the Shema, contains the
mystery of the right side, called “The Supernal Grace”, for it effects the union of
all things extending unto the four quarters of the universe; and the Holy One,
blessed be He, through the medium of this attribute, brings forth order and
harmony in the whole universe, a harmony which extends even to the lowest
depths. By this attribute of Grace the Holy One created the world, when He
wrapped Himself in the garment of light. This Supernal Grace is the Unifier. For
this reason the section of the Shema is joined to that of “And it shall be”; for the
act which makes each day a unity and likewise forms the whole sum of separate
days into the perfect whole, is the fact of following the Divine Will in knowledge
and action; and through this act alone (of concentration on the union during
prayer and the recitation of the Shema) can that union of which we have
frequently spoken be attained: that is, the union of each day, the union which is
expressed in the sentence: “Hear, O Israel, YHVH Elohenu YHVH is one”. These
three are one. How can the three Names be one? Only through the perception of
Faith: in the vision of the Holy Spirit, in the beholding of the hidden eyes alone.
The mystery of the audible voice is similar to this, for though it is one yet it
consists of three elements-fire, air, and water, which have, however, become
one in the mystery of the voice. Even so it is with the mystery of the threefold
Divine manifestations designated by YHVH Elohenu YHVH - three modes which
yet form one unity. This is the significance of the voice which man produces in
the act of unification, when his intent is to unify all from the En-sof to the end of
creation. This is the daily unification, the secret of which has been revealed in
the holy spirit. There are many kinds of unification, and all are appropriate, one
involving the other, but the one which is effected on earth by the symbolism of
the voice is the most appropriate.

The verse in Revelation mentions both a voice of many waters and of thunder,
indicating a "mingling" of both mercy and judgment. (Also see notes to verse
7b).

The Zohar comments as follows:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 186a - R. Judah discoursed here on the text: The
Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave forth his voice;
hailstones and coals of fire (Psalm 18:14). ‘When God’, he said, ‘created the
world, He constructed for it seven pillars by which it was to be upheld. So
Scripture says: “Wisdom hath builded her house (Binah/Understanding*), she
hath hewn out her seven pillars” (The seven lower Sefirot*) - (Proverbs 9:1).
These in turn are upheld by one grade from among them called “the Righteous
One, the everlasting foundation” (Yesod*) - (Ibid. x, 25). Further, when the world
was created, it was started from that spot which is the culmination and
perfection of the world, the central point of the universe, which is identical with
Zion, as it is written: “A psalm of Asaph. God, God the Lord hath spoken and
called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of
Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined forth” (Psalm 50:2). That is to
say, God started the earth from Zion, from the spot where faith culminates in its
full perfection. Zion is thus the citadel and central point of the universe, from
which it began to be fashioned and from which the whole world is nourished.
This lesson is esoterically indicated in our text. For Zion and Jerusalem, while
one, represent two degrees, the one being the channel of judgement, the other
of mercy; first there issues from one the sound of mercy, and afterwards there
comes forth from the other the voice of judgement, the two forming the source
from which the paths of judgement and mercy issue and diverge. Hence the
expression “And the Lord also thundered in the heavens” indicates judgement,
while “the Most High gave forth his voice” refers to mercy, and “hailstones and
coals of fire” signify water and fire, that is, mercy and judgement commingled.’

* Yashanet Editor

Significant is this next passage from the Zohar, that shows the emergence of
"Jacob" (i.e., the Messiah) in conjuncture with this voice of "fire, air and water."
(Also see previous section notes on the "image of Jacob in the Throne of God"):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 74a - When the Holy One, blessed be He, wills that
His glory should be glorified, there issues from His thought a determination that
it should spread forth; whereupon it spreads from the undiscoverable region of
thought until it rests in garon (throat), a spot through which perennially flows the
mystic force of the “spirit of life”. When the thought, after its expansion, comes
to rest in that place, it is called Elohim hayyim (living God). It then seeks to
spread and disclose itself still further, and there issue from that spot fire, air, and
water, all compounded together. There also emerges “Jacob, the perfect man”,
symbolic of a certain voice that issues and becomes audible.

The following text links the voice of God with the "living creatures" of verse 3
(below):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 71b - And above the firmament that was over their
heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone
(Ezekiel 1:26). ‘Before this verse,’ he said, ‘we find the words, “And when they
went I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice
of the Almighty” (Ibid. 24). These are the four sacred and mighty beings called
Hayyoth (animals), by whom the firmament is upheld, and whose wings are
usually joined together to cover their bodies. When, however, they spread out
their wings, a volume of sound swells forth, and they break out into songs of
praise, “as the voice of the Almighty”, which never becomes silent, as it is
written, “so that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent” (Psalm
30:13). The tenour of their praises is, “The Lord hath made known his salvation,
his righteousness hath he revealed in the sight of the nations” (Psalm 98:2). It
says further: “A noise of tumult like the noise of a host” (Ezekiel 1:24), i.e. like
the sound of the holy camps when all the supernal armies assemble on high.
What is it they declaim? “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is
full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). They turn to the south and say “holy”, they turn to
the north and say “holy”, they turn to the east and say “holy”, they turn to the
west and say “blessed”.

(With regard to the end of the above passage, as shown in earlier studies, the
"earth" is said to be in the direction of Malkut on the Tree of Life diagram, that
being considered "west.")
2c
And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.

MUSIC AND PROPHECY

Music of praise to God, emanating from the heavenlies, is an important theme in

Hebraic writings:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 173b - ... the three watches of the night correspond
to the hosts of angels when they divide themselves into three groups in order to
sing praises to the Holy One. Therefore the conductor of them all is the “harp of
David,” for this never ceases to play, but constantly emits hymns of thanksgiving
and praise before the Supernal King, and concerning this it is written: “Who
giveth songs in the night.”

Besides the plain view of these harpists "playing music of praise to God," it is
also known that music has a strong connection to prophecy.
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 45a - Moreover, the fact that it does not say
shegioth (errors), but shigionoth, shows that the reference is to the musical
instruments, like “shigayon of David” (Psalm 7:1), which were used by all the
prophets (except Moses, who was independent of external aids to prophecy), in
order to enter into an ecstatic mood before receiving the spirit of prophecy (cf. I
Samuel 10:5; 2Kings 3:15), and Habakkuk needed the calming influence of music
more than anybody.’

The Rambam (Moses Maimonides), wrote the following on this subject:

When they were seeking prophecy, the prophets would therefore have people
play music for them. We thus find, "(A band of prophets, coming from a high
place, led by harp, drum, flute and lyre,) and they were prophesying themselves"
(1 Samuel 10:5). The term "prophesying themselves" (mitnavim) means that
they were making use of the prophetic methods in order to receive a prophetic
vision. 2

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan comments as follows:

One important practice mentioned explicitly in the Bible was the use of music in
order to help attain the prophetic state A very clear example of this is found in
the case of the prophet Elisha. The Bible relates that when he sought a prophetic
message, he said, "'Now bring me a musician.' And it was when the musician
played, and the hand of God came upon him" (2Kings 3:15). Another good
example can be found in the account of how Samuel inducted King Saul into the
prophetic society. Samuel told Saul, "You shall meet a band of prophets, coming
from a high place, with harp, drum, flute and lyre, and they will prophesying
themselves" (1Samuel 10:5). Through the power of the music, they were
concentrating the prophetic energy into themselves in order to focus it. When
they did so they were able to make Saul prophesy as well. Finally, we find
another explicit statement regarding Asaph, Hemen and Judathun, "Who would
prophesy with the harp, lute and cymbal" (1Chronicles 25:1). ...

... Kabbalists note that another important role of music and song is to cut
through the forces of evil, and help the prophet penetrate the klipot ("husks" or
"shells" associated with the Sitra Atra). It is pointed out that the word "Zamar"
(Zayin-Mem-Resh) meaning "to sing," as well as its derivative "Mizmor" (Mem-
Zayin-Mem-Vav-Resh), meaning a song or a chant, come from a root that also
means "to cut." Music thus cuts through the Husks of Evil, opening the way for
the mind to ascend on high. It is significant to note that another word for song,
Shir (Shin-Yod-Resh), is very closely related to the word Shur (Shin-Vav-Resh),
meaning "to see." This is another indication that song and vision are related, and
this is especially true of mystical vision. 3

The roles of music and prophecy are associated with the Sefirot of Netzah and
Hod, which as discussed earlier, are linked to the two "witnesses" mentioned in
chapter 11.
Again referring to Aryeh Kaplan's work, who in turn cites Rabbi Nachman of
Breslov 4:

A prominent Hasidic master, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), notes that

the mystical source of music is associated with the Cherubs, and hence, it shares
the same root as the source of prophecy. These two Cherubs are said to
represent the Sefirot Victory (Netzach) and Splendor (Hod), the Sefirot which are
the source of all prophecy, and which are also related to song and melody. 5

As mentioned in an earlier study, the idea of "prophet" has to do with one who
"connects heaven and earth." This entails more than "foreseeing the future," as
explained by Aryeh Kaplan:

The eminent philologist, Rabbi Solomon Pappenheim (1750-1814), states that it

("navie" i.e., "prophet") is related to the root Boa (Bet-Vav-Aleph), meaning to
"come" or "bring." According to this, the main ability of a prophet is to bring
spiritual power, channeling it where it is needed. ...

... The clearest example of this occurs with regard to Ezekiel in his vision of the
Valley of Dry Bones. Before these bones were resurrected, God told the prophet,
"Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says
the Lord God, 'From the four winds, come O spirit, and blow into these corpses
that they should live'"(Ezekiel 37:9). What God is telling Ezekiel to do is not to be
a spokesman or to predict the future, but to channel spiritual force into these
dead bodies. So potent was this spiritual force that it literally had the power to
bring the dead back to life. (Med and Bible 29). ...

... In this account, Ezekiel is told to prophesy three times, and in each of these
cases, it is evident that his prophecy is a channeling and "bringing" of spiritual
force. It is significant to note that in all three of these places, the word Nava,
meaning to prophesy, is paralleled in the same verse by the root Boa, meaning
to come, or bring. The appeareance in all three cases of these two words in the
same verse is not coincidence, but a deliberate play on words, indicating that
the prophet is one who brings spiritual forces to bear. 6
3
a They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living
creatures, and the elders;

The idea of "song" is also tied to the concept of prophecy. An example of this is
the "song" sung by the Israelites after escaping their Egyptian pursuers in
Exodus:

The Israelites saw a vision of the angels and the entire Divine Assembly. They
also saw Jerusalem and the Temple on high. They attained a higher degree of
prophecy even than Ezekiel. Evidence for this is in the Song itself. All the
Israelites sang exactly the same song in unison. Although it was totally
unrehearsed, they all sang exactly the same words. The song came out as if a
single person were singing it. All knew the words through prophetic inspiration. 7
The above mentioned "song" sung by Israel at the sea, is elaborated on in the
following passage from the Zohar. Here, this song is associated with "uniting the
attributes" (i.e., Sefirot) of God, which is linked to the rebuilding of the Temple of
God. The text further speaks of God "withdrawing Zion" (the Sefirah of Yesod) to
Himself, until the time that the Community of Israel (the Sefirah of Malkut, the
Shekinah, etc.) is restored:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 55b - All the Israelites beheld at the sea what even
the prophet Ezekiel was not privileged to see, and even the embryos in their
mothers’ wombs beheld the wonderful works of the Holy One, and sang praises
to Him, saying: “This is my God and I extol Him; the God of my father and I exalt
Him”, namely the God of father Abraham. Said R. Jose: ‘Does the God of
Abraham need our exaltation? Is He not already exalted high above our
comprehension?’ R. Jesse replied: ‘Yet man can and must exalt Him in the sense
of uniting in his mind all the attributes in the Holy Name, for this is the
supremest expression of worship.’ R. Judah sat one day at the feet of R. Simeon,
and he began to expound the following verse: The voice of thy watchmen, they
lifted up their voices, they shall sing altogether... when the Lord shall return to
Zion (Isa. LII, 8). ‘These “watchmen” ‘, he said, ‘are those who “watch” for the
time when the Holy One will build His House once again. The use of the past
tense “lifted”, where we should rather have expected the future “shall lift”,
conveys the lesson that he who has lifted up his voice in weeping and
lamentation over the destruction of the Temple shall be worthy to be numbered
among those of whom it says “they shall sing altogether”, and to enjoy the
privilege of beholding the Holy One when He shall inhabit His House once more.
The words “when the Lord returns (to) Zion” are to be understood as meaning
“when the Lord brings back Zion”. For when the earthly Jerusalem was
destroyed, and the Community of Israel was scattered over the face of the earth,
the Holy King drew Zion [Tr. Note: According to the commentators, in this place
Zion=Yesod.] up to Himself and stretched it out before Him, because the
Community of Israel was banished. When, however, the Community of Israel
shall be restored, the Holy King will restore Zion to its place, to unite itself with
her in perfect bliss; and the children of Israel will sing: “He is my God, and I have
prepared for Him an habitation.” Concerning this it is written: “This is the Lord,
we have waited for him, let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9)-
meaning, literally, “in His own salvation”.

The concept of a "new song" being one of "greater revelation" of God is also
expressed in terms of a "harp" (see above references to "David's harp" as well as
Psalm 144), specifically, the number of strings on that instrument:

Talmud, Arachin 13b - R. Judah said, The harp of the Sanctuary had seven
cords, as it is written: In Thy presence is fitness [soba’] of joy; read not, fulness
[soba’], but seven [sheba’]! The harp of the messianic days has eight cords, as it
is said: For the leader on the Sheminith, [i.e., the eighth string]. The harp of the
world to come has ten cords, as it is said: With an instrument of ten strings, and
with the psaltery; with a solemn sound upon the harp. Furthermore, it is said:
Give thanks unto the Lord with harp, sing praises unto Him with the psaltery of
ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully midst shouts of joy. You
could say also that [our Mishnah will be] in accord with R. Judah: Since, in the
world to come, it will have more cords and its sound will be stronger, like that of
a harp, he calls it ‘harp’.

The Zohar makes an interesting comparison between between Moses and

Solomon, with the "song" of the latter said to be "superior" to that of the former:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 144b-145a - ‘This canticle is superior to all that

preceded it; for those which were sung by Solomon's predecessors ascended
only to join with the company of the songs chanted by the angels, as, for
instance, the “Song of degrees to David”, which means “the song which the
celestial grades sing to David”, to solicit nourishment from him; or again, as we
might translate, “a song of degrees for the sake of David”, the great king who
always praises the Great King. But when Solomon came, he sang a song which is
high above even that of David, a song which is the very same as that sung by
the great ones of the realms above, the pillars of the universe, in honour of the
Supernal King who is the lord of all peace and harmony. Other men send up
praises by means of lower Chariots, but King Solomon by means of higher
Chariots. It may be asked, What of Moses, who ascended further than all other
men in the grade of prophecy and love of the Holy One, blessed be He? Did his
song also reach no further than the lower Chariots? The song which Moses
uttered did indeed ascend on high, but the truth is, that although it was not on a
level with the Canticle of King Solomon, whom no man equalled in poetry, Moses’
song was praise and thanksgiving to the Supernal King who redeemed Israel and
wrought many signs and wonders for them, both in Egypt and at the Red Sea;
but King David and Solomon his son sang with quite different purposes. David
endeavoured to prepare the virgins (the celestial grades) and to adorn them for
the Matrona's presence so that She and her maidens might be manifested in
beauty and grace. When Solomon came he found that Matrona and the virgins
thus adorned, so he in his turn aspired to lead the Bride to the Bridegroom. He
brought the Bridegroom to the place where beneath the marriage canopy the
Bride awaited Him, and drew them together with words of love, that they might
be united as One, in one perfection, in perfect love. Therefore Solomon produced
a more sublime song than all other men. Moses, by building the Tabernacle,
brought about the union of the Matrona with the world here below, Solomon
brought about the perfect union of the Matrona with the Bridegroom above: he
first led Him to the Canopy, and then brought them both down to this world and
prepared a habitation for them in the Sanctuary which he built. It might be
asked, How could Moses bring down the Shekinah alone? Would not this cause
separation above? The answer is that the Holy One first caused the Shekinah to
be united with Moses, and She became, as it were, Moses’ bride, as has already
been pointed out. As soon as She was united with Moses, She descended to this
world and united Herself with it, and She became firmly established in this world,
as never before. But no man since Adam was first created has ever brought
about love and union above except King Solomon, who, as we have said, first
prepared that union and then invited the Bridegroom and the Bride to the House
which he prepared for them. Blessed are David and Solomon his son who have
furthered the Supernal Union. Since the day when the Holy One said to the
Moon, Go and make Thyself small, She was never again joined in perfect union
with the Sun until Solomon came.

As might be expected, the "singing" in heaven has an "earthly counterpart" that

is associated to the coming of Messiah:

Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs IV:19 - The exiles are destined to break
out into song when they reach the Taurus Munus,* and the nations of the world
are destined to bring them like princes to the Messiah.

* Soncino Editor: Probably Mount Hor.

The following text also comment on the musical aspect of the heavenlies:

Midrash Rabba, Leviticus XI:9 - . R. Berekiah and R. Helbo and ‘Ulla Bira'ah
and R. Eleazar said in the name of R. Hanina: In the Time to Come, the Holy One,
blessed be He, will lead the chorus (holah) of the righteous-as it is written, Mark
ye well her ramparts-helah (Psalm 48:14). It is written holah [i.e. a round dance]
- and they will dance around Him like young maidens, and point to Him, as it
were, with a finger, saying: This is God, our God, for ever and ever; He will lead
us ‘almuth (ib. 15), i.e. with youthfulness, with liveliness. Or ’’almuth’ means
‘like maidens’ (‘alamoth), as it is written, In the midst of damsels (‘alamoth)
playing upon timbrels (ib. 68:26). Aquila translated [the word ’almuth, Psalm
48:15] athanasia [i.e. deathlessness, immortality; i.e. He will lead us to] a world
in which there is no death. Or "almuth’ means two, ’olamoth, i.e. worlds, [the
passage meaning], He will lead us in this world, and He will lead us in the World
to Come.

ELDERS

John mentions the song being played "before the elders" indicating some type of
reverence to them. This is reflected in the following midrashim which speak of a
special group of elders appointed by God Himself:

Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus XI:8 - ... and in the Time to Come, too, will the
Holy One, blessed be He, accord honour to the Elders, as it is written, The moon
shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign in
Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be Glory (Isaiah 24:23).
R. Ishmael b. R. Bibi and R. Simeon and R. Reuben said in the name of Hanina: R.
Abin said, in the name of R. Ishmael b. R. Joshua: The Holy One, blessed be He,
will in the Time to Come sit as in a goren (court-room), with the righteous sitting
before Him, like that [goren mentioned in the verse], Now the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in a
threshing floor--goren (I Kings 22:10). Were they then sitting in a threshing-floor?
Surely, what is intended is the same as what we have learnt in a Mishnah: The
Sanhedrin were seated in the formation of a semicircular goren, so that they [i.e.
the members of the court] could see one another. [King] Solomon said: I saw
Him [as it were] confined in the midst of them; this is [indicated in] what is
written, Her master is known in the gates, as He sitteth with the elders of the
land (Proverbs 31:23).

Midrash Rabbah, Exodus V:12 - AND MOSES AND AARON WENT AND
GATHERED TOGETHER ALL THE ELDERS (IV, 29). R. Akiba said: Why is Israel
compared to a bird? Just as a bird can only fly with its wings, so Israel can only
survive with the help of its elders. Great is eldership, for if they [the elders] are
old they are beloved before God, and if they are young, their youth is but of
secondary consequence. R. Simeon b. Yohai taught: We learn in many places
that God showed respect to the elders. At the thorn-bush, as it is written: Go,
and gather the elders of Israel together (Exodus 3:16) At Sinai, as it says: And
unto Moses He said: Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu,
and seventy of the elders of Israel (ib. 24:1). At the tent of meeting, for it is
written: Moses called Aaron and his sons, and the elders of Israel (Leviticus 9:1),
and in Messianic times it will also be so, as it is said: For the Lord of Hosts will
reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His elders shall be glory (Isaiah
24:23). R. Abin said: God will, in the future, seat the elders of Israel in a circle,
and He will sit at the head of them all as President of the Court, and they will
judge the heathen, as it says: The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders
of His people, and the princes thereof (ib. III, 14) It does not say ‘Against the
elders of his people’, but ' With the elders of his people’, that is, He will sit with
them and judge the heathen. What will He say unto them? It is ye that have
eaten up the vineyard (ib.), namely, Israel, as it is written: For the vineyard of
the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel (ib. V, 7). The spoil of the poor is in your
houses (ib. III, 14), for it is written: That the Lord hath founded Zion, and in her
shall the poor [E.V. ’afflicted’] of His people take refuge (ib. XIV, 32). It was the
custom of kings, too, to sit in a circular court-room, as it says: Now the King of
Israel and Jehoshaphat the King of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their
robes, and they sat in a threshing-floor (II Chronicles 18:9). Did they then
actually sit in a threshing-floor? No, but as we have learnt: The Sanhedrin sat in
a semicircle, so that they should be able to see each other, and the two Scribes
of the Court sat in front of them, etc. Solomon said: ’ I beheld Him sitting with
them and judging in their midst, for it is said: Her husband is known in the gates,
when he sitteth among the elders of the land’ (Proverbs 31:23).
3
b ... and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four
thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
4
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were
redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.

These 144,000 righteous ones (tzaddikim) "pave the way" as "first fruits" for
those to follow. Associating oneself with such tzaddikim, by way of following in
their footsteps of Torah observance (i.e., 1st John 2:3-6), enables a person to
"bind themselves" to them, thus receiving additional "spiritual benefit."

This concept was found in Torah with regard to reaching higher levels of
prophecy:
Toward the end of this parasha, we are told how G-d bestowed the gift of
prophecy on the seventy elders. At that time, Miriam was standing next to
Moses' wife, Zipporah, when Gershom ran to Moses, saying, "Eldad and Medad
are prophesying in the camp." When Zipporah heard this, she said, "Woe to their
wives if they have become prophets, for they will now separate from them, just
as Moses has separated from me." Miriam overheard this and assumed that
Moses had done this because he felt it was inappropriate for a prophet to
become defiled by marital relations (See Leviticus 15:18), just as G-d had bidden
the whole people to refrain from marital relations in preparation for the
revelation at the Giving of the Torah. (Exodus 19:15) 8

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, comments as follows - again with the concept of

"building the Temple" seen as an objective of every person:

It is for this reason that one's prayers should be offered to God by binding
oneself to the tzaddikim of the generation. Since the tzaddikim represent Moshe-
Maschiach, they are the ones who know how to direct our prayers toward their
proper objective. This is alluded to in our Sage's statement (Berakhot 28b),
"Everyone should pray towards the Holy Temple." That is, everyone should pray
with the intent of building the Holy Temple with his prayers. Since neither the
sanctuary nor the Holy Temple can be built by common men -- it must be built
by the great tzaddikim -- one's prayers should be directed through the tzaddikim
(Likutey Moharan 1, 2:6) (This does not mean to pray to the tzaddikim, God
forbid, for that is idolatry. It does mean to pray in accordance with the guidance
of the tzaddikim.) Then one's prayers, one manifestation of Maschiach, have a
chance of reaching their mark. 9

Kabbalistically, the "spiritual benefit" one can attain by association with someone
more righteous than they are, is expressed in terms of "sharing in" or "receiving"
the soul of the greater tzaddik. This may also come by way of a person
experiencing tribulation or suffering in their life.

Rabbi Pinchas Winston, explains this in a recent Parsha commentary:

Without the potential for spiritual growth, a soul would not accomplish much in
his lifetime. What's that you say? You love mitzvos (good deeds)? You want to do
more, do better, but you feel as if your back is against a wall, unable to achieve
the levels of spiritual greatness you long for? No problem. We'll (i.e., God will)
just increase your spiritual capacity by sending you the soul of another who has
the capacity, and together you will accomplish great things, and also get the
reward for doing so.

That is what crises are for, whether we are tzaddikim or not. Yesurim shel ahava
(afflictions from love) may only be for those who have already used their full
potential in this world. But yesurim, in general, always work the same way and
for the same reason: to create the need within us to rise to higher spiritual
levels, to draw more on the spiritual capacity of our own soul or that of the ibur
(guest soul) within us.
It's all a question of how you see life. If you believe that this world is already the
World-to-Come, meaning that you assume challenges and crises are
burdensome things to be avoided like the plague, then they will annoy you. But
if you understand that we are still only in the waiting room, here to actualize our
spiritual potential, then the door to spiritual growth is open, and greatness lies
on the other side of the spiritual threshold. 10

Revelation 14:4 and 14:5 are closely related. The emphasis on sexual purity is
critical to the ability of the 144,000 to "learn the song" (i.e., to attain a higher
revelation of God, enabling them to better function in unifying the Name of
God.).

This association is expressed well as follows:

To be capable and worthy of accomplishing this mystical ascension, the Hasid

must "purify" his body by strict asceticism, that is, he must not give way to
temptations but hallow "what is permitted him" in his physical and material
existence, which means he must sanctify all the functions of his physical life,
without exception, and if he transgresses a commandment of Torah, he must
submit to a harsh penance in order to "return" purified to his God.

... Mystical ascension leads the Hasid to the Divinity, to the Shekinah itself, to
the "Presence of God" which "dwells" in us, with us, and around us. It is of
course impossible for man to attain God in His Essence, in His Transcendence, to
have an intellectual conception of Him through thinking. But it is given to man to
be able to experience Him in His Immanence, to feel Him in his soul, to perceive
Him in the world, by conforming to His Will, that is, by studying His Torah and
observing His mitzvot. Only then is man worthy of singing His Kavod, His "Glory";
he can "contribute his own kavod to God's Kavod," to the Shekinah , in which He
clothes Himself so that man may approach Him and prostrate himself before the
Kisse ha-Kavod, before His "Throne of Glory." 11

Sexual purity is linked to the sexual organ and specifically the Covenant of
Circumcision. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov comments on the topic of purity:

One other aspect of "the nose" that is used to define Mashiach is purity. More
specifically, this refers to sexual purity. And one who is pure can detect purity in
others. Mashiach's sense of smell is so acute that he will immediately be able to
identify who has guarded the covenant -- the covenant of Abraham -- and who
hasn't. ...

Joseph was the paradigm of the tzaddik. He was a servant in Potifar's house, and
for a full year Potifar's wife tried to seduce him. Joseph withstood the test and
was crowned with the title tzaddik, which denotes sexual purity. Mashiach is
therefore associated with the name of "Mashiach ben Yosef," because of his high
level of morality ... before he attained the great levels of knowledge which
enabled him to rule over Egypt, Joseph was tested for his sexual purity. When he
passed his test the Torah gave witness (Genesis 41:39), "There is none as
perceptive and wise" (Likutey Moharan 1, 36:2). Joseph's purity brought him
Daat ...

We see that the higher a person's level of purity, the greater the perception of
Torah and Godliness he can attain ... one who tries to maintain purity can depart
from exile and merit revelations of Godliness. ...

One reason for the necessity of sexual purity is that Mashiach's main weapon is
prayer. Our Sages compare prayer to arrows which must be directed to their
target. These "arrows" require a bow from which they must be aimed, and this
"bow" is the Brit, the sexual organ. One who keeps himself sexually pure merits
dynamic power and is in control of his prayers, making them more potent. 12

To put it succinctly:

".. the title "tzaddik" applies specifically to one who maintains a strict moral code
regarding sexual behavior." 13

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan offers the following on this topic:

It has already been discussed how man's soul has countless (spiritual) Roots. The
higher the source of these Roots, the greater will be their power to transmit the
influx of prophecy. But even if the source of the Root of one's soul is on a very
high level, unless he rectifies it and purifies it so that it transmits to all the Roots
that are below it, he cannot transmit the prophetic influx. The only levels from
which he can transmit it are those which he is worthy of because he has rectified
them, and from there alone will his prophetic influx be transmitted. This explains
why there are countless levels among the prophets. 14

The battle over sexual purity involves a war agains the forces of the evil realm:

... the entire Redemption depends on this. We've already said that Geula
(redemption) and Moshiach shall be the result of Divine lovingkindness. The Sitra
Achra, or dark side, wants to prevent the Geula at all costs. Therefore, the Sitra
Achra uses all its power to promote promiscuity in the world, especially among
Jews. So, every gain in holiness hastens the Geula, while promiscuity and
lewdness - which according to Kabbala can be classified as Chessed d'Sitra Achra
(unholy lovingkindness), perpetuate exile and diaspora. 15
 PURITY, FORCE AND FORM
Using the Kabbalsitic Tree of Life, we can
present a simple "visual" as to the
relationship between; Torah study, acts of
kindness, and purity of intention, regarding
related spiritual areas such as "mystical
ascension" and "level of revelation."
Consider the idea of attaining such higher
levels (of prayer, revelation, etc.) as being
like a "bow" launching an arrow (as
mentoined by Rabbi Nachman above). As
with archery, the goal is twofold -- to aim
straight and attain great distance.
In this analogy, the person "shooting the
arrow" is located at the Sefirah of Malkut.
The bow is held in place between the
Sefirot of Hod on the left and Netzah on
the right. These Sefirot respectively relate
to Torah Study (the form/discipline of the
left - Hod), and acts of kindness (the
force/outwardness of the right - Netzah).
Proper balance between these two assures
"straight aim."
The distance of the launch is determined
by the force attained at Yesod - the Sefirah
of purity (i.e., Joseph). With proper balance
and purity, one's "arrow" can reach Tiferet
- the Sefirah of Truth and onward to Da'at,
the gateway to higher revelation. (i.e.,
"Joseph's purity brought him Daat.")
5
And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the
throne of God.

There is a further mystical connection between the "purity of the brit" (covenant)
of verse 4, and the "purity of the mouth" of verse 5. As mentioned, sexual purity
is linked to the sexual organ, the Covenant of Circumcision, and kabbalistically to
the Sefirah of Yesod. The "mouth" (i.e., "tongue" or "speech") is linked to the
Sefirah of Malkut, which is also known as Malkut Pei - "Kingdom of the mouth."

The concepts of "brit" and "word" are also connected in that the Hebrew word for
circumcision - "milah" - also means "word," i.e.:

2Samuel 23:2 - God's spirit speaks in me, and His word (milah) is on my
tongue.

Here again we see the concept of the unifying of the Sefirot of Yesod and Malkut
in the personage of the 144,000 tzaddikim. Having "unified" the Name of God in
this manner (sexual purity and purity of speech) on a personal level, they attain
a greater revelation and reward.

The following text elaborates on the Covenants of the Brit (Circumcision, which
impacts in a "vertical manner" - between God and His people) and the Covenant
of the Tongue (which impacts in a "horizontal manner" - among people):

God made two covenants with the Jews, the Berit ha'Ma'or, the "Covenant of the
Flesh," and the Berit ha-Lashon, the "Covenant of the Tongue." These two are
closely connected an reveal God's creation, which is at the same time dual and
unique: a merger of nature and spirit. These covenants are refelcted in the dual
and unique structure of man -- a single being, made of a body and soul
permeating each other. ...

In varying degrees, the spirit resides in every thing, and all matter supports the
spirit in varying degrees. It is the "word" that liks the material world and the
spiritual world. In God, the word is already, in itself, a concrete act. "By the Word
of the Lord were the heavens made ..." (Psalm 33:6), "for He commanded and
they were created..." (Psalm 148:5). Among men too, the word has both a
spiritual and concrete connotation. The "word" seeks to be fulfilled in a physical
act: "That which comes out of thy lips thou shall observe and do.." (Deut. 23:24).
The davar, the abstract "word," must be tranformed into a davar, a "physical
act." ...

In man, this holiness involves both the spiritual enlightenment of the body and
the physical consummation of the spirit. Hence, the holiness of the body is
upheld by that of the spirit, and the holiness of the spirit is heightened and
strenghtened by that of the body. This is the basis for the close link binding the
two covenants that God has made with the Jew: the "Covenant of the Flesh" and
the "Covenant of the Tongue." This is written into that part of the human body
from which physical life is transmitted; the second relates to that part of the
body by which spiritual life is communicated. The common aim of the two
covenants is to bring human beings together. ...

The Jew, God's partner in this dual covenant, is called upon to answer a dual
demand, trenchantly expressed in the word shemirah, "vigilance." He must
"keep the covenant" -- the first demand, expressed in the words shemirat ha-
berit -- by penetrating into the deepest meaning of circumcision; and he must
"watch his tongue" -- the second demand, referred to as shemirat ha-lashon -- by
delving into the essential spirit of this expression. ... Through a "considered" and
prudent use of his tongue and his body, a man can be lead to great heights of
virtue. 16

1. An excellent book on depth and beauty of the Shema is, The Shema,
Spirituality and Law in Judaism, Norman Lamm, The Jewish Publication Society,
Jerusalem, 1998.
2. From Yad Yesodey HaTorah 7:4, as cited in Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh
Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach Maine, 1978, p. 65.

3. ibid, pp. 63-64.

4: For more on the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, see the Breslov
Research Institute web site at www.breslov.org

5. Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach
Maine, 1978, p. 65.

6. ibid, pp. 28-29.

7. From http://www.jewishgates.com/file.asp?File_ID=1019

8. From
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/WeeklyTorah/Ari/Meriting_the_Land_of_Israel.asp

9. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (An exposition of the
teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research
Institute, Jerusalem, p. 51.

10. From www.thirtysix.org, Weekly Parsha Sheet, VAYAISHEV: Settle Down? In

This World?

11. Wisdom of Kabbalah, Alexandre Safran, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem,

1991, p. 21.

12. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (An exposition of the
teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research
Institute, Jerusalem, pp. 68-70.

13. ibid, p. 26.

14. Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York Beach
Maine, 1978, p. 51.

15. From
http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2006/01/the_war_of_kedu.html

16. Wisdom of Kabbalah, Alexandre Safran, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem,

1991, pp. 158-160.

Revelation 14:6-13
Last update: January 20, 2005

6
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting
gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue,
and people
7a
saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him ...
The following citations taken from a book on the subject of Messiah, by Rabbi
Nachman of Breslov, offers interesting ideas regarding the relationship between
Messiah, "fear of God," the Torah and the "River of Eden" (which appears at the
end of the book of Revelation):

Maschiach's duty is to reveal God's greatness which will manifest itself in

kindness, good health and blessings. This denotes a total negation of sin and
wrongdoing. "When evil is done away with, there will also be no more anger."
(Sifri 13:18) It is for this reason that Maschiach will "breathe the fear of God." For
he will elevate the idea of fear from the fear of punishment to an exalted level of
awe ... the fear of God that will be prevalent in the days of Maschiach ... will be
the awe and respect that is befitting true royalty and leadership. The awe of God
that will be widespread then will automatically lead people away from evil and
towards God. This will eliminate sin and lead to ever greater revelatins of
kindness. Maschiach will be a judge -- the ultimate judge -- and will rid the world
of suffering. Fear will then be elevated to the awe of God, i.e., respect for God
and What He is ...

... Maschiach will "breathe the awe of God." Using prayer as his main weapon ...
his "breathing" will have a very positive effect upon mankind. The verse, "And he
will breathe the fear of God," in Hebrew is, "Vaharicho b'Yirat HaShem." Our
sages teach that B'YiRAT (fear) is the gemmatria of 613. Thus the breath that
Maschiach will breathe will emanate from the Torah and its 613 mitzvot. This is
(Genesis 1:2) "The Spirit of God (that) hovered over the waters." The spirit is
Maschiach and the waters are the Torah. Maschiach's spirit is embedded in the
Torah and he will draw his breath, the awe of God, from it ...

Maschiach's job is to bring everyone back to God, even the worst sinner. ...
"Proper rebuke thus strengthens the soul by The rectification for one who has
sinned and weakened his soul is the 'Voice of Rebuke'." ...

"There is a garden where fragrant smells and fear of God bloom. For (Genesis
2:10), 'The river flows from Eden and waters the Garden...' 'River' represents the
Voice of Rebuke as in (Psalms 93:3), 'The rivers have lifted their voice.' This
'voice' which waters the garden (the sweet smells) stems from Eden, the source
of the 'Song of the Future'." ...

We see then that the Voice of Rebuke is rooted in Eden, which corresponds to
Keter, the source of Maschiach's vitality. ... Maschiach will posess this "Voice of
Rebuke" because MaShIaCh is like MaSIaCh, "one who speaks." Since Mashiach
is bound together with all souls through his sense of smell (i.e., "the nose"), he
will be able to rebuke everyone properly, to arose awe within them and draw
them closer to God. His voice will be the flowing "River" from Eden, from which
emanate aromatic fragrances, so that everyone will be drawn to the "savory
smell" of Mashiach. 1

The Zohar offers the following regarding the "fear of God" being the "gate to
heaven":
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 7b - IN THE BEGINNING. R. Hiya opened his
discourse thus: The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; A good
understanding have all they that do hereafter. His praise endureth for ever (Ps.
CXI, 10). He said: ‘Instead of “the beginning of wisdom” it would be more
appropriate to say “the end of wisdom is the fear of the Lord”, since the fear of
the Lord is the final object of wisdom. The Psalmist, however, speaks of the
highest order of wisdom, which can only be reached through the gate of the fear
of God. This is implied in he verse “Open to me the gates of righteousness....
This is the gate of the Lord...” (Psalm 118:19-20). Assuredly, without entering
through that gate one will never gain access to the most high King. Imagine a
king greatly exalted who screens himself from the common view behind gate
upon gate, and at the end, one special gate, locked and barred. Saith the king:
He who wishes to enter into my presence must first of all pass through that gate.
So here the first gate to super-Wisdom is the fear of God; and this is what is
meant by reshith (beginning). The letter Beth (=2) indicates two things joined
together, namely two points, one shrouded in mystery and one capable of being
revealed; and as they are inseparable they therefore are both joined in the
single term reshith (beginning), i.e. they are one and not two, and he who takes
away the one takes away the other as well. For He and His name are one, as it is
written “That they may know that thou and thy name of Lord art alone” (Psalm
83:19). Why is this first gate called “the fear of the Lord”? Because it is the tree
of good and evil. If a man deserves well it is good, and if he deserves ill it is evil.
7b
saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His
judgment has come ...

The "positive aspect" of the Lamb on Mount Zion is balanced by the coming
judgment upon the nations. The term "Esau" is used throughout Hebraic writings
to describe the nations in the days leading up to the coming of Messiah.

The following text indicates that Jacob's words to Esau, about meeting him at
"Mount Seir" were actually prophetic:

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 78:14 - UNTIL I COME UNTO MY LORD UNTO SEIR
(XXXIII, I4). R. Abbahu said: We have searched the whole Scriptures and do not
find that Jacob ever went to Esau to the mountain of Seir. Is it then possible that
Jacob, the truthful, should deceive him? But when would he come to him? In the
Messianic era: And saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of
Esau, etc. (Obadiah 1:21).

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy I:20 - 20. When Esau and Jacob met, the
former said, ‘Jacob, my brother, let us two walk together in this world as one.’
Jacob replied: ’ Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant’ (Genesis
33:14). What is the meaning of ' Let... pass over ‘? Do you enjoy your world first.
What is the meaning of, And I will journey on gently, according to the pace of the
cattle that are before me... and according to the pace of the children (ib.). Jacob
said to Esau: ' I have yet to raise up Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,’ of whom
Scripture says, Children in whom was no blemish (Daniel 1:4). Another
explanation: He said to him: ‘I have yet to raise up the Messiah,’ of whom it is
written, For a child is born to us (Isaiah 9:5). Until I come unto my Lord unto Seir
(Genesis 33:14). R. Samuel b. Nahman said: We have searched all the Scriptures
and we have nowhere found [it stated] that Jacob ever came together with Esau
at Seir. What then is the meaning of, ' Unto Seir’ ? Jacob [meant] to say to him: '
I have yet to raise up judges and saviours to exact punishment from you.’
Whence this? For it is said, And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge
the mount of Esau (Obadiah 1:21). Israel asked God: ‘Master of the Universe,
how long shall we remain subjected to him? ' He replied: ' Until the day comes of
which it is written, There shall step forth a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall
rise out of Israel (Numbers 24:17); when a star shall step forth from Jacob and
devour the stubble of Esau.’ (Whence this? For it is said, And the house of Jacob
shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for
stubble, and they shall kindle in them and devour them; and there shall not be
any remaining of the house of Esau [Obadiah 1:18].) God said: ‘At that time I will
cause my kingdom to shine forth and I will reign over them,’ as it is said, And
saviours shall come up on Mount Zion, to judge the mount of Esau; and the
kingdom shall be the Lord's (ib. 21).

The relationship between Israel (i.e., Jacob) and the nations (i.e., Esau) is
presented in an enlighening way in the following text. Commenting on Genesis
25:28 ("For Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game."), the kabbalistic
classic, Sha'are Oreh ("Gates of Light"), depicts Isaac as being "pleased" with
Esau, but only because Esau is seen prophetically as being an antagonist that
will drive many from Israel back to God and keep them from going to hell:

Could it possibly be that Isaac, our father, for whom the SHeCHINaH never
parted for a moment, could love someone as completely wicked as Esau? How is
that possible? Rather, this verse speaks of a great essential meaning of the
Torah. Know that Isaac, our father, peace be with him, could envision the future
and he saw that the children of Jacob would sin and enrage YHVH, may He be
blessed, and the judgment of Hell would be their inheritence. When Isaac saw
that Israel was in the exile of Esau, he was glad, and he said: "Exile atones for
sin." And he said, "Yes, I love the tribulations of Esau, so that they should bring
liability to Israel and their harsh judgment shall be finished in the harsh exile of
this world," hence the verse, "For Isaac loved Esau because he had the game
trapped in his mouth. What does it mean, "the game was trapped in his mouth?"
He saw that the children of Jacob would be trapped by the judgments of Hell. He
saw this and was saddened. When he saw the exile of Edom (Rome/Esau),
however, and he saw the game of Hell trapped in the mouth of Esau, He was
happy, and said, "Exile atones for sin." ... Isaac therefore, loved Esau, because
he was the agent for arranging that Jacob's sons would not fall into hell. 2
7c
... and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of
water."

This is another kabbalistic reference to the worlds of Creation; Beriah (heaven),

Assiyah (earth), Yetzirah (sea) and avenues of Torah enlightenment ("springs of
water") that sustain them all.
8a
And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great
city ...

The repetition of, "... is fallen, is fallen," indicates the defeat of Babylon (first) in
the spiritual realm, then in the physical.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 86a - When God executes judgement on a people,

He does so both below and above.

The following Midrash gives some examples of this:

Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs VIII:19 - The Holy One, blessed be He,
does not punish a nation on earth till He has cast down its guardian angel from
heaven. This is borne out by five Scriptural verses. One, the verse, And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the Lord will punish the host of the high heaven
on high-that first, and then-and the kings of the earth upon the earth (Isaiah
24:21). The second is: How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the
morning! after which we read, How art thou cut down to the ground (ib. 14:12).
The third is: For My sword hath drunk its fill in heaven; and then, Behold, it shall
come down upon Edom (ib. 34:5). The fourth: To bind their kings with chains,
and then, and their nobles with fetters of iron (Psalm. 149:8), explaining which R.
Tanhuma said: ' To bind their kings with chains’: this refers to the heavenly
princes. ‘And thegr nobles with fetters of iron’: this refers to the earthly rulers.
The fifth is: To execute upon them the judgment written, and then, He is the
glory of all His saints, hallelujah (ib. 149:9)

Interestingly, the principle of first defeating the spiritual power behind the
physical goes both ways. In this passage from the Zohar, the guardian angels of
the nations conspire to first attack the God of Israel, before going after His
people:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 58b - IN THE GREATNESS OF THINE EXCELLENCY

(lit. uplifting) THOU OVERTHROWEST THEM THAT RISE UP AGAINST THEE. R.
Hezekiah found here the same idea as in the verse: “Why standest thou afar off,
O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in time of trouble?” (Ps. x, 1). ‘The sins of
mankind,’ he said, ‘cause the Holy One to ascend higher and higher, and then
men cry bitterly but without avail, because the Holy One has departed from the
world, and they are unable to return to Him.’ R. Isaac, however, applied these
words to the time when the Holy One will adorn Himself with majesty in face of
the nations who will gather against Him, of whom it says: “The kings of the earth
set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and
against his anointed” (Psalm 2:2). We are told that the seventy guardians of the
nations will at that time gather from all sides with the armies of the whole world
and start war against Jerusalem the holy city, and take counsel together against
the Holy One. They will say: “Let us rise first against the Patron, and then
against His people and against His sanctuary!” Then “He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh; ehe Lord shall have them in derision” (v. 4). He will put on
His majesty and shall dash them in pieces.’ R. Abba said, in the name of R. Jesse
the Elder-and R. Simeon made the same remark- that the Holy One will bring to
life again all those kings who afflicted Israel and Jerusalem: Hadrian, Lupinus,
Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, and all the other kings of the nations who have
destroyed His house, and set them up again as rulers, and they shall gather
many nations, and then He will do vengeance and justice upon them near
Jerusalem, as it is written: “And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will
smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:12). On
the other hand, here it says: “In the greatness of thy excellency Thou wilt
overthrow thine opponents”, which refers to the Messianic times; and so this
song has an eternal significance.

It is taught that both Babylon and Israel fall, "never to pick themselves up again."
However in the case of Israel, God Himself will lift her up:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 6a,b - R. Aha was once walking in company with R.
Judah. As they were going along, R. Judah said: ‘We have learnt that the “Virgin
of Israel” is blessed from seven sources; yet the Scripture says, in reference to
her, “And do thou, O son of man, raise a lament over the virgin of Israel”, [Tr.
note: This verse is not found in our text. Apparently the Zohar meant it for a
paraphrase of Ezekiel 19:1, “And do thou raise a lamentation over the princes of
Israel”.] and what is even worse, “The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more
rise” (Amos v, 2). It is true that this last verse has been explained by all the
Companions as a message of comfort. [Tr. note: In T. B. Berachoth, the verse is
explained thus: “She has fallen, but shall no more; rise, O virgin of Israel.’,] This,
however, can hardly be accepted, as the prophet himself calls it a lamentation
(v. I).’ Said R. Aha: ‘I, too, have been perplexed with the same difficulty. I once
came before R. Simeon looking very troubled. He said to me: “Your face shows
that there is something on your mind.” I said: “Truly my mind is as sad as my
face.” He said to me: “Tell me what it is.” I said: “It is written, ‘The virgin of
Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise’. If a man is angry with his wife and she
leaves him, shall she never return? If so, alas for the children who have been
sent away with her!” He said to me: “Are you not content with what the
Companions have said?” I replied: “I have heard their explanation, that it is
really a message of comfort, but it does not satisfy me.” He said: “What the
Companions have said is quite right as far as it goes, but there is more to be
said. Alas for the generation when the shepherds are gone and the sheep stray
without knowing whither they are going! Truly this verse requires understanding,
but it is all plain to those who can interpret the Torah fittingly. See now. In all the
other exiles of Israel a term was set, at the end of which Israel returned to God
and the Virgin of Israel came back to her place. But this last exile is not so, for
she shall not return as on previous occasions, as is proved by this verse which
says, ‘The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall rise no more.’ Note that it is not
written, ‘I shall not raise her any more’. Imagine a king who was wroth with his
queen and banished her from his palace for a certain time. When that time
arrived she at once returned to the king. So it happened several times. Finally,
however, she was banished from the king's palace for a very long time. Said the
king: ‘This time is not like the other times when she came back to me. This time I
shall go with all my followers to find her.’ When he came to her he found her in
the dust. Seeing her thus humiliated and yearning once more for her, the king
took her by the hand, raised her up, and brought her to his palace, and swore to
her that he would never part from her again. So the Community of Israel, on all
previous occasions in which she was in exile, when the appointed time came,
used to return of herself to the King; but in this exile the Holy One, blessed be
He, will himself take her by the hand and raise her and comfort her and restore
her to his palace. So it is written: ‘In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of
David that is fallen’ (Amos IX, 11), the ‘tabernacle of David’ being identical with
the ‘Virgin of Israel’.” Said R. Judah: ‘Truly thou hast comforted and satisfied me,
and this is the truth of the matter. And it reminds me of something similar which
I had forgotten, of a saying of R. Jose, that the Holy One, blessed be He, will one
day make proclamation concerning the Community of Israel, saying “Shake
thyself from the dust, arise, sit thee down, Jerusalem” (Isaiah 52:2), like a man
taking his neighbour by the hand and saying, Pull yourself together, rise.’ Said R.
Aha to him: ‘All the prophets use similar language. Thus it is written, “Arise,
shine forth, for thy light is come”, meaning that the King is here to be reconciled
with her. And again, “Behold thy king cometh unto thee” (Zechariah 9:9): He
shall come to thee to comfort thee, to raise thee, to repay thee all, to take thee
into His palace and to espouse thee for evermore, as it is written: “And I shall
betroth thee for ever” (Hosea 2:19).’

The coming of Messiah and the destruction of Babylon results in the total and
final transference of "Esau's blessing" to Jacob, as explained in the following text:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 143b - Observe that as soon as

Jacob and Esau commenced to avail themselves of their blessings, the former
possessed himself of his portion on high, and the latter of his portion here below.
R. Jose the son of R. Simeon, the son of Laqunia, once said to R. Eleazar: ‘Have
you ever heard from your father how it comes about that the blessings given by
Isaac to Jacob have not been fulfilled, while those given to Esau have all been
fulfilled in their entirety?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘All the blessings are to be fulfilled,
including other blessings with which God blessed Jacob. For the time being,
however, Jacob took his portion above and Esau here below. But in aftertime,
when the Messiah will arise, Jacob will take both above and below and Esau will
lose all, being left with no portion of inheritance or remembrance whatever. So
Scripture says: “And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a
flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, etc.” (Obadiah 1:18), so that Esau will
perish entirely, whilst Jacob will inherit both worlds, this world and the world to
come. Of that time it is further written: “And saviours shall come up on Mount
Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's” (Ibid.
1:21), that is to say, the kingdom which Esau has taken in this world shall revert
to God. For although God rules both above and below, yet for the time being He
has given to all the peoples each a portion and an inheritance in this world; but
at that time He will take away dominion from all of them, so that all will be His,
as it is written, “And the kingdom shall be the Lord's”. It will be the Lord's alone,
as it is further written, “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day
shall the Lord be One, and his name One” (Zechariah 14:9).’
The following Midrash connects Esau and his descendants to the "ten kings"
spoken of by Daniel and mentioned later in Revelation. The "love of money"
(Matthew 6:24) is shown to be a key attribute of Esau/Babylon/Rome here and
later in the book of Revelation:

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis LXXVI:6 - DELIVER ME, I PRAY THEE, FROM THE
HAND OF MY BROTHER, FROM THE HAND OF ESAU (32:12): from the hand of my
brother, who advances against me with the power of Esau. Thus it is written, I
considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a
little one (Daniel 7:8) - this alludes to the son of Nazar; Before which three of the
first horns were plucked up by the roots (ib.)-that alludes to Macrinus, Carinus,
and Kyriades. And, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a
mouth speaking great things (ib.): this alludes to the wicked State [Rome] which
imposes levies on all the nations of the world. R. Johanan said: It is written, And
as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise (ib. 24): in these
Scripture refers to Esau's descendants. ‘I considered the horns, and, behold,
there came up among them another horn, a little one’- this alludes to the wicked
State [Rome]; ’ Before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the
roots’-that alludes to the first three Empires. ’And, behold, in this horn were eyes
like the eyes of a man’-this alludes to the wicked State, which casts an envious
eye upon a man's wealth, [saying], ‘So-and-so is wealthy: we will make him a
city magistrate; So-and-so is wealthy: let us make him a councillor. (i.e., compare
to the lesson of James 2:1-4.)

There is a relationship between the King (Tiferet/Son) and the "two females" --
the "Matrona" (Malkut/Shekinah) and the "Supernal Mother" (Binah). The "linking
of the two females" (through the "Son") represents the unification of the Name of
God.

Binah represents the complete "upper triad" (Keter-Chokmah-Binah) in the

kabbalistic scheme, as these three are never separated (at the higher levels).

As simply stated in Sha'are Oreh:

Binah connects the six lower Spheres (Sefirot) with the three upper Spheres ...3

The following verse from the Zohar shows this relationship

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 77b - We have learnt that the
upper He (i.e., Yod-He-Vau-He*) was conceived from the love of its inseparable
companion Yod, and brought forth Vau. When this Vau came forth, its mate
came forth with it. Lovingkindness came and parted them, and there came forth
roots from beneath the Highest, and branches spread and grew and the lower
He, was produced. It spread its branches higher and higher until it joined the
upper tree and Vau was linked with He. Who caused this? Hesed. But the union
of Yod with the upper He is not caused by Hesed but by mazzal (lit. Iuck). In this
way Yod is linked with He, He with Vau, Vau with He, and He, with all, and all
forms one entity, of which the elements are never to be separated. He who
causes separation between them, as it were, lays waste the world and is called
“the nakedness of all”. In time to come God will restore the Shekinah to its
place, and there will be a complete union, as it is written: “On that day the Lord
shall be one and his name one,’ (Zech. XIV, 9). It may be said: Is He not now
one? No; for now through sinners He is not really one; for the Matrona (i.e.,
Malkut*) is removed from the King (i.e., Tiferet*) and they are not united, and
the supernal Mother (i.e., Binah*) is removed from the King and does not give
suck to Him, because the King without the Matrona is not invested with His
crowns as before. But when He joins the Matrona, who crowns Him with many
resplendent crowns, then the supernal Mother will also crown Him in fitting
manner. But now that the King is not with the Matrona, the Supernal Mother
keeps her crowns and withholds from Him the waters of the Stream and He is
not joined with Her. Therefore, as it were, He is not one. But when the Matrona
shall return to the place of the temple and the King shall be wedded with her,
then all will be joined together without separation, and regarding this it is
written, “On that day the Lord shall be one and his name one”. Then “saviours
shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau” (Obad. I, 21), as it has
been taught: R. Simeon said, The Matrona will not enter her temple in joy until
the kingdom of Esau has been brought to judgement and she has taken
vengeance on it for causing all this. Therefore “they shall judge the mount of
Esau” first, and then “the kingdom shall be the Lord's” (Ibid.), the kingdom being
the Matrona.’

* Yashanet Editor

Again citing Sha'are Oreh, the concept of the "two females" being united is
expressed as follows:

Binah and Malkut face one another. And from the attribute Binah will come all
blessings to the attribute Malkut, the essence of which is, "And a river went out
from Eden ..." (Genesis 2:10). This is the essence of Binah, which goes out from
the place of Keter, through the hands of Chokmah ... For Binah is referred to as
the channels of the river. "... to water the garden ..." (Genesis 2:10). This is the
sphere Malkut, who receives much everflow and blessing which emanates
through the sphere Binah. 4
8b
... because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication."

The following Midrash links the nations "drinking from a cup of reeling" to the
River of Eden:

Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus 13:5 - R. Samuel b. Nahman said: All the prophets
foresaw the empires engaged in their [subsequent] activities. This is alluded to
in what is written, And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from
thence it parted and became four heads (Genesis 2:10). R. Tanhuma, and some
say R. Menahema, in the name of R. Joshua b. Levi, said: The Holy One, blessed
be He, will, in the Time to Come, cause the heathen nations to drink the cup of
reeling. This is indicated by what is written, ’ And a river went out of Eden
(‘eden),’ i.e. from the place whence judgment (din) is to go forth.
(See comments to verse 12 below, regarding the relationship between; the River
of Eden, God's judgment and the righteous (tzaddikim).

God, through the prophet Jeremiah, tells the nations who do not wish to accept
what is coming to them, that if He is bringing judgment on Jerusalem (the city
called by his name) He will certainly bring it upon them. This could be an allusion
to the dual judgment of verses 14-20 below which may be decribing judgment
against Israel and then the nations (note the reference to the "roaring voice"
from above and the "grapes" being trampled):

Jeremiah Chapter 25:15-31 - For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me; Take
the wine cup of this fury from my hand, and make all the nations, to whom I
send you, drink it. And they shall drink, and stagger, and be crazed, because of
the sword that I will send among them. Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand,
and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me; Jerusalem, and
the cities of Judah, and its kings, and its princes, to make them a desolation and
a waste, a thing to be hissed, and a curse; as it is this day; Pharaoh king of
Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people; And all the mixed
tribes, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the
Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
Edom, and Moab, and the Ammonites, And all the kings of Tyre, and all the kings
of Sidon, and the kings of the islands which are beyond the sea, Dedan, and
Tema, and Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair, And all the kings of
Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert, And all the
kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, And all
the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of
the world, which are upon the face of the earth; and the king of Sheshach shall
drink after them. Therefore you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel; Drink, and be drunk, and vomit, and fall, and rise no more,
because of the sword which I will send among you. And it shall be, if they refuse
to take the cup from your hand to drink, then shall you say to them, Thus says
the Lord of hosts; You shall certainly drink. For, behold, I begin to bring evil to
the city which is called by my name, and should you go utterly unpunished? You
shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the
earth, says the Lord of hosts. Therefore prophesy against them all these words,
and say to them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his
holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout,
as those who trample the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise
shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with the
nations, he will enter into judgment with all flesh; he will give those who are
wicked to the sword, says the Lord.
9
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships
the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10
he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Verses 8 through 10 present a middah knegged middah ("measure for measure")
punishment. Verse 8 associates the evil of Babylon/Esau with the "wine of
fornication." Those who align themselves with this wine, in verse 9, drink the
"wine of the wrath of God" in verse 10.

The following Midrash, especially rich in references to the Tenakh, also makes
the case against the arrogance of those ( i.e., Laodicea of Revelation chapter
3 ) who come against God and Israel and draws contrast to those who follow His
Torah:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers XI:1 - Moreover, it says, Then shall ye again

discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth Him not (Malachi 3:8). The curse of the Lord is in the house
of the wicked (Proverbs 3:33) applies to the wicked Esau; as you read, Whereas
Edom saith: We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;
thus saith the Lord of hosts: They shall build, but I will throw down, etc. (Malachi
1:4). But He blesseth the habitation of the righteous (Proverbs. 3:33), that is of
Israel, about whom it is written, Thy people also shall be all righteous, they shall
inherit the land for ever (Isaiah 60:21). [And your eyes shall see, and ye shall
say: The Lord is great beyond the border of Israel (Malachi. 1:5)]1 If it
concerneth the scorners, He scorneth them (Proverbss 3:34). ‘Scorners’ applies
to the Edomites who are termed scorners; as it says, A proud and haughty man,
scorner is his name (ib. 21:24). They are also called proud; as you may read,
‘And now we call the proud happy.’ But how do you know that Scripture is
speaking of the Edomites? Because it is written, ' Yea, they that work wickedness
are built up’ and that applies to the Edomites; as you may infer from the text,
And they shall be called The border of wickedness (Malachi 1:4). They daily scoff
at Israel because of the sufferings that come upon them; as you read, And ye
have magnified yourselves against Me with your mouth, and have multiplied
your words against Me; I have heard it (Ezekiel 35:13). ‘He scorneth them’
implies that the Holy One, blessed be He, will in the future mete out to them
according to their own measure; as you read, As thou hast done, it shall be done
unto thee; thy dealing shall return upon thine own head (Obadiah 1:15). But unto
the humble (‘anawim) He giveth grace (Proverbs 3:34). ‘Anawim applies to Israel
who are poor (‘aniyim) among the nations and go about in humility (‘anawah) in
their midst and suffer the burden imposed upon them, in order to sanctify the
name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and to whom the Holy One, blessed be He,
will in the future showgrace, executing justice upon their traducers; as you read,
And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you (Isaiah
30:18), and as it says, The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord (ib.
29:19), and it also says, For, O people that dwellest in Zion at Jerusalem,
thoushalt weep no more (ib. 30:19). The wise shall inherit honour (Proverbs 3:35)
applies to Israel who are called wise when they fulfil the Torah and the
commandments; as it says, Observe therefore and do them; for this is your
wisdom and your understanding, etc. (Deuteronomy 4:6). Because Israel observe
the Torah while among the nations the Holy One, blessed be He, will in the
future cause them to inherit a throne ofglory; as you read, To make them...
inherit the throne of glory (I Samuel 2:8) which indicates that the Holy One,
blessed be He, will at some future time restore to Israel its sovereignty; as you
read, And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints, etc. (Daniel
7:27). But as for the fools, they carry away shame (Proverbs 3:35). This applies
to the Edomites; as you read, And I will destroy the wise men out of Edom, and
discernment out of the mount of Esau (Obadiah 1:8), and as it says, Is wisdom
no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom
vanished? (Jerermiah 49:7). What is the meaning of ‘They carry away (merim)
shame (kalon)’? That they will raise (yarimu) in their territory conflagration
(kalon), namely, that they will ultimately go into the fire. ' Kalon’ can signify
nought but burning; as you read, Whom the king of Babylon roasted (kalam) in
the fire (ib. 29:22), and as it says, Corn in the ear parched (kalui) with fire
(Leviticus 2:14), and as it likewise says, And the house of Joseph shall be aflame,
and the house of Esau for stubble, etc. (Obadiah 1:18), and as it says, I beheld
even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be
burned with fire (Daniel 7:11).
11
And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no
rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives
the mark of his name."

There almost seems a contradiction in verses 11 and 12 with regard to the terms
"forever and ever" and "day or night." The former resembles the Hebrew term,
LeOlam VaEd, which has to do with "timelessness." In this case, the idea of there
being "day" and "night" would not make sense. A resolution to this however, can
be found in Aryeh Kaplan's commentary to the ancient kabbalistic text, Sefer
Yetzirah, which he explains the idea of "time within the timeless":

There are two synonymns which denote eternity. The first is LeOlam, usually
translated as "forever," which indicates the end point of the time continuum.
Often used is the expression, LeOlam Vaed, which means "forever and eternity."
The expression "eternity," here denotes the realm outside the time continuum,
where the concept of time does not exist at all. Even in such a timeless domain,
however, there is still a kind of hypertime, where events can occur in a logical
sequence. The Midrash calls such hypertime, "the order of time." 5

Finally, the sin of "taking the mark" carries with it the aspect of it being
"unforgiveable" (in this world or the next). This would thus equate it with
"blaspheming of the Ruach HaKodesh" as mentioned in our notes to Revelation
13:16-18.
12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Yeshua.

Verse 12 is grounded in the Hebraic concept of both keeping Torah and "binding
oneself" to a tzaddik, upon whose righteousness (i.e., "the faith OF Yeshua"), one
is given "additional mercy" from God, (as discussed in verse 4 above).
The commandments of God's Torah act as the means to both understanding
oneself and linking to God:

Every mitzvah is a bond between man and God. As such, the attitude towards
the mitzvah must relate to both these points. Man must find himself in the
mitzvah, and he must find God in the mitzvah. Love is the mode of the person
finding himself in the mitzvah. Awe is the mode of finding God in the mitzvah. 6

Even the word for God's commandment, "mitzvah," carries with it the meaning of
"unification":

"Mitzvah" - commandment - also means companionship or union (from the

Aramaic "tzavta" - companionship). One who fulfills a commandment becomes
united with the essence of G-d, who ordained that precept. 7

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov stresses the importance of "binding oneself to the

Messiah" as it is through such a righteous one that God is fully revealed. (This
idea is fundamental to understanding the role Yeshua played - as a sinless
tzaddik who further "opened the path.") This increase in Torah knowledge (the
Torah of Messiah) is equated to the River of the Garden of Eden (which we see
"reappearing at the end of the book of Revelation for the first time since the
book of Genesis).

Furthermore, "the River" refers to the Voice of Rebuke. The Voice of Rebuke is
present in the Mashiach, represented by the tzaddikim who reveal the pathways
of spirituality.

... the Torah is that sweet-smelling spice which emanates from the Voice of
Rebuke, bringing all back to God.

... The Mashiach of each generation (i.e., the tzadikkim) are those who draw the
power of Eden (prayer) into the Garden (Torah), giving form and shape to that
which is beyond conception. This is their awesome power, and this is why they
can reveal Godliness - for they are able to reveal the mitzvot (commandments)
and advice with which we can relate to God. This is why the tzadikkim are called
"the Voice of Rebuke," "the River."

... cleaving to the tzadikkim - to Mashiach - is crucial. Without it, one cannot
hope to combine the aspects of Torah and prayer, and thereby come to
recognize God.

... The Voice of Rebuke is the Song of the Future, which itself corresponds to the
revelation of God's Name. 8

We can thus conclude that the term "patience of the saints" in verse 12 relates
to the "perfect path" one can take in life - i.e., following God's Torah to the best
of one's ability, and "attaching oneself" to a great tzaddik who "paves the way
ahead" for you through his greater righteousness.
13a
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: "Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord from now on."' "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest
from their labors,

Here we appear to have a "conversation" between the "bat kol" (voice of

heaven) and the "Spirit" (Ruach). We see a similar dialogue in this Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah, Lamentations I:50 - A Bath Kol issued forth and

proclaimed, ’A joyful mother of children’ (Psalm 113:9); and the Holy Spirit cried
out, FOR THESE THINGS I WEEP.
13b
... and their works follow them."

As is taught in Judaism, when we stand before God, all that accompanies us is

our good works -- those actions that contributed to tikkun (rectification) of our
own souls and of the world.

1. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov
Research Institute, Jerusalem, pp. 60-67.

2. Gates of Light (Sha'are Oreh), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translation by Avi

Weinstein, Altimira Press, London, 1994, pp. 201-203.

3. ibid, p. 286.

4. ibid, p. 292.

5. Sefer Yetzirah, The Book of Creation, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser, Inc., York
Beach, Maine, p. 51.

6. From http://www.aish.com/spirituality/kabbala101/Kabbala_14_-
_Love_and_Awe.asp

7. From Iggrot Kodesh, Vol 10, 368, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneersohn, as cited in; The
Divine Commandments - The Significance and Function of the Mitzvot in Chabad
Philosophy, Nissan Mindel, Kehot Publicatoin Society, Brooklyn NY, 1992, p.17.

8. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov
Research Institute, Jerusalem, pp. 114-115.

Revelation 14:14-20
Last update: July 26, 2005

14
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son
of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.

From this verse to the end of the chapter, John depicts what seem to be two
related but separate "judgments." He is not specific as to who makes up these
two groups. The first (verses 14-16) is carried out by what seems to be the
Messiah, the second (verses 17-20) is carried out by an angel who emerges from
the heavenly Temple. As opposed to the first judgment, where no punishment is
mentioned, in the second case those "reaped" are thrown into the "winepress" of
God.

It is clear from Scripture that both Israel and the nations are judged at the time
of Mashiach's coming.

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers II:13 - Another interpretation of, ‘As the sand of
the sea.’ What is the nature of sand? If it is put into the fire it comes out as glass
from which utensils can be made. So it is with Israel. They go into fire and come
out alive; as it is said: Ye servants of God Most High, come forth, etc. (Daniel
3:26). In the hereafter they will enter Gehinnom and the nations of the world will
also enter. The latter having entered will perish, but Israel will come out
therefrom unscathed; as it is said: When thou walkest through the fire, thou
shalt not be burnt. Why? For I the Lord thy God hold thy right hand (Isaiah
41:13). Therefore he compares them to sand. When referring to the hereafter,
however, he compares them to stars. As the stars sparkle throughout the
firmament so will they sparkle in the hereafter; as it is said: And they that are
wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn the many
to righteousness

God told Moshe that His judgment would befall Israel at the end of days:

Deuteronomy 31:16-21 - And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, you shall sleep
with your fathers; and this people will rise, and play the harlot after the gods of
the strangers of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me,
and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be
kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face
from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall
them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us,
because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day
because of all the evils which they shall have done, in that they are turned to
other gods. Now therefore write this poem for you, and teach it to the people of
Israel; put it in their mouths, that this poem may be a witness for me against the
people of Israel. For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore
to their fathers, that flows with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and
filled themselves, and become fat; then will they turn to other gods, and serve
them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. And it shall come to pass, when
many evils and troubles have befallen them, that this poem shall testify against
them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten in the mouths of their seed; for I
know their inclination and what they do, even now, before I have brought them
into the land which I swore.

The prophet Joel depicts the judgment of the nations as follows:

Joel 4:9-17 - Proclaim this among the nations; Prepare war, stir up the mighty
men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up; Beat your plowshares
into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong.
Hasten and come, all you nations, and gather yourselves together around; cause
your mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the nations be stirred up, and come
to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the nations around.
Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, tread down; for the press is full,
the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the
valley of decision; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The
sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. And the
Lord roars out of Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and
the earth shake; but the Lord will be a refuge for his people, and a fortress for
the people of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in
Zion, my holy mountain; then shall Jerusalem be holy, and no strangers shall
pass through her any more.

Midrash differentiates the reasons that God will punish the nations and Israel.
The former are judged for their treatment of Israel (i.e., Matthew 25:31-46):

Midrash Rabbah - Ruth V:9 - The vengeance taken of the idolatrous nations
will be on account of Israel, while the vengeance taken of Israel will be on
account of their poor. The vengeance taken of the idolatrous nations will be on
account of Israel, as it is said, And I will lay My vengeance upon Edom by the
hand of My people Israel (Ezekiel 25:14); the vengeance taken of Israel will be on
account of their poor, as it is said, And he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it
be sin in thee (Deuteronomy 15:9). R. Abun said: The poor man stands at your
door, and the Holy One, blessed be He, stands at his right hand. If you give unto
him, He who stands at his right hand will bless you, but if not, He will exact
punishment from you, as it is said, Because He standeth at the right hand of the
needy (Psalm 119:31).

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations I:44 - 44. THE LORD HATH SET AT NOUGHT
(SILLAH) ALL MY MIGHTY MEN. He hath made me like refuse before them. R.
Abba b. Kahana said: In Bar Gamza they call refuse ’sallutha’. R. Levi sai d: In
Arabia they call a comb ’mesalselah’. HE HATH CALLED A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY
AGAINST ME TO CRUSH MY YOUNG MEN. We find that the death of youths is
considered as grievous as the destruction of the Temple; for it is written, THE
LORD HATH TRODDEN AS IN A WINEPRESS THE VIRGIN DAUGHTER OF JUDAH,
and in the same way, HE HATH CALLED A SOLEMN ASSEMBLY AGAINST ME TO
CRUSH MY YOUNG MEN.
15
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who
sat on the cloud, "Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to
reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
16
So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was
reaped.

It is possible that "the earth" in verses 15 and 16 could have been "the land" in
the original Hebrew/Aramaic, in which case this judgment is directed directly
against Israel.
Another reason to consider that the first judgment (by way of the messianic
figure in verse 15) involves Israel, and the second (by way of an angel) is that of
the nations, is the following concept:

In regards to death, outside Eretz Yisrael it is accomplished by the Angel of

Death, whereas in Israel it comes about via a holy force. 1
17
Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having
a sharp sickle.
18a
And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire,

God's vengeance upon the nations is specifically linked to the coming of Messiah.
All the nations will bow down to the Messiah, as demonstrated in the following
selection from the Zohar. Note the similar association between the "golden
crown" and "Son of Man" in verse 14 above to that of "gold" and Messiah in the
text below.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 107b - That day will be a day of note both above
and below, as it is written, “and there shall be one day, which shall be known as
the Lord's” (Zechariah 14:7); that day will be the day of vengeance, the day
which the Holy One, blessed be He, has appointed for taking vengeance on the
idolatrous nations. For whilst the Holy One is taking vengeance on the idolatrous
nations, He “will make a man more precious than gold”, to wit, the Messiah, who
will be raised and glorified above all mankind, and to whom all mankind will pay
homage and bow down, as it is written, “Before him those that dwell in the
wilderness will bow down ... the Kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render
tribute” (Psalm 72:9-10). Observe that although this prophecy (in the book of
Isaiah) was primarily intended for Babylonia, yet it has a general application,
since this section commences with the words, “When the Lord shall have mercy
on Jacob”, and it is also written, “And peoples shall take them and bring them to
their place.”

The angel (and judgment) depicted by John emerge "from the (heavenly)
Temple. The following Midrash connects the idea of the "bride and groom," with
God seen as "leaping forth" from the Temple in order to judge the nations:

Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs IV:18 - The Holy One, blessed be He,
said to them: ‘When ye were exiled to Babylon, I was with you, as it says, For
your sake I have been sent to Babylon (Isaiah 43:14). When you shall return to
the chosen House in the near future, I shall be with you; for so it is written, WITH
ME FROM LEBANON, MY BRIDE. R. Levi said: The text in this case should have
said, ' Come with Me to Lebanon, O my bride and you say, ’ From Lebanon ‘?
What it means, however, is that at first He leaps forth from the Sanctuary, and
then He punishes the nations of the world. R. Berekiah said: Within a space of
three hours the Holy One, blessed be He, will punish the wicked Esau and his
captains. How do we know? Because it says, Now will I arise, saith the Lord, etc.
(Isaiah 33:10). R. Simeon b. Jannai said: ’ Now will I arise‘: this indicates that so
long as Israel is wallonving in the dust, so is God also, if one may say so. The
same idea is expressed by Isaiah in the verse, Shake thyself from the dust; arise,
and sit down, O Jerusalem (52:2). At that moment Be silent, all flesh, before the
Lord (Zechariah 2:17). Why? Because He is aroused out of His holy habitation
(ib.). R. Aha said: Like a fowl shaking its wings free from the ashes.

(See verse 19 below where the Temple is linked to the winepress of God.)

This pair of angels, in verses 17 and 18, working together to bring judgment to
the nations, would appear to be Michael and Gabriel. The specific reference to an
angel "having power of fire" clearly indicates Gabriel:

Midrash Rabbah, Exodus XVIII:5 - For the very ministering angels, who are
mighty in strength, that fulfil His word (Psalm 103:20) were made by God the
custodians of Israel. Who are they? Michael and Gabriel; as it says: I have set
watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem (Isaiah 62:6). When Sennacherib came,
Michael came out and smote them, and Gabriel, at God's behest, delivered
Hananiah and his companions. Why was this? Because God had made a
condition with them thus. When? When He desired to descend in order to deliver
Abraham from the fiery furnace, Michael and Gabriel said: ‘Let us go down and
deliver him.’ But He said to them: ‘Had he descended into the fiery furnace for
the sakes of one of you, then you would have delivered him. But since he went
down for My sake, I Myself will descend and save him,’ as it says: I am the Lord
that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 15:7). ' But I will appoint for
you another time when to descend, because ye were anxious to save him for the
glory of My name. Thou, Michael, shalt descend upon the camp of the Assyrians,
and thou, Gabriel, on the camp of the Chaldeans.’ When Gabriel came down to
deliver Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, he ordered the fire to scorch all those
who had thrown them in, as it says: The flame of the fire slew those men that
took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (Daniel 3:22). Some say that four
classes of governors died there; for at first it says: Then the satraps, the
prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the
sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces (ib. 3), while at this point four are
lacking, as it says: And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's
ministers (ib. 27). Hananiah then said: ’O praise the Lord, all ye nations’ (Psalm
117:1); Mishael said: ’Laud Him, all ye peoples’ (ib.), while Azariah said: ’ For His
mercy is great toward us ' (ib. 2), and the angel replied: ’And the truth of the
Lord endureth for ever (ib.), for it is true what He told me when I went down to
save Abraham.’ Michael also did what he had been promised, for it says: ’And it
came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went forth,’ etc. (II Kings
19:35). We have learnt: All the generals and officers were drinking wine and left
their vessels scattered about. God then said to Sennacherib: ' Thou hast done
thy part,’ as it says: By thy messengers thou hast taunted the Lord (ib. 23); ‘so
will I too send My messenger.’ What did He do to him?-And under his glory there
shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire (Isaiah 10:16). What is the
meaning of ’ and under his glory’? He burned their bodies within, leaving their
clothes without untouched,-the glory of man being his garments. Why did He
leave their garments? Because they were the descendants of Shem, as it says:
The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur (Genesis 10:22), and God said: ‘I owe it to
them for their father's sake, because he and Japheth took their garments and
covered the nakedness of their father,’ as it says: And Shem and Japheth took a
garment (IX, 23). For this reason did God say to Michael: ' Leave their garments
untouched, but burn their souls.’ What is written there? And when men arose
early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses (II Kings 19:35), hence
does it say: Morning by morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land (Psalm
101:8). Israel and Hezekiah sat that night and recited the Hallel, for it was
Passover, yet were in terror lest at any moment Jerusalem might fall at his
[Sennacherib's] hand. When they arose early in the morning to recite the shema’
and pray, they found their enemies dead corpses; for this reason did God say to
Isaiah: Call his name Maher-shalalhash-baz (Isaiah 8:3), and he did indeed
hasten to plunder their spoil. Another called him ’ Immanuel ‘, that is, ' I will be
with him,’ as it says: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God
(II Chronicles 32:8). Just as God did in this world through the hand of Michael and
Gabriel, so will He perform in the future also through them, for it says: And
saviours shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau (Obadiah 1:21)
- this refers to Michael and Gabriel.

There is an interesting gammatria regarding the angel Michael and God's

judgment coming from the Temple:

... Isaiah said, "For lo! The Lord shall come forth from His place," hinneh yhwh
yose' mi-meqomo (Isaiah 26:21). The word yose' (comes forth) has the numerical
value of Michael (i.e., both expressions equal 101). 2
18b
and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust
in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her
grapes are fully ripe."

It is not clear as to the exact identification of this "vine of the earth." The
reference to the grapes being "fully ripe" would be an allusion to reaching the
"full measure" of sinfulness.

Consider the following citations from Talmud and Midrash:

Talmud - Chullin 92a - R. Jeremiah b. Abba said: The ‘vine’ is Israel, for so it is
written: Thou didst pluck up a vine out of Egypt. The ‘three branches’ are the
three Festivals on which Israel go up [to the Temple] every year. ‘And as it was
budding’: the time Is come for Israel to be fruitful and to multiply, for so it is
written: And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly. ‘Its
blossoms shot forth’: the time is come for Israel to be redeemed. for so it is
written: And their lifeblood is dashed against My garments, and I have stained all
My raiment. ‘And the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes’: the time is
come for Egypt to drink the cup of staggering. And this is in accordance with
what Raba had said: Why are three cups mentioned in connection with Egypt?
One [refers to the cup] which she drank in the days of Moses; the other to that
which she drank in the days of Pharaoh-Necho; and the third to that which she is
destined to drink together with all the nations. R. Abba said to R. Jeremiah b.
Abba: When Rab expounded [this verse] in an Aggadic lecture he expounded it
as you have done. R. Simeon b. Lakish said: This people [Israel] is like unto a
vine: its branches are the aristocracy, its clusters the scholars, its leaves the
common people, its twigs those in Israel that are void of learning. This is what
was meant when word was sent from there [Palestine]. ‘Let the clusters pray for
the leaves, for were it not for the leaves the clusters could not exist’.

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXX:1 - NOW THESE ARE THE ORDINANCES (XXI,
1). Thus it is written, The strength also of the king who loveth justice (PS. XCIX,
4). When is strength assigned to God? When He executes judgment on the
heathen. Thus you will find that because the wicked Nebuchadnezzar was
haughty and said, Is not this great Babylon (Dan. IV, 27), God said to him: ' O
wicked mortal that thou art! Thou hast become haughty and sayest: By the
might of my power and for the glory of my majesty (ib.). Knowest thou not that
all greatness and power are Mine? Glory is Mine and majesty is Mine.’ Thus too
says David: Thine... is the greatness, and the power, and the glory (I Chron.
XXIX, 11), and also, O Lord my God, Thou art very great (Ps. CIV, 1). The Holy
One, blessed be He, said to Nebuchadnezzar: ‘The little royalty that has been
given thee all comes from Me.’ And thus said Daniel to him: Thou... unto whom
the God of heaven hath given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the
glory (Dan. II, 37); and yet thou sayest: ‘By the might of my power and for the
glory of my majesty’? This is the meaning of’ The strength also is of the king who
loveth justice.’1 Strength belongs to the supreme King of kings, the Holy One,
blessed be He, and He loveth justice and gave it to Israel His beloved. When it
says, Thou hast established equity (Ps. XCIX, 4), it means: Thou hast established
equity for those who love Thee; for through the ordinances Thou hast given
them, when they become involved in strife with one another, they submit their
quarrel to judgment and make peace. Israel said to God: ' Lord of the Universe!
How long wilt Thou delay in judging the heathen?’- The reply was: ‘Until the time
of vintage comes’; as it says, In that day sing ye of her: A vineyard of foaming
wine (Isa. XXVII, 2). Does then one glean his vineyard before the grapes ripen?
No, only after they are ripe does he pluck them, place them in the vat, and tread
them, while his fellow-labourers sing with him. Thus said God to Israel: ' Wait
until the time of Edom comes and then will I tread upon her,’ as it says, Upon
Edom do I cast my shoe (Ps. LX, 10); ‘I will begin [the song of redemption] for
you, and you will respond after Me;’ therefore does it say, ’In that day sing ye of
her: A vineyard of foaming wine.’ I the Lord do guard it, I water it every moment
(Isa. XXVII, 3).-I am biding My time with her to make her drink many cups, as it
says, ‘I water it every moment.’ I have only to glance at them to destroy them
completely from this world, but Fury is not in Me, as it is in them against My
children. What will I do to them? I would with one step burn it altogether (ib.).1
R. Levi said: God said to the heathen: ' Israel is Mine, as it says, For unto Me the
children of Israel are servants (Lev. XXV, 55), and fury is Mine, as it says, The
Lord avengeth and is full of wrath (Nahum I, 2), yet you are filled with what is
Mine [wrath] against Mine [Israel]?’ Hence it says, Would that I were as the briars
and thorns in flame (Isa. loc. cit.). Our Sages said that God replied to Israel: ' If I
were to alter My course of judgment, I would destroy them in a single flash, as it
says, If I alter [My judgment], then with the flash of My sword [would I act] (Deut.
XXXII, 41). But what do I do? My hand takes hold in judgment ' (ib.). Isaiah also
says, Or else let him take hold of My strength (XXVII, 5), and ’My strength’
means judgment, as it says, ’ The strength also of the king who loveth justice.’
God said to Israel: ‘Just as I could overstep the bounds of judgment on the
heathen, yet do not overstep them but adhere to judgment, so must you not
pass without the bounds of judgment,’1 as it says, NOW THESE ARE THE
ORDINANCES.

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 97a - It has been taught: R. Nehorai said: in the
generation when Messiah comes, young men will insult the old, and old men will
stand before the young [to give them honour]; daughters will rise up against
their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. The people
shall be dog-faced, and a son will not be abashed in his father's presence. It has
been taught, R. Nehemiah said: in the generation of Messiah's coming
impudence will increase, esteem be perverted, the vine yield its fruit, yet shall
wine be dear, and the Kingdom will be converted to heresy with none to rebuke
them. This supports R. Isaac, who said: The son of David will not come until the
whole world is converted to the belief of the heretics. Raba said: What verse
[proves this]? it is all turned white: he is clean. Our Rabbis taught: For the Lord
shall judge his people, and repent himself of his servants, when he seeth that
their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left: the son of David will not
come until denunciators are in abundance. Another interpretation [of their power
is gone]: until scholars are few. Another interpretation: until the [last] perutah
has gone from the purse. Yet another interpretation: until the redemption is
despaired of, for it is written, there is none shut up or left, as — were it possible
[to say so] — Israel had neither Supporter nor Helper.

The idea of "the vine" being presented in a negative context is seen in this Zohar
passage which shows Israel attaching itself to "the vine of Sodom" (i.e.,
Revelation 11:8) when they sin:

Here the idea of "the strange vine" takes on a broader context:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 238b - The clusters thereof brought forth ripe
grapes, in which to keep the precious wine. All this was seen by that sinner.
Further, he saw the cup of Pharaoh in his hands; this is the cup of confusion
which sucks in from the court of judgement and which issued from the grapes
that were given to Pharaoh; and he drank it as it was, on account of Israel. When
Joseph heard this he rejoiced, remarking the truth which the dream contained,
and therefore he gave it a good interpretation. Thus the words “binding his foal
unto the vine” indicate that all the forces of the Gentiles are to be subdued
beneath that vine, as we have said, their power being bound up and subdued.’ R.
Simeon said: ‘There are two kinds of vine. There is the holy celestial vine, and
there is the vine which is called “the vine of Sodom, the strange vine”; and
therefore Israel is called “this vine”. And when Israel sinned and abandoned “this
vine”, then it was said of them: “For from the vine of Sodom is their vine” (Deut.
XXXIII, 32).’
19
So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth,
and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

The following Midrash associates the wine press and judgment with God's
"house," i.e., Temple. Again the process of unification (i.e., coming of Messiah) is
both "good news" and "bad news" as judgment comes (via the Temple, i.e.,
Binah):

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations Prologue XXXII - R. Hanina opened his

discourse with the text, Though I would take comfort (mabligithi) against sorrow,
my heart is faint within me (Jeremiah 8:18). What means ’mabligithi’? Because
there are none (mibli) who meditate (hogim) in the Torah to perform Divine
precepts and meritorious acts, I have made My house into My wine-press (gitti).

The reference to the "great winepress" is indicative of judgment against the

nations, specifically Edom/Esau, (i.e., the nations who have historically
persecuted Israel):

Isaiah 63:1-6 - Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from
Bozrah? This one who is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his
strength? I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is your apparel red,
and your garments like his who tramples in the wine press? I have trampled the
winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me; for I have trampled
them in my anger, and trampled them in my fury; and their blood was sprinkled
upon my garments, and I have stained all my clothing. For the day of vengeance
is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. And I looked, and there
was none to help; and I was appalled that there was none to uphold; therefore
my own arm brought salvation to me; and my fury upheld me. And I trampled
down the people in my anger, and made them drunk in my fury, and I poured out
their lifeblood to the earth.

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis XVI:4 - AND THE FOURTH RIVER IS PERATH

(EUPHRATES): that is Edom, PERATH denoting that it upset (hefirah) and
harassed His world; PERATH denoting that it was fruitful (parath) and increased
through the blessing of that old man [sc. Isaac]; PERATH also denoting that I
[God] will ultimately consign it to oblivion (hafer); [finally, it is called] PERATH on
account of its ultimate destiny, as it is written, I have trodden the winepress
(purah) alone... (Isaiah 43:3).

These Zohar passages connect Messiah to this judgment:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 238a - HE HATH WASHED HIS GARMENT IN WINE .

With this may be compared the verse: “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with
dyed garments from Bozrah?” (Isaiah 63:1); and also: “I have trodden the
winepress alone, etc.” (Ibid. 3). “Wine” here alludes to the side of Geburah, of
stern justice which will be visited on the idolatrous nations. AND HIS VESTURE IN
THE BLOOD OF GRAPE . This is the lower-world tree, the judgement court which
is called “grapes”, in which the “wine” is kept. Thus the Messiah will be clothed
in both to crush beneath him all the idolatrous peoples and kings.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 239b-240a - “He hath washed his garments in
wine”, even from the time of the Creation the reference being to the coming of
the Messiah on earth. “Wine” indicates the left side, and “the blood of grapes”
the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule above over all the forces of
the idolatrous nations and to break their power above and below. We may also
explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet typifies judgement, so the Messiah
will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to the Gentiles.
20a
And the winepress was trampled outside the city,
20b
and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses' bridles, for one
thousand six hundred furlongs.

Although the texts generally depict the nations falling into "the winepress," Israel
is not immune to this type of judgment. The following midrashim speak of huge
amounts of Jewish blood being spilled, in both cases due to the failure of Israel's
leaders:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations Prologue XXIII - R. Judan asked R. Aha,

'Where did Israel slay Zechariah, in the Court of Women or in the Court of Israel?
' He replied, ‘In neither of these, but it was in the Court of the Priests. Nor did
they treat his blood as was done with the blood of the hind or ram of which it is
written, "He shall pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust." But in this
instance, they set it upon the bare rock (ib. 7). And for what purpose was all
this? " That it might cause fury to come up, that vengeance might be taken, I
have set her blood upon the bare rock, that it should not be covered.’’’Seven
transgressions were committed by Israel on that day: they killed a priest, a
prophet, and a judge, they shed innocent blood, they profaned the Divine Name,
they defiled the Temple Court, and all this was done on the Sabbath which was
also the Day of Atonement. When Nebuzaradan came up against Israel, the
blood began to seethe; so he asked them, ‘What kind of blood is this?’ They
replied, ‘The blood of bulls, rams, and lambs which we slay.’ He immediately
sent and had some blood of sacrificial animals brought to him, but it did not
behave similarly. He said to them, ' If you tell me, well and good; otherwise I will
comb your flesh with iron combs.’ They replied, ‘What shall we say to you? He
was a prophet who reproved us, so we rose against him and killed him, and for
several years now his blood has not stopped seething.’ He answered, ‘I will
appease it.’ They brought before him the men of the Great Sanhedrin and Minor
Sanhedrin and slew them until their blood mingled with the blood of Zechariah,
to fulfil that which was said, They break all bounds, and blood toucheth blood
(Hosea 4:2). The blood, however, continued to seethe; so they brought youths
and maidens and he slew them by it, and still it did not stop. They brought
school-children and slew them by it, and still it did not stop. Then they brought
eighty thousand priestly novitiates and he slew them until their blood mingled
with that of Zechariah, and still it continued to seethe. He exclaimed, ‘Zechariah,
Zechariah! All the choicest of them have I destroyed. Is it your pleasure that I
exterminate them all?’ As soon as he spoke thus, it stopped. Thereupon he
debated with himself whether to repent, saying, ' If such vengeance is exacted
for one life, how much more will happen to me for having taken so many lives’!
He fled, sent a parting gift to his household, and became a convert to Judaism.

Finally, this Midrash speaks of the supernatural power of the second-century

false messiah, Bar Koziba (aka "Bar Kochba") and how his downfall came when
he killed the religious leader of the city he was defending. We include this
passage specifically for the reference to the blood (of the city's Jews) going up to
the nostrils of the horses for a distance of four miles in the ensuing massacre.

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations II:4 - R. Johanan said: Rabbi used to

expound There shall step forth a star (kokab) out of Jacob (Numbers 24:17),
thus: read not ’kokab but kozab (lie). When R. Akiba beheld Bar Koziba he
exclaimed, ‘This is the king Messiah!’ R. Johanan b. Tortha retorted: ‘Akiba, grass
will grow in your cheeks and he will still not have come!’ R. Johanan said: The
voice is the voice of Jacob (Gen. 27:22)--the voice [of distress caused by] the
Emperor Hadrian, who slew eighty thousand myriads of human beings at Bethar.
Eighty thousand trumpeters besieged Bethar where Bar Koziba was located who
had with him two hundred thousand men with an amputated finger. The Sages
sent him the message, ' How long will you continue to make the men of Israel
blemished? ' He asked them, ' How else shall they be tested?’ They answered,
‘Let anyone who cannot uproot a cedar from Lebanon be refused enrolment in
your army.’ He thereupon had two hundred thousand men of each class; and
when they went forth to battle they cried, ' [O God,] neither help us nor
discourage us!’ That is what is written, Hast not Thou, O God, cast us off? And go
not forth, O God, with our hosts (Psalm 60:12). And what used Bar Koziba to do?
He would catch the missiles from the enemy's catapaults on one of his knees
and hurl them back, killing many of the foe. On that account R. Akiba made his
remark. For three and a half years the Emperor Hadrian surrounded Bethar. In
the city was R. Eleazar of Modim who continually wore sackcloth and fasted, and
he used to pray daily, ‘Lord of the Universe, sit not in judgment to-day!’ so that
[Hadrian] thought of returning home. A Cuthean went and found him and said,
‘My lord, so long as that old cock wallows in ashes you will not conquer the city.
But wait for me, because I will do something which will enable you to subdue it
to-day.’ He immediately entered the gate of the city, where he found R. Eleazar
standing and praying. He pretended to whisper in the ear of R. Eleazar of Modim.
People went and informed Bar Koziba, ' Your friend, R. Eleazar, wishes to
surrender the city to Hadrian.’ He sent and had the Cuthean brought to him and
asked, ‘What did you say to him?’ He replied, ' If I tell you, the king will kill me;
and if I do not tell you, you will kill me. It is better that I should kill myself and
the secrets of the government be not divulged.’ Bar Koziba was convinced that
R. Eleazar wanted to surrender the city, so when the latter finished his praying
he had him brought into his presence and asked him, ‘What did the Cuthean tell
you? ' He answered, ' I do not know what he whispered in my ear, nor did I hear
anything, because I was standing in prayer and am unaware what he said.’ Bar
Koziba flew into a rage, kicked him with his foot and killed him. A Bath Kol issued
forth and proclaimed, ’Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! The
sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye’ (Zechariah 11:17). It
intimated to him, ‘Thou hast paralysed the arm of Israel and blinded their right
eye; therefore shall thy arm wither and thy right eye grow dim! ' Forthwith the
sins [of the people] caused Bethar to be captured. Bar Koziba was slain and his
head taken to Hadrian. ' Who killed him? ' asked Hadrian. A Goth said to him, ‘I
killed him.’ ‘Bring his body to me,’ he ordered. He went and found a snake
encircling its neck; so [Hadrian when told of this] exclaimed, ‘If his God had not
slain him who could have overcome him?’ And there was applied to him the
verse, Except their Rock had given them over (Deuteronomy 32:30). They slew
the inhabitants until the horses waded in blood up to the nostrils, and the blood
rolled along stones of the size of forty se'ah and flowed into the sea [staining it
for] a distance of four miles.

1.See
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/majorconcepts/landofisrael/agents_of_a_foreign_de
ath_124.asp

2. Along the Path, Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, 1995, p. 167.

Revelation 15:1-8
Last update: February 22, 2005

1
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having
the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.

With the spiritual worlds of Beriah and Yetzirah having been "dealt with," it is
now time for the final phase of the rectification ("tikkun") of Creation -- this time
of the (spiritual) World of Asiyah and the physical earth. (It is interesting to note
that "tikkun" is an Aramaic word meaning both rectification and warfare, i.e., the
theme of Ephesians 6:10-18.)

As previously discussed, there is an integral relationship between the spiritual

and physical realms in that "events" in one not only impact the other, but that
which will occur in the physical realm has already been "ordained" in the upper
spiritual realms (i.e., in Beriah). This was first mentioned in our background
study, "As Above - So Below" and our notes for 11:19 to 12:6. See also notes to
verse 4 below. 1

This idea is also expressed as "drawing down" the perfection of the world of
Atzilut into the physical realm (tikkun/rectification of the lower Worlds):

The essence of the world of Asiya is action. The story of Creation concludes with
the words "that G-d made to do (or to rectify)." The word "to do", in Hebrew
la'asot, is derived from the same word as Asiya -- action. This world is created for
the sake of action, which means rectification. The near perfect state of
rectification of the world of Atzilut needs to be drawn down into this world too.
This world is created "incomplete." What it is "lacking" is the revelation of G-
dliness that is found to greater or lesser extent in the supernal worlds. The
rectification of Asiya is the revelation of G-dliness in this world through the
actions of man. 2

The will of God, "originating" in the perfection of Atzilut, and "established in

heaven" (i.e., the World of Beriah) will be "done" (i.e., "acted out") on earth (i.e.,
the World of "action" - Asiyyah).

This concept underlies the following quotations:

Matthew 6:9-10 - In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is
in heaven.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 197a - Observe that God has made the earthly
kingdom after the pattern of the heavenly kingdom, and whatever is done on
earth has been preceded by its prototype in heaven.

The life of the tzaddik assists in this process (including prayer, i.e., Matthew 6:9f)
with the tzaddik's work done primarily in the "connecting" world of Yetzirah (the
World of the soul).

Sometimes something has to be done in one World before the upper and lower
Worlds are "brought together." In this next passage Jerusalem and Israel "below"
must be dealt with first, before the heavenly realms join in to complete the
process:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 231a - I have made a covenant with my chosen.,’

This covenant is the secret of faith. Or we may interpret the “chosen one” of the
Zaddik from whom issue blessings to all the lower creation, all the holy Hayyoth
being blessed from the stream which flows forth to the lower world. “I have
sworn unto David my servant”, to wit, that he will always be established in this
Zaddik, the foundation of the world, save in the time of galuth (exile), when the
flow of blessing is cut off, and faith is defective, and all joy is banished. During
this period, at nightfall, joy no longer enters before the King. Yet, though
rejoicings do not enter, angels stand outside and chant hymns, and at midnight
when the impulse from below arrives on high, God arouses all the hosts of the
heaven for lamentation and strikes the firmament, causing upper and lower
worlds to quake; nor is there any respite save when those below commence to
study the Torah. Then God and all those with Him listen with joy to that voice,
and relief is felt. For on the day on which the Sanctuary below was destroyed,
God swore that He would not enter the celestial Jerusalem until Israel should
enter the earthly Jerusalem. Now all those singers stand outside and chant
hymns in the three watches of the night and intone praises, and all the hosts of
the heavens sing at night and Israel by day, nor is the sanctification recited
above until it is recited by Israel below, and only then do all the hosts of heaven
sanctify the holy name together. Hence, Israel are holy and are sanctified by
upper and lower angels, since the sanctification of the holy name is complete
only when uttered above and below together.’
We also see this idea in the following discussion on Joseph:

In his commentary on the Torah, Nachmanides (Ramban) poses this question:

Why didn't Joseph try to contact his father during all his time in Egypt? After all,
the distance between the land of Israel and Egypt is only "six days" of travelling,
according to Nachmanides' calculations. Why, when he became the head of
Potiphar's household -- and could easily do such a thing -- didn't Joseph send a
letter to his father, informing him that he was alive and well? Certainly, once he
became viceroy, the second most powerful man in Egypt, he could have done
anything he wanted. All those many years of Jacob languishing, mourning for his
favorite son, could have been avoided. Didn't Joseph miss his father just as
much? How could he be apart from him all those years? The answer which
Nachmanides offers is that Joseph could not contact Jacob until the dreams of his
youth had come true. Joseph had dreamt that his brothers would one day bow to
him, and his revelation of this dream had set off the brothers' jealous rage that
led to his eventual sale into slavery. Only when the dream came true could
Joseph be vindicated and reveal himself. 3

Another example is where Jacob wrestled with and defeating the "angel of Esau"
(as found in Genesis 32:24). Because the angel of Esau conceded defeat
"above," Esau had no more claim against Jacob "below."

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 172a - R. Abba said: ‘Assuredly Esau's wrath was
allayed at the moment he beheld Jacob, since his chieftain had confirmed Jacob's
claims, and therefore it would have been vain for Esau to vent his wrath. For all
the affairs of this world depend on what is done above, and whatever is agreed
upon above is accepted below, and no power can be exercised below until power
is granted above. Thus one world depends always on the other.’

The above idea of mutual "cause and effect" between the Worlds was introduced
(in a simple way) in our background study on "Spiritual Space." See also the
background study, "As Above, So Below."

Lastly, as mentioned in the previous section, the idea of "rivers" (emanating from
the "River of Eden") is closely linked to judgment. The following passage is
similar to John's "seven angels" in verse 2, in that the "seven rivers of fire" may
be seen as angels, based on Psalm 104.

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 64b - At the time called “between the evenings” all
those angels called “masters of howling” are vocal, and contention is rife in the
world. That is the time when the Holy One arouses Isaac [Tr. note: Geburah.] and
rises to judge the guilty who transgress the precepts of the Law. Seven rivers of
fire issue forth and descend on the heads of the wicked, along with burning coals
of fire.

Psalm 104:4 - Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
2a
And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire ...
John's description is similar to a passage found in Talmud, which describes what
was seen by one of four rabbis who "entered the garden" in a mystical
experience:

Hagigah 14b - When you come to the stones of pure marble, do not say,
"water, water!" For it is said: "He who speaks untruth shall not stand before my
eyes."

The above verse was also considered to have been a "warning" by this rabbi (R.
Akiva) to his colleagues that they should not proceed beyond their limits into
where they were prohibited. This goes back to our discussion on the relationship
between a person's spiritual purity and their level of attainable vision (See notes
on "purity" in Revelation 14:2-5.)

The Book of Enoch, depicting another "spiritual journey," presents a similar

picture:

Enoch 14:8-25 - And the vision was shown to me thus: Behold, in the vision
clouds invited me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the
lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in the vision caused me to fly
and lifted me upward, and bore me into heaven.. And I went in till I drew nigh to
a wall which is built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began
to affright me. And I went into the tongues of fire and drew nigh to a large house
which was built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a tesselated
floor (made) of crystals, and its groundwork was of crystal. Its ceiling was like
the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were fiery cherubim,
and their heaven was (clear as) water. A flaming fire surrounded the walls, and
its portals blazed with fire. And I entered into that house, and it was hot as fire
and cold as ice: there were no delights of life therein: fear covered me, and
trembling got hold upon me. And as I quaked and trembled, I fell upon my face.
And I beheld a vision, And lo! there was a second house, greater than the
former, and the entire portal stood open before me, and it was built of flames of
fire. And in every respect it so excelled in splendour and magnificence and
extent that I cannot describe to you its splendour and its extent. And its floor
was of fire, and above it were lightnings and the path of the stars, and its ceiling
also was flaming fire. And I looked and saw therein a lofty throne: its appearance
was as crystal, and the wheels thereof as the shining sun, and there was the
vision of cherubim. And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming
fire so that I could not look thereon. And the Great Glory sat thereon, and His
raiment shone more brightly than the sun and was whiter than any snow. None
of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the
magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. The flaming fire was
round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw
nigh Him: ten thousand times ten thousand (stood) before Him, yet He needed
no counselor. And the most holy ones who were nigh to Him did not leave by
night nor depart from Him. And until then I had been prostrate on my face,
trembling: and the Lord called me with His own mouth, and said to me: 'Come
hither, Enoch, and hear my word.' And one of the holy ones came to me and
waked me, and He made me rise up and approach the door: and I bowed my
face downwards.
2b
and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his
mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having
harps of God.

These who "have victory" avoid the punishment of the angels. That they lack the
"mark of the beast" is directly tied to the judgment placed in the hands of the
seven angels. The Zohar states that such a mark (good or bad) is used by the
angels to identify those who are judged (reminiscent of the tenth plague of Egypt
where the doors were to be marked):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 101b,102a - The fact is that angels do not know
of happenings in this world save what is necessary for their mission. This is
borne out by the text, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt... I am the Lord”
(Exodus. 12:12), which indicates that although the Holy One had many
messengers and angels to perform His work, yet they would not have been able
to distinguish between the germ of the first-born and of the later born-only the
Almighty Himself could do this. Another example is the verse, “and set a mark
upon the foreheads of the men etc.” (Ezekiel 9:4), which proves that the angels
require a mark, as otherwise they only know what is specially communicated to
them, as, for instance, the sufferings which the Holy One is about to bring upon
the world as a whole and which He proclaims throughout the seven heavens.

The idea of angels "requiring a mark" to make "identification" gives us further

insight into this verse. John speaks of having victory over "four things" -- the
beast, his image, his mark and the number of his name. These four descriptions
may be seen as paralleling the "four worlds" of existence (see previous study on
this).

Within the four worlds of existence (as well as within the idea of ten Sefirot) we
have both a "good" and "evil" realm. A clear mention of this is found in the
Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 70b- The Holy One, blessed be He, has produced ten
holy crowns above wherewith He crowns and invests Himself, and He is they and
they are He, being linked together like the flame and the coal. Corresponding to
these are ten crowns beneath, which are not holy, and which cling to the
uncleanness of the nails of a certain holy Crown called Wisdom, wherefore they
are called “wisdoms”. We have learnt that these ten species of wisdom came
down to this world, and all were concentrated in Egypt, save one which spread
through the rest of the world. [Tr. note: v. T.B. Kiddushin, 49b.] They are all
species of sorcery, and through them the Egyptians were more skilled in sorcery
than all other men.

Thus, there are "10 unholy crowns" (Sefirot) and "ten unholy worlds of existence"
corresponding to the holy ones. What we have in verse 2 is an understanding of
the "beast" across the "four worlds" of the Sitra Achra (or "Sitra Atra"), i.e., the
"evil realm." This being may also be seen as a "personification" of evil, just as
Messiah is the personification of "goodness."

John's four-part description may be viewed as follows:

• Atzilut: The "image" (Reciprocal to the "image of God" exsiting prior to

Creation/Beriah. This can also allude to the world of Asiyyah, as found in
the base image [a physical idol], as depicted in Revelation chapter 13 on a
literal level. This is consistent with the kabbalistic concept of "the
beginning being embedded in the end." 4

Beriah: The "number" (Numbers being the foundation of creation - the

gemmatria of the Hebrew letters, as well as the mathematics to modern physics,
i.e., "String Theory." Also, the "number of the beast" requiring "understanding"
[Rev. 13:18], i.e., Binah which is associated with Beriah.)

Yetzirah: The "mark" (Here the mark being the identifier for the angels of
Yetzirah as described above. What is truly "marked" is a person's soul - again in
the world of Yetzirah.)

Asiyyah: Corresponding to "the beast." (Again, this may be viewed as the

physical person as well as in the sense of the "Atzilutic beast.")

This four-fold description corresponds (in the "negative" sense) to the Messiah,
who is also viewed "across" the four worlds:

Atzilut: The "name" (image) of Messiah pre-existing the world (creation/Beriah) 5

Beriah: The "lamb" in the Throne, the "high priest at the right hand of the Father"

Yetzirah: Metatron, the Angel of the Lord

Asiyyah: Messiah ben Joseph, Messiah ben David

3
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb,
saying: "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true
are Your ways, O King of the saints!
Their are numerous references to the "Song of Moses" in Hebraic writings. Both
the song at the Sea (Exodus 15) and the song just prior to Moses' death
(Deuteronomy 32) are called "the Song of Moses." What is consistent among the
citations is the connection to the coming of Messiah and unification of the Name
of God.

The following three citations from the Zohar make this point:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 54a,b - “Moses and the children of Israel will sing
this song.” The same is implied in the words: “As in the days of thy going out of
the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvelous things” (Micah VII, 15), where
the “him” refers to Moses. Also: “I will show him the salvation of God” (Psalm
50:24); “I will show him my salvation” (ibid. 91:16). Moses and the children of
Israel will then sing “this song unto the Lord”: the song of the Matrona to the
Holy One, blessed be He. We have been taught that every one who sings this
hymn daily with true devotion will be worthy to sing it at the Redemption that is
to be, for it refers both to the past world and to the future world; it contains
confirmations of faith and mysteries relating to the days of the Messiah. The
Shekinah will sing this song to the Lord, because the King will receive Her with a
radiant countenance. R. Jose said that the Shekinah will praise the Lord for all
the concentration of light and holiness which the Holy King shall direct towards
her. Said R. Judah: ‘If this is the song of the Shekinah, why does it say that Moses
and the children of Israel sang it? Blessed were they that they knew how to
praise Him for all the power and might which the Shekinah receives and shall
receive from Him, the Holy King!’ According to R. Abba, the singing is to be
directed, not to any of the emanations of the Deity, but to the Holy King in His
very essence, as it says, concerning the song of Moses and the children of Israel,
that they sang “to the Lord” R. Jose said that the words “this song to the Lord”
refer to the “river that issues forth from Eden” (Genesis 2:10), from which all the
abundance of oil issues to kindle the lights; whereas the words “I will sing unto
the Lord” (Ibid.) refer to the Supernal Holy King.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 131b, 132a - For when Israel is occupied with the
singing of psalms and hymns of praise and with prayer, three groups of supernal
angels also assemble. One consists of holy beings who praise Him in the day-
time-for there are also those who praise Him at night-in company with the
Israelites; the second group consists of those holy angels who are always
present in the midst of Israel at every Sanctus, and who have sway over all those
celestial beings who are roused by Israel's sanctifications here below; the third
celestial host is composed of those “virgins” whose office is to be maids of
honour to the Shekinah, and to prepare Her to meet the King. These are the
most supreme groups of angels, who join the worshippers in their singing of the
Psalms of King David. When the Israelites have ended their singing of the Psalms
of David, they sing the song of Moses (“The Song of the Sea”). Why do the
Psalms of David come before the Song of the Sea? Does not the “written Torah”
take precedence of the Oral Law, and even of the Prophets and the Writings, of
which latter the Psalms form a part? The reason is that just because of its
importance above all other hymns and because the Community of Israel cannot
be perfected except by means of the written Torah, it must be recited in close
proximity to the prayer said when seated. At the hour when the Song of the Sea
is recited the Community of Israel is crowned with the crown wherewith the Holy
One, in the time that is to be, will crown the King Messiah. That crown is
engraved with Holy Names, those same Names which glittered as crowns of fire
upon the head of the Holy One Himself on the day when Israel crossed the Sea
and Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned therein. Therefore that song must be
recited with special devoutness, and he who is able to recite this hymn in the
present world will be found worthy to behold King Messiah in the hour of His
crowning and to sing then this song of redemption. All this is beyond dispute.

Soncino Zohar, Devarim, 285a - R. Simeon said: ‘What is the most perfect
hymn? One that is addressed both by the lower to the higher and by the higher
to the lower, and which then combines the two. From whose example do we
know this? From this song of Moses. First the lower addresses the higher in the
words, “For I will call on the name of the Lord”, and again, “Ascribe greatness to
our God”, the reference being to the Most High King. Afterwards he traces the
degrees from higher to lower, as it is written, “righteous and upright”. Finally the
knot of faith is tied in the words “he is”. This should be the example for every
man in arranging the praises of his Master. At first he should ascend from the
lower to the higher till he carries the honour of his Master to the place whence
issues the stream of the most recondite fountain. Then he draws it downwards
from that moistening stream to each grade in turn down to the lowest grade, so
that blessings are drawn to all from on high. Then he has to knit all firmly
together with the knot of faith, and this is the man who honours the name of his
Master by unifying the Holy Name. Of such a one it is written, “Them that honour
me I will honour” (I Samuel 2:30), that is, them that honour Me in this world I will
honour in the next. “But”, the verse goes on, “they that despise me shall be
lightly esteemed”. This applies to one who does not know how to unify the Holy
Name, to bind the knot of faith, and to bring blessings to the proper place; for
whoever does not know how to honour the name of his Master were better not to
have been born.
4a
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy.
For all nations shall come and worship before You ...

This verse is grounded in a Psalm of David:

Psalm 86 - A Prayer of David. Incline your ear, O Lord, answer me; for I am poor
and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am pious; O my God, save your servant who
trusts in you. Be merciful to me, O Lord; for I cry to you daily. Rejoice the soul of
your servant; for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. For you, Lord, are good, and
ready to forgive; and of bountiful love toward all those who call upon you. Give
ear, O Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. On the
day of my trouble I will call on you; for you will answer me. Among the gods
there is none like you, O Lord; nor are there any works like yours. All nations
whom you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord; and shall
glorify your name. For you are great, and you do wondrous things; you alone are
God. Teach me your way, O Lord; I will walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear
your name. I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify
your name for evermore. For great is your loving kindness toward me; and you
have saved my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, the arrogant have risen
against me, and the assembly of violent men have sought after my soul; and
have not set you before them. But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and
gracious, long suffering, and bountiful in loving kindness and truth. O turn to me,
and have mercy upon me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son
of your maidservant. Show me a sign for good; that they who hate me may see
it, and be ashamed; because you, Lord, have helped me, and comforted me.

Several texts indicate that the nations will indeed bow to the Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 107b - For whilst the Holy One is taking
vengeance on the idolatrous nations, He “will make a man more precious than
gold”, to wit, the Messiah, who will be raised and glorified above all mankind,
and to whom all mankind will pay homage and bow down, as it is written,
“Before him those that dwell in the wilderness will bow down ... the Kings of
Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute” (Psalm 72:9-10).

Yalqut haMakhiri ad Isaiah. 11:4, p. 86 - In the days of the Messiah, he will

begin (to address the nations) in peace ... and they will subject themselves to
him ... and will bring him presents. 6

Midrash Leqah Tov, ed. Buber, 1:235 - In the days of the Messiah the
nations will bow down to him. 7

David also writes how the nations coming to accept God is prerequisite to
unification of the Name. The Zohar offers the following commentary:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 69a - R. Eleazar continued: ‘It is written, “Therefore

I shall praise thee, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises unto thy name”
(Psalm 18:50). David said this under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, when he
saw that the glory of the Holy One is not exalted and honoured in the world as it
should be, unless other nations also contribute. It is true that the Holy One is
glorified for Israel's sake alone; but while Israel are the foundation of the divine
light from out of which issues forth light for the whole world, yet when heathen
nations come to accept the glory of the Holy One and to worship Him, then the
foundation of the light is strengthened, and all its rays are unified, and then the
Holy One reigns above and below. This is exactly what happened when Jethro,
the high priest of paganism, was converted to the worship of the true God of
Israel: the whole world, hearing of the mighty works of the Holy One, and seeing
that the great sage, Jethro, had been drawn to worship the God of Israel, gave up
their idols, realizing their impotence, and in this way the glory of the Holy Name
of God was exalted on all sides. For this reason the narrative concerning Jethro
has been preserved in the Torah, with Jethro's name at the head.
4b
... For Your judgments have been manifested."
(See above discussion on verse 1 regarding the physical manifestation of that
which has been ordained in the heavenlies.)

The "manifestation of judgments" in the physical realm culminates in the coming

of the Messiah and unification of the Name of God. As stated earlier, this is seen
as the "playing out" of that which was conceived of Messiah from the "foundation
of the world":

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 239b, 240a - “He hath washed his garments in
wine”, even from the time of the Creation the reference being to the coming of
the Messiah on earth. “Wine” indicates the left side, and “the blood of grapes”
the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule above over all the forces of
the idolatrous nations and to break their power above and below. We may also
explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet typifies judgement, so the Messiah
will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to the Gentiles. The “spirit of God
which hovered over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2) is the spirit of the
Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he “washed his garments in celestial
wine.”

Revelation 13:8 - All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names
have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world.

1 Peter 1:20 - Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you.

Hebrews 4:3 - For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So
I swore in My wrath, "They shall not enter My rest," although the works were
finished from the foundation of the world.
5
After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven was opened.

Recall that the Temple ("My House" below) itself is associated with judgment:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations Prologue XXXII - R. Hanina opened his

discourse with the text, Though I would take comfort (mabligithi) against sorrow,
my heart is faint within me (Jeremiah 8:18). What means ’mabligithi’? Because
there are none (mibli) who meditate (hogim) in the Torah to perform Divine
precepts and meritorious acts, I have made My house into My wine-press (gitti).
6
And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues,
clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.

Linen is associated with judgment (i.e., Revelation 19:11-15). The linen garments
of the seven angels is reminiscent of the judgment found in Ezekiel chapters 9-
10. That account also indicates six "men" (angels) with a seventh specific angel
in linen. (A "mark" is also placed on the heads of the righteous - for the sake of
the angels - as mentioned in verse 2b above.)

Midrash gives this account of Ezekiel's vision:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations II:3 - It is written, And, behold, six men
came forth from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every
man with his weapon of destruction in his hand; and one man in the midst of
them clothed in linen, with a writer's ink-horn on his side. And they went in, and
stood beside the brazen altar (Ezekiel 9:2). The number ‘six’ is mentioned here;
but there were five decrees, as it is written, And to the others He said in my
hearing: Go ye through the city after him, and smite; let not your eye spare,
neither have ye pity (ib. 5); and it is written, Slay utterly the old man, the young
man and the maiden, and little children and women (ib. 6)! R. Johanan said: He
spoke thus to the sternest of the angels, viz. Gabriel ; as it is stated, ’And one
man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's ink-horn on his side.’
That angel served in three capacities: as scribe, executioner, and High Priest.
‘Scribe,’ as it is written, ’With a writer's ink-horn on his side’; ‘executioner,’ as it
is said, He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter
(Isaiah 34:2); and ‘High Priest’, as it is said, ’And one man in the midst of them
clothed in linen,’ while of the High Priest it is written, He shall put on the holy
linen tunic (Leviticus 16:4). ’Every man with his weapon of destruction in his
hand’: viz. his weapon for fighting, his implement for rasing, and his instrument
to cause the exile. ‘His weapon for fighting,’ [as it is said,] ’Every man with his
weapon of destruction in his hand.’ ‘His implement for rasing,’ [as it is said,]
When he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in
pieces (Isaiah 27:9). ' His instrument to cause the exile,’ as it is written, Thou art
My maul and weapons of war (Jeremiah 51:20).
7
Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden
bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.

The relationship between the (Beriatic) Temple and the "four living creatures" is
discussed in the following Midrash and Zohar passages. In the Midrash, the four
creatures are said to be "engraved in the Throne of Glory, showing God's
authority over them:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs III:23 - There are four lordly creatures.
The lord among the birds is the eagle; the lord among cattle is the ox; the lord
among beasts is the lion; and the lord over all of them is man. The Holy One,
blessed be He, took them and engraved them the Throne of Glory, as it says, The
Lord hath established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all
(Psalm 103:19). The fact that He has established His throne above the lordly
ones proves that ’His kingdom ruleth over all’.

In the Zohar, the four creatures are said to "support" the Throne in that they
carry out the will of God into the lower worlds:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 211b - “The heads of the living creatures”, every
one having four faces, that of a lion, an ox, an eagle, and that of a man, the
latter embracing them all-as it says: “And the likeness of their faces was that of
a man” (Ezekiel 1:10)-are identical with the four “heads of the rivers” (Genesis
2:10); and it is they who support the Divine Throne; and out of the weight of that
burden they ooze perspiration; and out of that perspiration there was formed the
River of Fire (nehar dinur), of which it is written “a fiery stream issued and came
forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him” (Daniel 7:10).
8
The temple ...

We may assume from the flow of the text that John is continuing to refer to the
"heavenly temple." The following text discusses both spiritual and physical
temples as well as the Tabernacle:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 241a - R. Jose asked R. Simeon: ‘How is it that

Scripture seems to speak of three Tabernacles, in that it says: “And on the day
that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the
tent of the testimony; and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the
appearance of fire, until morning” (Numbers 9:15)? And further, why
“tabernacle” rather than “house”, inasmuch as a house was needed rather than
a temporary abode?’ R. Simeon prefaced his reply with the verse: “Thus saith
the Lord: The heaven is my throne, etc.” (Isaiah 66:1). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that
the Holy One, blessed be He, found delight in Israel as His inheritance and
portion, brought them near to Himself, and divided them into certain grades
after the celestial model, so as to bring into one complete whole all the worlds,
both the upper and the lower. Thus “the heaven is my throne” indicates the
firmament wherein Jacob dwells, an exalted image, as it were, of the most high
Divine Throne ; [Tr. note: Al. “an exalted throne for the supernal sacred
form.”]”And the earth is My footstool”, to wit, the firmament where King David
abides to feast on the resplendency of the luminous glass; and since this
resplendency is designed to be diffused downwards, the term “My footstool” is
used. “The house that ye may build unto me” alludes to the Temple; and “the
place that may be my resting-place” speaks of the Holy of Holies of the lower
Temple. Now observe that all the time that the Israelites wandered in the desert
they possessed a Tabernacle, which remained in existence until they came to
Shiloh. This, then, is the allusion of the threefold mention of the word
“tabernacle”, that it went from one place to another, carrying a trail of light
through all, but it was not a permanent resting-place. This only came about
when the Temple was built in the days of King Solomon. Then was there indeed
rest, both in the upper world and the lower; there were no more journeyings
from place to place. The difference between “tabernacle” and “house” may be
illustrated thus. In regard to the former we have to imagine a king who comes to
visit his friend without bringing with him all his retinue, but only a few
attendants, so as not to put his friend to trouble. But a “house” is a place where
he comes to abide accompanied by his full retinue. The Temple, then, was
designed as an ever-enduring resting-place for all the legions, all the symbols, all
the solemn works, on the model of the celestial Temple; but the Tabernacle was
the same, only on a small scale.
8b
... was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one
was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were
completed.
The judgment coming from the temple, is associated with the "glory" and the
"power" of God. This would allude to the two "judgmental" Sefirot, Malkut (glory)
and Gevurah (power). Further, this would indicate a state of less mitigated
judgment as the sinfulness of mankind has caused a "disruption" of the Sefirot in
the "separation" of Malkut from the rest (as has been discussed throughout
earlier studies).

The "normal flow of judgment" typically "softened" by passing through Ze'er

Anpin (the "Son") to Malkut (the "Daughter") no longer does so. Thus, judgment
comes directly and forcefully from Gevurah to and through Malkut. Keep in mind
that the "character" of Malkut, being the "last" of the Sefirot is determined by
"what comes before it."

An explanation of this is found in the notes to the Soncino edition of the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar Appendix II, THE COSMIC SCHEME OF THE ZOHAR - The
Zohar, as has been explained in the Appendix to Vol. I, draws a distinction
between the seventh of the secondary grades [Malkut] and the preceding six,
[Ze'er Anpin] corresponding to the distinction drawn in the first chapter of
Genesis between the seventh day and the preceding six. The essence of this
distinction, according to the Zohar, is that the six grades are active creative or
controlling forces, whereas the seventh is by comparison passive, merely
reflecting the work of the others.

(See also the above reference in notes to verse 1 from Soncino Zohar, Vayikra,
64b, regarding Gevurah.)

It is also worth repeating an explanation from Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, found in an

earlier study:

There are two modes through which God judges the world, the Attribute of
Judgment (Midat HaDin) and the Attribute of Mercy (Midat haRachamim). The
Attribute of Judgment demands a single, fixed, unmitigated response for any
wrong, while the Attribute of Mercy admits a number of mitigated responses.
Therefore, Judgment comes from the Female, which is derived from a single
Sefirah, Malkhut-Kingship, and therefore has just one single response. Zer Anpin,
on the other hand, is constructed from six Sefirot, and therefore allows an
infinite blend of responses. It is therefore the source of the Attribute of Mercy.
Actually, however, all providence ultimately comes from the Sefirah of Malkhut-
Kingship, this being the definition of the word. But in order for Malkhut-Kingship
to act in a mode Mercy, it must be bound to Zer Anpin, this being the concept of
the Supernal Union. This Union, however, takes place through Yesod-
Foundation ...

We will elaborate on the "Millennial Temple" (Ezekiel chapters 40-48) in our

notes to chapter 19.
1. An excellent, concise study of the four worlds of existence, from a Chasidic
viewpoint, is "The Four Worlds," by Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneersohn of Lubavitch,
available from www.kehotonline.com

2.
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Introductions/firststeps/Worlds_6_Action_and_the_P
hysical.asp

3. http://www.aish.com/torahportion/moray/The_Beauty_of_Joseph.asp

4. i.e., Sefer Yetzirah, (1:7) states: "Ten Sefirot of Nothingness: Their end is
embedded in their beginning, and their beginning in their end, like a flame in a
burning coal. For the Master is singular, He has no second. And before One, what
do you count?"

5. Talmud - Pesachim 54a. See also Jewish Encyclopedia on preexistence (of the
Messiah) at: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=504&letter=P

6. As cited in The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press,
Detroit, 1979, p. 177.

7. ibid, p. 178.

Revelation 16:1-21
Last update: May 7, 2005

1
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and
pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth."

As mentioned in previous studies, the "heavenly Temple" is associated with the

Sefirah of Binah, which "sits atop" the "left pillar of judgment" on the kabbalistic
Tree of Life. The actual source of "pure judgment" is the Sefirah of Gevurah (also
called Din) which lies directly "below" Binah on the left side of the Tree:

Binah emanates Din (Gevurah/Judgment), which signifies the power of severity

and absolute justice. 1

The lack of repentance on the part of the inhabitants of the earth has caused a
"disunity" among the Sefirot, in that the "pure" judgment from Gevurah is no
longer being "softened" throught the "mitigating Sefirot" of Hesed-Tiferet-Yesod,
but is "descending directly" from Gevurah to Malkut. The end result is complete
"imbalance" and the destruction seen in the ensuing paragraphs of Revelation.

Alone, the polarities of the Sefirot - right and left, active and passive, male and
female, good and evil, - remain ineffectual. A universe of extremes cannot
endure. All opposites need to be moderated by another element in order to be
brought into a state of harmony and balance. 2

As shown in the kabbalistic classic, Sha'are Orah (Gates of Light), when judgment
comes to the last Sefirah of Malkut directly from Gevurah, then Malkut (i.e.,
Shekinah) which is "passive," acts in accord to what it is "receiving" from above,
in this case from the forces of the evil realm:

(Malkut/Shekinah) ... draws from external elements known as ra choleh (evil

sickness) which contains all kinds of destructive forces and sufferings, These, in
turn, are sent into the world to all living creatures, each according to how he is
judged. Thus the world becomes filled with plagues and afflictions. 3

EGYPT - "PART TWO"

This last set of judgments bears similarity to those that God inflicted upon Egypt
at the time of Moses. An important teaching in Judaism is that last redemption
will be very much like the first from Egypt.

For example:

Midrash Rabbah, Exodus III:4 - What is the meaning of God's statement,

THAT I (ANOKI) HAVE SENT THEE? Our Sages said it is symbolic of the first
deliverance, for with an anoki Israel came into Egypt, as it is said: ‘ I (anoki) will
go down with thee into Egypt’ (Genesis 46:4), and with an anoki will I take you
out. It is also symbolic of the latter redemption, for with an anoki will they be
healed and redeemed, as it is said: Behold, I (anoki) will send you Elijah the
prophet.

The term "anoki" in the above text is actually an Egyptian word adopted into the
Hebrew. Its meaning is significant:

Anochi signifies the first redemption from Egypt and the last redemption through
Moshiach.” Anochi is an explicit expression of compassion, consolation and
comfort. Indeed, Anochi is an acronym with every one of its four letters
signifying Biblical prophecies of the Messianic consolations and comfort. 4

The following citations from various sources also show that;

• the second redemption will also include many visibile miracles

• the final redemption will make the ultimate impact on not only Israel, but
the whole world

• belief in this second redemption is equivalent to the first of the Ten

Commandments

In the same manner that the Jews in Egypt saw signs and wonders during the
time of their redemption from bondage. So too, we shall see revelations of G-
dliness, revelations that our eyes of flesh and blood can not believe, revelations
that our minds will stutter to comprehend, revelations of G-dliness so amazing
that we will walk like drunkards, unbelieving our own eyes and ears. When the
final redemption comes, with the arrival of the messiah, we will stagger from the
power of one revelation, until we are shown another revelation, which is even
greater than that which preceded it. We will not have words to express the
sights that our eyes will behold. 5
The redemption of Egypt, which serves as a prototype for the final redemption,
had universal concerns -- not merely does it illustrate the removal of the Jews
from this foreign land, but it serves as a powerful polemic against the greatest
civilization in the world at that time. When the final redemption comes, it will not
be of parochial, Jewish concern. It will be the greatest event in the history of the
world, which will convince all the people of the world of the error of their ways. 6

The Sefer Mitzvos HaKatan wrote in his explanation of the Positive Mitzvah of, "I
am G-d, your G-d, Who took you out of Egypt," that it means one must know
that, He Who created Heaven and Earth alone controls [the world] above and
below. However, to this he added, "This [mitzvah] is the basis for what the rabbis
teach: At the time of a person's judgment after death, they ask him, 'Did you
anticipate redemption?' (Shabbos31a). Where is this mitzvah written? Actually, it
comes from this [same mitzvah], for just as, 'I am G-d, your G-d, Who took you
out of Egypt,' means that we are expected to believe that G-d redeemed us from
Egypt, and it also means, 'Just as I want you to believe that I took you out [from
Egypt], I also want you to believe that I, G-d, your G-d, will gather you in and
redeem you in mercy a second time'." According to what he (Sefer Mitzvos
HaKatan) has said, belief in the future redemption is part of our faith in, "I am G-
d, your G-d," and thus is the first of the Ten Commandments. 7

It is further taught that each of the Ten Plagues combated a corresponding

emanation of wickedness (i.e., the "evil" Sefirot of the Sitra Achra - see
reference to Zohar, Vayikra, 70b, in notes to verse 2b in the previous study.)
Thus, there is a relationship between the Ten Commandments, ten plagues, ten
"holy" Sefirot, ten "evil" Sefirot, etc.

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 70b- The Holy One, blessed be He,
has produced ten holy crowns above wherewith He crowns and invests Himself,
and He is they and they are He, being linked together like the flame and the
coal. Corresponding to these are ten crowns beneath, which are not holy, and
which cling to the uncleanness of the nails of a certain holy Crown called
Wisdom, wherefore they are called “wisdoms”. We have learnt that these ten
species of wisdom came down to this world, and all were concentrated in Egypt,
save one which spread through the rest of the world. [Tr. note: v. T.B. Kiddushin,
49b.] They are all species of sorcery, and through them the Egyptians were more
skilled in sorcery than all other men. When the Egyptians desired to consort with
the demons, they used to go out to certain high mountains and offer sacrifices
and make trenches in the ground and pour some of the blood around the
trenches and the rest into them and put flesh over it, and bring offerings to the
demons. Then the demons used to collect and consort with them on the
mountain. Israel, being subject to the Egyptians, learnt their ways and went
astray after them; hence God said to them: “After the doings of the land of Egypt
in which ye have dwelt shall ye not do”, and also, “And they shall no more
sacrifice their sacrifices unto the satyrs after whom they go a-whoring”, since, as
we have learnt, the demons used to appear to them in the form of he-goats. R.
Hiya said: ‘This is the last of the unholy crowns, as we have learnt.’ R. Isaac said,
in the name of R. Judah, that the souls of the wicked are the demons of this
world. Said R. Jose: ‘If so, the wicked are well off; where is their punishment in
Gehinnom? Where is the evil in store for them in the other world?’ R. Hiya
replied: ‘We have learnt and laid down that when the souls of the wicked leave
this world many executioners of judgement await them and take them to
Gehinnom, and subject them there to three tortures every day. Afterwards they
go about the world in company with them and mislead the wicked, from whom
repentance is withheld, and then return to Gehinnom and punish them there,
and so every day’.

It is possible to construct a parallel between the final judgments in this chapter

of Revelation and the "lower seven" Sefirot. Note that of the seven judgments,
the first six are active, corresponding to the six Sefirot of Ze'er Anpin, whereas
the seventh is passive (verse 17 - "It is finished"), in the likeness of Malkut (see
comment to verse 1 above and also 17 below).

What we have is a progression through Ze'er Anpin, "from the bottom up":

• Verse 2 - Yesod

• Verses 3 & 4 - Hod and Netzah

• Verse 8 - Tiferet

• Verse 10 - Gevurah

• Verse 12 - Hesed

Interestingly, the final redemption is said to occur by way of the more difficult
route "from below" as opposed to "from above" if Israel does not merit the latter.

As explained by Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh:

Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (who passed away in 5503), author of the commentary Or
HaChaim, explains our verse as referring in its entirety to the Mashiach. He
explains that the Mashiach's coming will be hastened, if the Jewish People merit
it, and if not, then he will come "in its appointed time." This is the meaning of the
quote "in its appointed time, I will hasten it" (Isaiah 60:22), as interpreted by our
sages. In accordance with this understanding, the quote "I behold it, but not
now" (not immediately now, but very soon) refers to a state in which the Jewish
People are worthy, whereas "I behold it, but not in the near future" refers to a
state in which they are not. So too, if the Jewish People are worthy, then the
Mashiach will come in a manner from above to below as pictured in the phrase,
"a star will go forth from Jacob" and as it is said "he will come via the clouds of
the heavens"--in the merit of the service of the majority of the souls of Israel, the
average ones amongst the Jewish People, the rank and file--who may be labeled
"Jacobs." Whereas, if they are not worthy, then the Mashiach will come in a
manner from below to above, "and a staff shall arise in Israel" and as "a poor
man, riding on a donkey"--in the merit of the service of the minority of the souls
of Israel, the Tzadikim of the generation, who are labeled "Israel." 8
2
So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and
loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those
who worshiped his image.

Here we see the concept of midah kneged midah (measure for measure
punishment), as those who took the "mark" receive a "sore" upon themselves.

The idea of a "mark" is associated with the "mark of circumcision, which in turn
correlates to the Sefirah of Yesod. (See our background study, Yesod - Part 1:
Foundation, Tzaddik, Covenant.)
3
Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as
of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.
4
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and
they became blood.

The second and third angels/judgments bear similarity, and may be seen as
corresponding to the Sefirot of Netzah and Hod (which are usually paired
together in kabbalah). Just as the spiritual sea, rivers and springs "connect" the
upper and lower realms, so are the Sefirot of Netzah and Hod are seen as those
that "carry out" the will of God.

Further, these Sefirot are usually associated with Aaron (Hod) and Moses
(Netzah).9 The following Torah commentary offers an amazing teaching that
corresponds to the above two verses of Revelation. It explains that the first
plague of blood in Egypt was actually "two in one" in that the staff of Moses was
used to strike the main source (the Nile) and the staff of Aaron was used to strike
against its tributaries:

"Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh that it becomes a serpent."
(Exodus 7:9) Here it says that Aharon should take his staff and it will become a
tanin, and previously ... (Exodus 4:2) [God] commanded, that Moshe should
take his staff, "And it became a nachash." ... Tanin is an extremely dangerous
large serpent ... the venom (of the tanim) is more lethal than that of a regular
nachash, snake ...

It (Torah) says, "The staff which was turned into a snake, take in your hand."
(Exodus 7:15) This is referring to Moshe's staff. And it is written there, "Behold, I
will smite with the staff that is in my hand the waters that are in the river, and
they shal be turned into blood." (Exodus 7:17). However its strength (Moshe's
staff) was not sufficient to destroy all the waters of Egypt (including) its streams
and ponds. Therefore, afterwards, it says, "Take your staff and stretch your
hands upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams ..." (Exodus 7:19)

... From this we can deduce that the power of Aaron's staff was greater than the
power of Moshe's staff ... This is because Aharon's staff was compared to a
tanin ... Moshe's staff was not given greater venom, since he also shepherded
Israel with that staff and it was necessary to behave gently with them even in
times of anger. 10
(Note: the full teaching explains that Aaron's staff was "stronger" only with
regard to punishing Egypt. Moses' staff was also used to shepherd Israel and
thus at times had to be one of "gentleness even in times of anger."
Moses/Netzah being on the pillar of mercy, while Aaron/Hod are on the pillar of
judgment.)
5
And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One
who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.
6
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them
blood to drink. For it is their just due."

The punishment of "blood for blood" shows the concept of midah kneged midah,
"measure for measure" punishment.
7
And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true
and righteous are Your judgments."
8
Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to
him to scorch men with fire.
9a
And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of
God who has power over these plagues;

Kabbalistically, "the sun" (verse 8) is located at Tiferet on the Tree of Life.

Blaspheming the "Name of God" stands in direct contrast to the ultimate goal of
"unifying the Name of God." ("In that day His Name will be One.") The most holy
"name" of God, Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey, is also associated with the Sefirah of Tiferet.

Both prayer and blasphemy are directed to that aspect of God associated with
Tiferet:

Because Tipheret symbolizes the state of harmony among the Sefirot, it came to
be associated with the traditional name for God in rabbinic literature -- Ha-
Kadosh Barukh Hu (The Holy One Blessed be He). Tiferet was understood to be
the subject of many traditional prayers. Prayers that emphasized God as father
and king were usually prayers referring to Tiferet in particular or, through it, to
the Sefirot in general. In this way Tiferet was often portrayed as the
representative of the other Sefirot. Tiferet came to symbolize the aspect of God
that was known as the traditional God of Judaism, the God of the Hebrew Bible.
Tiferet was the Sefirah that most closely symbolized the transcendent deity. If
was the Sefirah that spoke at Sinai as the representative of the other Sefirot. 11
9b
and they did not repent and give Him glory.

GEMMATRIA

The phrase "... and they did not repent and give Him glory," is kabbalistically
significant. For instance, the aspect of "repentance" is associated with the
Sefirah of Binah (the "mother"). The aspect of "glory" is associated with Malkut
(the daughter/bride). "Not giving Him "glory" may thus be compared to "not
giving the King His "bride" - the Shekinah.

Besides the more common kabbalistic idea of separating "the bride from the
groom" (as discussed in previous studies) this "lack of repentance" is also seen
as causing separation between the "female above" (Binah) and the "female
below" (Malkut). (Binah being the "gateway" to the upper triad of Binah-
Chokmah-Keter, and Malkut being the last ["least"] of the seven lower Sefirot.)
These "two females" are associated with Rachel (Malkut) and Leah (Binah). In the
physical realm, Jacob "unites" the two, among the Sefirot, the six known as Zer
Anpin link Binah and Malkut.

As shown in our previous studies, the spiritual being that accomplishes this unity
between the two "females" (Malkut and Binah) is that of Metatron. There is an
interesting gemmatria here in that the numerical value of the kabbalistic term
used for "the female" (nukveh) is 157 (nun/50-kuf/100-bet/2-hey/5). "Uniting" the
two "females" would amount to 2 x 157 equalling 314, which is the numerical
value of Metatron (mem/40-tet/9-tet/9-resh/200-vav/6-nun/50).
10
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his
kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the
pain.

Continuing along the ascending order of the Sefirot, we come to Gevurah -

corresponding to "the throne of the beast," in that this is the Sefirah associated
with source of "evil" and Sitra Achra.
11
They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores,
and did not repent of their deeds.
12
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its
water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be
prepared.

Following the above sequence, verse 12 is associated with Hesed, the Sefirah of
unlimited mercy. In times of calamity, especially when we do not merit favor, we
should direct their prayers to this merciful attribute of God. As mankind does not
do this, in fact choosing to blaspheme God, even this opportunity is taken away.
12

It is interesting to note that Abraham (associated with Hesed) crossed over (i.e.,
to cross over = "Ivri" / "Hebrew) the Euphrates. Just as God had this man go
across this river to bring Torah enlightenment to the world, He now caused the
forces of evil to cross this same river in retribution for the world turning its back
on His Torah.
13
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the
dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14
For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of
the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day
of God Almighty.

The rectification of Asiyah includes a rising of the power of its associated spiritual
forces of the Sitra Achra. (See our previous notes on this concept.) The idea of
the "mouth" of the dragon, beast and false prophet, has to do with Malkut, the
Sefirah associated with the kingdom and the mouth (i.e., "Malkut Pei" - "Kingdom
of the Mouth").

The demons (i.e., "frogs") that come forth from "the mouth," by their nature
"reside" partly in the spiritual world and partly in the physical world. Thus they
are able to make direct impact upon the "kings of the earth." 13

The emergence of frogs from the "mouth" of the dragon, beast and false
prophet, may also be seen as symbolic of the "unity" of the Sitra Achra
throughout the three worlds of creation; Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.
15
"Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his
garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

The "keeping of ones garment" is an allusion to the the soul, specifically the
"higher soul" called the Neshamah. This higher soul is "granted" to man as
opposed to the Nefesh which is present in all men as well as in all living
creatures.14

The Neshamah is man's "divine connection." Because it is linked to the Nefesh,

which is in turn attached to the physical body, the Neshamah is affected by what
man does with his body. Thus "keeping one's garments" is directly associated
with avoiding sin. 15

For example:

Zechariah 3:1-5 - And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before
the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to thwart him. And
the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebukes you, O Satan; the Lord that has chosen
Jerusalem rebukes you. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? And Joshua
was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered
and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Remove the filthy garments
from him. And to him he said, Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from
you, and I will dress you in festive garments. And I said, Let them set a pure
mitre upon his head. And they set a pure mitre upon his head, and dressed him
with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.

A connection may also be found between verses 14 and 15 at this level. The soul
interacts with spiritual entities (i.e., demons).Those who maintain their proper
spiritual connection ("keep their garments") are contrasted to those who do not
and are influenced by demons in the previous verse.
Further, the Neshamah is that which was "breathed into" Adam in the Genesis
account, making him distinct from the rest of creation. The rectification of all
creation will eventually return us to a state similar to Adam in Gan Edan (Garden
of Eden) 16

The language of verse 15 holds an interesting linguistic connection to the

account of the failure of Adam and Chava in Gan Edan, with the reference to;
"garments," "naked" and "shame."

Genesis 2:25 - And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed.

Genesis 3:7 - Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that
they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves
coverings.

Genesis 3:9-10 - Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where
are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because
I was naked; and I hid myself."

Genesis 3:21 - Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin,
and clothed them.
16
And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon

"They" in this paragraph would seem to be a combination of the demons of verse

14 and the angels of the nations. (Bearing in mind the unity within the Sitra
Achra as explained above.)

The following text explain the idea of seventy heavenly chieftains who oversee
the nations:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 16b - ‘As soon as Joseph died,
the celestial representative of Egypt was given domination over all the other
nations, as it says: “And Joseph died... and a new king arose”, like one who rose
to power from a lowly position. R. Tanhum said: ‘Every nation has its own
representative above, and when God elevates one He degrades another, and
when He gives power to this one it is only on account of Israel, as it says: “Her
adversaries have become chiefs” (Lamentations 1:5).’ R. Isaac said: ‘Israel singly
is equivalent to all the other nations together; as seventy is the number of the
nations, so seventy was the number of the children of Israel when they came
into Egypt, and whoever rules over Israel rules over the whole world.’ R. Huna
said: ‘Why is Israel subjected to all nations? In order that the world may be
preserved through them, since they are on a par with the whole world. As God is
One, so is Israel one, as it says: “And who is like thy people, one people on
earth?” (2 Samuel 7:23). And as His name is one and yet has seventy
ramifications, so is Israel one, and yet divided into seventy.’

Both the physical nations and their spiritual counterparts will face God's
judgment:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 54b - THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER HATH HE
THROWN INTO THE SEA. The dominion below and the dominion above, which are
bound up the one with the other, have been delivered to that great “Sea” and
that great sovereignty for punishment, as we have been taught that the Holy
One does not exercise judgement below until He has done so above on the
celestial representative of the particular nation, as it says: “The Lord shall punish
the host of the high ones in the height (heaven) and the kings of the earth upon
the earth” (Isa. XXIV, 21). R. Judah said: ‘On that night extreme severity was
roused, for the Matrona asked that all the hosts below and all the powers above
should be delivered unto Her. And so they were.'
17
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came
out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"

As mentioned in the beginning of this chapter's notes above, the seventh Sefirah
of Malkut is said to be passive. (i.e., "It is done!") The following text from the
Soncino appendix to the Zohar explains this as follows:

Soncino Zohar Appendix II, THE COSMIC SCHEME OF THE ZOHAR - The
Zohar, as has been explained in the Appendix to Vol. I, draws a distinction
between the seventh of the secondary grades [Malkut] and the preceding six,
[Ze'er Anpin] corresponding to the distinction drawn in the first chapter of
Genesis between the seventh day and the preceding six. The essence of this
distinction, according to the Zohar, is that the six grades are active creative or
controlling forces, whereas the seventh is by comparison passive, merely
reflecting the work of the others.
18
And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great
earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men
were on the earth.
19
Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations
fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the
wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

What "city" is being referrred to here? Many commentaries consider this to be

Jerusalem, as it is referred to as "great" in another verse, and the prophet
Zechariah speaks of a great earthquake in the latter days that will divide
Jerusalem.

There are several things to consider however:

• Babylon is also referred to as "great"

• Zechariah's earthquake divides the city into two, not three

• The immediate context in and surrounding this verse is Babylon

Verse 19 implies a connection between the "great city" being divided, and the
"cities of the nation" falling. Verse 20 also seems to follow as a result of the
events in verse 19.
20
Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

As discussed in our notes to 6:14-19 the concept of "islands and mountains

moving" may be more indicative of activity in the spiritual realm than the
physical. Part of the idea of "unification" is removal of boundaries, as expressed
by the removal of spiritual "islands" and "mountains." 17

Jeremiah's prophecy against Babylon makes reference to such a "mountain"

destroying the earth:

Jeremiah 51:24-25 - And I will repay Babylon And all the inhabitants of Chaldea
For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight," says the LORD. "Behold, I
am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth," says the
LORD. "And I will stretch out My hand against you, Roll you down from the rocks,
And make you a burnt mountain.
21
And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of
a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that
plague was exceedingly great.

Hail was also the seventh plague against Egypt (Exodus 9:13-35). Again, one
must consider that even the hail is an "opportunity" God gives for repentance. In
this case however, the response is further unbelief, to the point of "blasphemy."

It is no coincidence that the penalty for blasphemy was stoning:

Leviticus 24:16 - And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely
be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as
well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the LORD,
he shall be put to death.

1. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason

Aronson, London, 1988, p. 79.

2. ibid, p. 80.

3. Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light"), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi

Weinstein, Altamira Press, 1994, p. 65.

4. See Awaiting Moshiach, Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet,

http://www.moshiach.com/discover/tutorials/awaiting_moshiach.php#_ftnref28

5. From http://www.jewishmag.com/66mag/messiah/messiah.htm

6. From
http://www.aish.com/torahportion/moray/Moses_The_Emergence_of_a_Leader.as
p

7. Ohr Yechezkel, Emunas HaGeulah, 1960; p. 287 as cited on

http://www.neveh.org/winston/parsha64/bo.html
8. From And a Staff Shall Arise in Israel,
http://www.inner.org/times/shevat/shevat59.htm

9. See An Overview of the Sephirot at

http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/rev5b.htm

10. Kli Yahar - Shemot (Exodus), rendered into English by Elihu Levine,
Targum/Feldheim Press, 2002, pp.103-105.

11. The Mystic Quest: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism, David S. Ariel, Jason
Aronson, London, 1988, p. 81

12. For a detailed analysis of Hesed and all of the Sefirot see; Gates of Light
(Sha'are Oreh), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translation by Avi Weinstein, Altimira
Press, London, 1994.

13. See http://www.yashanet.com/studies/judaism101/lessons/lesson_1-5.htm for

insight into the nature of demons as found in Judaism. (Commetary on Derech
Hashem, part 1.5, by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto.)

14. Judaism teaches that there are five essential levels to the soul. In
"ascending" order they are the; Nefesh, Ruach, Neshama, Chiyah and Yechidah.
It is taught that only the first three are attainable in this lifetime. The last two are
reserved for the Messianic Kingdom and Olam Haba. A good article on this
concept may be found at
http://www.aish.com/spirituality/growth/Soul_Matters_2_-_Unifying_Souls.asp

15. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Translated
by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 185.

16. Rabbi Pinchas Winston teaches that we are in fact in a "reverse path" of
history "repeating itself" back to the beginning. i.e., Events A, B, C will "repeat"
but in the order C, B, A.

17. The Book of Enoch speaks of mountains in the spiritual realm. A translation
may be found at: http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/enoch/

Revelation 17:1-18
Last update: October 13, 2005

1
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with
me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who
sits on many waters,

The opening verse introduces several concepts, most of which will be discussed
in detail in subsequent verses. They include:

• An angel instructing John to "come," implying a different level of

revelation. (See notes to 4:1.)
 • The "great harlot" -- which will be reviewed in verse 3.

• The "waters" are defined in verse 15 as "peoples, multitudes, nations and

tongues." As will be discussed, all of these "levels" of humanity stem from
the "spiritual roots" of the "70 nations" that descended from the three
sons of Noach. (Israel, by divine decision, is separate and above these 70.)
2
with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of
the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

"Wine" is often used as a euphemism for Torah ("instruction"). In this case, it

would be the "false torah" of the harlot. (See comments on the good and bad
"vines" in Revelation 14:18b.)

The subject of "harlotry" was an issue in the written Torah as well:

Numbers 15:39 - And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and
remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may
not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined

The terms "drunk" and "fornication" in this context indicate widespread disregard
for God - as in the days of Noah. The passage, relating a "harlot" going out
among the earth to perpetuate evil, is similar to that mentioned in Zechariah:

Zechariah 5:5-11 - Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to
me, “Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.” So I asked, “What
is it?” And he said, “It is a basket that is going forth.” He also said, “This is their
resemblance throughout the earth: Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a
woman sitting inside the basket”; then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he
thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. Then I
raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in
their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the
basket between earth and heaven. So I said to the angel who talked with me,
“Where are they carrying the basket?” And he said to me, “To build a house for
it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.”

For more on the idea of "spiritual fornication," see comments to verses 3b and
8a.
3a
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness ...

As there is a wilderness below, there is a "wilderness" in the spiritual realm. The

idea of "the wilderness" is associated with prophetic revelation. (i.e.,
isolation/exile enables one to "tune out" the world and ascend spiritually.) The
evil prophet, Balaam received one of the greatest prophecies about Israel in this
fashion:

Numbers 24:1 - And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel,
he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face
toward the wilderness.
The Book of Enoch contains a "spiritual journey" described as beginning in
similar fashion:

And thence I went towards the east, into the midst of the mountain range of the
desert, and I saw a wilderness and it was solitary, full of trees and plants. And
water gushed forth from above. Rushing like a copious watercourse which
flowed towards the north-west it caused clouds and dew to ascend on every side.
1

And they took and brought me to a place in which those who were there were
like flaming fire, and, when they wished, they appeared as men. And they
brought me to the place of darkness, and to a mountain the point of whose
summit reached to heaven. And I saw the places of the luminaries and the
treasuries of the stars and of the thunder and in the uttermost depths, where
were a fiery bow and arrows and their quiver, and a fiery sword and all the
lightnings. 2
3b
... And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of
blasphemy ...

The concept of an evil "beast" is defined in the following translation of the Zohar
as the union of the evil angel Samael and "the woman of whoredom." The
woman is said to be his "wife." We also see another reference to the reciprocal
"ten Sefirot" of the Sitra Achra. These in turn correlate to the "ten horns" of
power mentioned in this verse (see comments to 3c below):

The Demons are the grossest and most deficient of all forms. Their ten degrees
answer to the decad of the Sephiroth, but in inverse ratio, as darkness and
impurity increase with the descent of each degree. The two first are nothing but
absence of visible form and organization. The third is the abode of darkness.
Next follow seven Hells occupied by those demons which represent incarnate
human vices, and torture those who have given themselves up to such vices in
earth-life. Their prince is Samael, SMAL, the angel of poison and of death. His
wife is the harlot, or woman of whoredom, AShTh ZNVNIM, Isheth Zenunim; and
united they are called the beast, CHIVA, Chioa. Thus the infernal trinity is
completed, which is, so to speak, the averse and caricature of the supernal
Creative One. Samael is considered to be identical with Satan. 3

This "woman of whoredom," called Isheth Zenunim, is the demon called Lilith.
Known as the primary consort to Samael, she is also known in Hebraic legend as
the "screech owl" and is mentioned in Isaiah 34 as living "in the wilderness." Her
relationship to the nations is found in this Isaiah text as well as in Nahum 3.

There is a direct relationship between the Shekinah and the demon Lilith in that
both can play the role of "matron/mother" with regard to Israel. When Israel
forsakes God's Torah, they are said to abandon their true mother for "the
maidservant" Lilith. (This is similar to their association with the "Vine of Sodom"
discussed in an earlier chapter):
Therefore when the Jews had trampled the Temple (see Isaiah 1:12), they were
running after the power of the External Forces, who are led by their cursed
mother (Lilith), to gain nourishment from her as her children. ... Yet our "mother"
(the Shekinah) is not able to sustain us in exile, for the position of distributing
the divine influence has been taken from her. In accordance to the state of the
Shechina not directly transferring the influence, therefore the Zohar describes
the situation as, "the maid servant who inherits (the place of) her matron."
(Proverbs 30:23). Meaning that she (Lilith) can divert the majority of the
influence to her own "children". 4

The Isaiah chapter cited in the text above intimates the relationship between the
Shekinah and Lilith:

Isaiah 1:8,12,21 - So the daughter of Zion (the Shekinah) is left as a booth in a

vineyard ... “ When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from
your hand, to trample My courts? (i.e., Who = Lilith) ... How the faithful city has
become a harlot! (i.e., Revelation 11:8)

A more literal idea of "fornicating with the demonic realm" is explained in the
following teachings, which describes the "spiritual energy" gained by demons
through illicit sexual behaviors:

Lilith is a female demon. (Isaiah 34:14; Eiruvin 100b; Shabbat 151b; Bava Batra
73b; Nidah 24b) Just as an angel is the personification of some holy emotion, a
demon is the personification of some evil emotion. In this case, Lilith (whose
name is related to the Hebrew word for "night", "lailah") is the personification of
man's sexual lust as divorced from any context of true love or desire to increase
G-dliness in this world - in other words: raw, self-indulgent, self-serving sensual
pleasure. Man is intended to engage in sexual pleasure as a spiritual pursuit that
gives pleasure to his wife, makes him into a more holy person, and increases the
Divine Image on earth (ideally by resulting in children). When instead, he
engages in sexual release simply for the "high" he enjoys from it, he is said to be
copulating with Lilith. Although he does not intend to procreate by this union, he
does so anyway, for every act of man has its repercussions on some level. The
semen he expels "impregnates" Lilith, and she "bears" for him "demon-children",
i.e. negative, abusive, and evil energy, which spreads evil throughout the world. 5

Jacob set out to rectify the sin of sexual licentiousness, i.e. wasting seed and
giving it over to Lilith and Na'amah, who are termed "nakedness", as is known.
As we have seen previously, these are the archetypal female demons, i.e. the
power of evil to receive life force from the realm of holiness. This feminine evil
takes the vital force of wasted seminal emissions and impregnates itself with it,
producing demons, or forces of evil, i.e. anti-divine consciousness. The idiom for
"sexual licentiousness", "gilui arayot", literally means "uncovering the
nakedness" of a forbidden sexual partner. 6

Another mention of a "beast" and "rider" is found in the following text:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 228a - Besides the evil serpent
there is one that rides on it, and when they are joined together they are called
“these”, and they visit the world with all their hosts.
3c
... having seven heads and ten horns.

The concept of "horn" has to do with a manifestation of power:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 19b - “And he shall give strength to his king”: this is
the Holy One, blessed be He; “and exalt the horn of his anointed”: this is the
Community of Israel.

GEMMATRIA

The mathematical product of seven heads and ten horns (7x10) is seventy and
hints at a relationship to the "seventy nations." The Zohar explains the spiritual
structure behind this equation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 30b - Observe that whatever is engendered on

earth grows through the stimulus of a celestial Chieftain who has charge over it,
and that all on earth is shaped after a celestial pattern. There are on high seven
firmaments, and seven zones of earth. Correspondingly, in the lower world there
are seven graded firmaments and seven zones of earth. These, as the
Companions have expounded, are arranged like the rungs of a ladder, rising one
above the other, and each zone has ten divisions, so that there are seventy in
all. Each one of these is presided over by a Chieftain, and these seventy
Chieftains have under their charge the seventy nations of the earth. These
seventy earth-divisions, again, border on and surround the Holy Land, as
Scripture says: “Behold, it is the couch of Solomon; threescore mighty men are
about, of the mighty men of Israel” (Song of Songs 3:7), there being, in addition
to the threescore mentioned, ten concealed among their number. All these
surround the Holy Land. This alludes to the upper world, and the same is
reproduced in the lower world.

The number seventy has a specific connection to the 70 nations and their hostile
relationship to Israel (i.e., the 70 oxen sacrificed on Sukkot "on behalf of the
nations were also considered a type of "protection" from them). This is especially
true in the end of days.

The number 70 is the gemmatria of the letter Ayin, which means "eye," and has
to do with the "eye" of God, especially regarding the 70 nations.

Speaking on the subject of when God's perfect plan will finally come to fruition,
Rabbi PinchasWinston writes:

If not today, then tomorrow. And, if not tomorrow, then the day after. And if not
then, then the day after that, etc. But come it will, and in the meantime, the real
battle will be one of PERCEPTIONS. For, the gemmatria of Gog u'Magog is
SEVENTY, the SEVENTY of the Ayin of Amalek, who spends all of his time trying
to destroy our Torah perception of reality by infecting us with spiritual doubt, the
gemmatria of his name. ("doubt" = sufek = 240 = Amalek) It is Moshiach Ben
Yosef who is unaffected by Ayin Hara - the evil Ayin of Amalek, who defeats him
with the holy aspect of Ayin: the Ayin of Sod, whose gemmatria is SEVENTY.
Shimshon (Sampson), whom the Mishnah says failed [to be Moshiach Ben Yosef],
did so because he went after his eyes (Sotah 10b), as opposed to above them, in
his battle against the Pelishtim - read: the Palestinians of his time over Gaza.
This is why, explains the Vilna Gaon, regarding the war against Amalek, Moshe
Rabbeinu was told to speak b'aznei Yehoshua - in the ears of Yehoshua, the
gemmatria of b'aznei equaling SEVENTY. And thus, Mordechai defeated Haman,
the prototypical descendant of Amalek, in SEVENTY days. His rise and fall is told
in SEVENTY pesukim in Megillas Esther, occurring in the Year SEVENTY of exile.
The Erev Rav's greatest tool in the final showdown, says the GR"A: achizas
einayim - literally meaning, "grasping of the eyes" or deception. And therein lies
the nechamah (the consolation). For, "the salvation of G- d comes in the blink of
an eye," as quick as it takes to replace a false perception with a true one. For,
when it comes to G-d and His vengeance, it really is a case of now you see them,
now you don't. 7
4
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and
precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations
and the filthiness of her fornication.

One must always keep in mind that every entity or function of the Sitra Achra
(evil realm) serves the will of God. This "cup of abomination and filthiness" is in
effect given of God:

Psalm 75:8-10 - For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, And the wine is
red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of
the earth drain and drink down. But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to
the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, But the horns of
the righteous shall be exalted.” 8

Regarding the colors purple and scarlet, though they are typically regarded as
"regal" colors, they may also be seen as representative of the Worlds of Yetzirah
(purple) and Asiyah (scarlet) as these are the dominion of "the woman" as well
as the "evil prince." 9

Ephesians 2:2 - Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh
in the children of disobedience.

John 12:31 - Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this
world be cast out.
5
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

The "name" on the forehead stands in contrast to Kadosh l'Hashem ("Holy unto
the Lord") found on the forehead of the High Priest and to the name on the
foreheads of the tzaddikim in Revelation 22:4.
The concept of "name" (particularly in the higher world of Beriah) often has to do
with the idea of role and authority, i.e.,

Talmud, Pesachim 54a - Seven things were created before the world was
created, and these are they: The Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden,
Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah.

Note that one of the "hidden things" in the above verse from Pesachim is
"Gehenna." See comments to verse 8 below.
6
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the
martyrs of Yeshua. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

See comments to verse 16 below regarding the antagonistic relationship

between the this "woman" and the "Son."

Being "drunk with the blood of the saints," would indicate a "desire for souls," as
mentioned in this text from the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, 186a - The "Satan" is he who has charge of the
souls in Gehinnom, who ever craves for more and says "give, give", more souls
to Gehinnom.
7
But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the
woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten
horns.
8a
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless
pit and go to perdition.

Contrast may be made between, "was, and is not and will ...", and the language
of Revelation 1:5:

Revelation 1:5 - Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and
who is to come...

Hebrew Midrash teaches that Messiah is hiding within the Garden of Eden in a
place called the Bird's Nest (an allusion to the Shekinah or he Community of
Israel):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 8a - See now, in the lower

Paradise there is a secret and unknown spot, broidered with many colours, in
which a thousand palaces of longing are concealed. No one may enter it, except
the Messiah, whose abode is in Paradise. The Garden is encompassed with
multitudes of saints who look to the Messiah as their leader, along with many
hosts and bands of the souls of the righteous there. On New Moons, festivals,
and Sabbaths, he enters that place, in order to find joyous delight in those secret
palaces. Behind those palaces there is another place, entirely hidden and
undiscoverable. It is called “Eden”, and no one may enter to behold it. Now the
Messiah is hidden in its outskirts until a place is revealed to him which is called
“the Bird's Nest”. This is the place proclaimed by that Bird (the Shekinah) which
flies about the Garden of Eden every day. In that place the effigies are woven of
all the nations who band together against Israel. The Messiah enters that abode,
lifts up his eyes and beholds the Fathers (Patriarchs) visiting the ruins of God's
Sanctuary. He perceives mother Rachel, with tears upon her face; the Holy One,
blessed be He, tries to comfort her, but she refuses to be comforted (Jeremiah.
31:14). Then the Messiah lifts up his voice and weeps, and the whole Garden of
Eden quakes, and all the righteous and saints who are there break out in crying
and lamentation with him. When the crying and weeping resound for the second
time, the whole firmament above the Garden begins to shake, and the cry
echoes from five hundred myriads of supernal hosts, until it reaches the highest
Throne. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, beckons to that “Bird”, which then
enters its nest and comes to the Messiah, and flits about, uttering strange cries.
Then from the holy Throne the Bird's Nest and the Messiah are summoned three
times, and they both ascend into the heavenly places, and the Holy One swears
to them to destroy the wicked kingdom (Rome) by the hand of the Messiah, to
avenge Israel, and to give her all the good things which he has promised her.
Then the Bird returns to her place. The Messiah, however, is hidden again in the
same place as before.

Messiah is not the sole entity performing a "divine disappearing act." The
Shekinah is also considered to be "in hiding" (with Israel) until the time of the
restoration of Israel:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 134a - When the Sanctuary was destroyed and the
Temple was burnt and the people driven into exile, the Shekinah left her home in
order to accompany them into captivity. ... in the days to come, when the Holy
One, blessed be He, will remember His people, the community of Israel, the
Shekinah will return from exile first and proceed to her House, as the holy
Temple will be built first.

This concept of "appearing, hiding and reappearing," is also found regarding

Elijah:

In the second year of King Ahazia, Elijah was hidden, and he will not be seen
again until Messiah comes. 10

Heavenly Jerusalem shares this hidden aspect as well:

4 Ezra 7:26-27 - For behold the days shall come, and it shall be when the signs
which I have foretold unto you shall come to pass. Then shall the city that is now
invisible appear, and the land which is now concealed be seen. And whoever is
delivered from the predicted evils shall see my wonders.

The terms "bottomless pit" and "perdition" (i.e., "destruction") would both seem
to relate to the idea of Gehenna and spiritual fornication/adultery:

Talmud - Mas. Eiruvin 19a - Gehenna has seven names, and they are: Nether-
world, Destruction, Pit, Tumultuous Pit, Miry Clay, Shadow of Death and the
Underworld. ‘Nether-world’, since it is written in Scripture: Out of the belly of the
nether-world cried I, and Thou heardest my voice; ‘Destruction’, for it is written
in Scripture: Shall Thy Mercy be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in
destruction; ‘Pit’, for it is written in Scripture: For Thou wilt not abandon thy soul
to the nether-world; neither wilt Thou suffer Thy godly one to see the pit;
‘Tumultuous Pit’ and ‘Miry Clay’, for it is written in Scripture: He brought me up
also out of the tumultuous pit, out of the miry clay; ‘Shadow of Death’, for it is
written in Scripture: Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; and the
[name of] ‘Nether-world’ is a tradition. But are there no more [names]? Is there
not in fact that of Gehenna? — [This means,] a valley that is as deep as the
valley of Hinnom and into which all go down for gratuitous acts. Is there not also
the name of Hearth, since it is written in Scripture: For a hearth is ordered of
old? — That [means] that whosoever is enticed by his evil inclination will fall
therein.

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers 10:2 - What reason did the Holy One, blessed be
He, see for asking of Israel that their heart and their eyes should be directed
towards Him? Because transgression is dependent on them. Hence it is written,
That ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes, etc. (Numbers
15:39). The eye and the heart are two agents of sin. ‘For a harlot is a deep ditch’
(Proverbs 23:27); compare with what Moses said, After which ye use to go a-
whoring (Numbers 15:39), implying that whoredom depends on them [the eyes
and heart]. The eyes see the harlot and the heart entertains impure thoughts
about her. So the Holy Spirit said through Solomon, ‘For a harlot is a deep ditch.’
Why did he call her ' ditch (shuhah)’? In allusion to the text, For her house
sinketh down (shahah) unto death (Proverbs 2:18). ‘Deep’? This recalls the text,
Her guests are in the depths of the nether-world (Proverbs 9:18). ‘A harlot’? This
refers to a married woman. ‘A narrow pit‘? Because she brings the adulterer
down into Gehenna. Hence it is written, Her steps take hold on the nether-world
(Proverbs 9:5), and the nether-world is called ‘pit’; for it is written, O Lord, Thou
broughtest up my soul from the netherworld; Thou didst keep me alive, that I
should not go down to the pit (Psalm 30:4).
8b
And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in
the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that
was, and is not, and yet is.

The verse lends itself to the seeming paradox of "free will" versus "Divine
Providence." Throughout the book of Revelation it is made clear that much of
mankind chooses to sin and not repent. In this verse however, reference is made
to a "Book of Life from the foundation of the world," indicating what some would
call "predestination." The mystery that we cannot completely resolve (on this
side of the Olam Haba - the World to Come) is that both are true.

The "Book of Life" is one of three "books" concerned with the fate of humanity:

Talmud, Rosh HaShana 16b - R. Kruspedai said in the name of R. Johanan:

Three books are opened [in heaven] on New Year, one for the thoroughly wicked,
one for the thoroughly righteous, and one for the intermediate. The thoroughly
righteous are forthwith inscribed definitively in the book of life; the thoroughly
wicked are forthwith inscribed definitively in the book of death; the doom of the
intermediate is suspended from New Year till the Day of Atonement; if they
deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of life; if they do not deserve well,
they are inscribed in the book of death. Said R. Abin, What text tells us this? —
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the
righteous. ‘Let them be blotted out from the book — this refers to the book of
the wicked. ‘Of life — this is the book of the righteous. ‘And not be written with
the righteous’ — this is the book of the intermediate. R. Nahman b. Isaac derives
it from here: And if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast
written, ‘Blot me, I pray thee’ — this is the book of the wicked. ‘Out of thy book’
— this is the book of the righteous. ‘Which thou has written’ — this is the book of
the intermediate. It has been taught: Beth Shammai say, There will be three
groups at the Day of Judgment — one of thoroughly righteous, one of thoroughly
wicked, and one of intermediate. The thoroughly righteous will forthwith be
inscribed definitively as entitled to everlasting life; the thoroughly wicked will
forthwith be inscribed definitively as doomed to Gehinnom, as it says. And many
of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life
and some to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence. The intermediate will go
down to Gehinnom and squeal and rise again, as it says, And I will bring the third
part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them
as gold is tried. They shall call on my name and I will answer them. Of them, too,
Hannah said, The Lord killeth and maketh alive, he bringeth down to the grave
and bringeth up. Beth Hillel, however, say: He that abounds in grace inclines [the
scales] towards grace, and of them David said, I love that the Lord should hear
my voice and my supplication, and on their behalf David composed the whole of
the passage, I was brought low and he saved me.
9
"Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on
which the woman sits.
10
There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet
come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.

Wisdom ("Chokmah") is associated with "the past" (Understanding/Binah =

future, see previous notes) and John immediately assigns these mountains/kings
a "historic order of appearance." (As opposed to the ten kings mentioned later in
this chapter who all function at one point in time.) These seven kings are
associated with the "mountains" (i.e., spiritual entities) as the manifestation of
this power in the physical realm.

It is a teaching of Judaism that souls may "reincarnate." This is called gilgul

("revolutions of the soul") and is not the same teaching as in Hinduism.11

Further, certain generations or peoples may even return "as a group":

What is important to recall is that any Biblical nation was really just the physical
manifestation of a spiritual concept. Thus, even though the physical nation may
have disappeared the concept lives on and resurfaces throughout history in the
guise of other nations who share the same specific spiritual profile. Their souls
might even be actual reincarnations of the original nation from the time of the
Torah. 12

It is also said that God will specifically bring back some of Israel's traditional
enemies:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 58b - The Holy One will adorn Himself with majesty
in face of the nations who will gather against Him, of whom it says: “The kings of
the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord
and against his anointed” (Psalm 2:2). We are told that the seventy guardians of
the nations will at that time gather from all sides with the armies of the whole
world and start war against Jerusalem the holy city, and take counsel together
against the Holy One. They will say: “Let us rise first against the Patron, and
then against His people and against His sanctuary!” Then “He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh; ehe Lord shall have them in derision” (v. 4). He will put on
His majesty and shall dash them in pieces.’ R. Abba said, in the name of R. Jesse
the Elder-and R. Simeon made the same remark- that the Holy One will bring to
life again all those kings who afflicted Israel and Jerusalem: Hadrian, Lupinus,
Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, and all the other kings of the nations who have
destroyed His house, and set them up again as rulers, and they shall gather
many nations, and then He will do vengeance and justice upon them near
Jerusalem, as it is written: “And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will
smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:12).

Verses 3 and 7 indicated that this woman "sits" on the beast. In this verse it is
said that she sits on the seven heads/mountains of the beast, these in turn are
linked to "seven kings." Here we see a depiction that transverses the worlds of
Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

• Seven Heads = the lower seven "negative" Sefirot of Beriah (pre-formative

force)

• Seven Mountains = the lower seven "negative" Sefirot of Yetzirah (angelic

power)

• Seven Kings = the lower seven "negative" Sefirot of Asiyah (manifestation

in physical time and space)

As mentioned, the reference to seven heads/mountains/kings corresponds to the

Zohar's reference to seven firmaments above and that are linked to seven zones
of earth below. (See above notes to verse 3c.)

The Book of Enoch depicts angels as "mountains" residing in a "chaotic" place:

And I proceeded to where things were chaotic. And I saw there something
horrible: I saw neither a heaven above nor a firmly founded earth, but a place
chaotic and horrible. And there I saw seven stars of the heaven bound together
in it, like great mountains and burning with fire.. Then I said: 'For what sin are
they bound, and on what account have they been cast in hither?' Then said Uriel,
one of the holy angels, who was with me, and was chief over them, and said:
'Enoch, why dost thou ask, and why art thou eager for the truth? These are of
the number of the stars of heaven, which have transgressed the commandment
of the Lord, and are bound here till ten thousand years, the time entailed by
their sins, are consummated. 13

"TEN AND SEVEN"

The Torah speaks of ten nations, of which Israel was only to conquer three. In the
following text, the seven they could conquer are part of what is called the Kelipat
Noga. ("Kelipat" having to do with the idea of "husks" or "shells" that restrict the
light of God - "Noga" meaning there was/is still some measure of this light within
themselves in order to sustain their own existence).

Kelipat Noga are an "intermediate" level of evil between holiness and total
impurity. In Hebraic tradition there is an association between the soul of every
Jew, the Kelipat Noga and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden
of Eden.

For in the case of the Jews, the soul of the kelipah is derived from the kelipat
nogah, which also contains good, as it originates in the esoteric "Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil." 14

The seven nations are linked to the lower seven Sefirot, made up of "Zeir" (the
six Sefirot between Hesed and Yesod, i.e., Zeir Anpin) and "Nukva" (meaning
"female" - another name for the Sefirah of Malkut.)

Samael is actually called the "Zeir of Kelipot Noga" - in effect the "son" of the evil
realm - the counterpart to the Messiah, who is the "Son" of the holy realm. The
remaining three nations (associated with the three upper Sefirot) are "reserved"
for God to deal with at the end of days.15

The following text is loaded with deep kabbalistic themes, one of which
associates the seven lower nations with Lilith and the "malkut" of the Sitra
Achra:

In the days of Moses, the Children of Israel were only promised the seven lands
of the seven nations. Those seven correspond to the lower seven. Yet, "The
lands of the Kini and Kenizi and Kadmoni" (Genesis 15:19), which correspond to
the three upper sefirot, they were not promised. This was so being that, in our
times, only the lower seven are functioning in a perceivable manner. After the
final redemption, those upper three will also be functioning, and therefore we
will be given those three corresponding lands. It is known that the lands of the
seven nations are hinted to in the Zeir and Nukva of the Kelipat Noga, for Zeir is
comprised of six extremities, and its Nukva is their seventh aspect. For this
reason, in my impoverished opinion, the first letters that spell the seven nations,
Canaanites, Hitites, Emorites, Prizians, Hivites, Jebusites, and Girgashites, have
the numerical value of 131, which is the same value as "Sama'el", who is the
Zeir of Kelipat Noga. While "Canaan" has the same value as "Lilith" (Sama'el's
mate), for she receives from all of his six extremities, likewise the entire
numerical value of all seven nations (Canaanites, Hittites, Emorites, Prizians,
Hivites, Jebusites, and Girgashites) together with the value of Sama'el equals the
value of Eretz Canaan using the large value for the final letters MaNZePaCh. That
signifies that she (Eretz Canaan) is the malchut of the kelipot, and that she
includes within herself from the ten sefirot of Kelipa Noga.

... Abba is the Foundation of his daughter" (Pinchas 158 a), which says that she
is Eretz Yisrael, " Yisrael Sabba". She includes ten levels to correspond to the ten
nations, those levels are keter, chochma, bina, gedula chesed, gevura, tiferet,
netzach, hod, yesod and malchut. The first letters of those ten levels equals
"Yisrael" (541). There in the midst of Eretz Yisrael, ten levels of holiness sanctify
it. 16

The idea of there being three nations "set aside" for God to deal with directly
may tie into the vision in Daniel 7 where the prophet saw a future kind
"subduing" three of ten others:

Daniel 7:24 - The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom.
After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue
three kings.

The relationship between (ten) spiritual sources of evil and their (ten) physical
maifestations is seen in this interetesting text:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 30b - Observe that ever so many
streams and rivers rise out of the Supernal Sea, which in their courses divide and
subdivide again into many other rivers and streams: and the portion that fell to
the side of Egypt were waters swarming with such creatures. For all waters
issuing from that sea breed various kinds of fishes, to wit, messengers sent into
the world to carry out the will of their Master through the spirit of Wisdom. In
regard to this a traditional text tells us that there are waters that breed wise
men and other waters that breed foolish men, according to the various rivers
that branch off into all sides. Now the Egyptian rivers breed masters of sorcery of
various kinds, and of ten degrees, as enumerated in the verse, "one that useth
divination, a soothsayer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a
familiar spirit, or a necromancer" (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). Here we have ten
species of sorcery. And at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, stretched forth
His finger and disturbed the brooks and rivers of Egypt so that their fishes of
wisdom were confounded: some waters turned into blood, others threw up small
fishes of no account upon whom the spirit of sorcery never rested. Then there
came upon them the plague called ’arob (lit. mixture, i.e. mixture of various
beasts) which allegorically indicates that the Almighty confounded their magical
arts so that their practitioners were not able to piece them together. Moreover,
that confusion produced a mingling of a perverse and hybrid kind similar to
those referred to in the words of Scripture, "thou shalt not sow thy field with two
kinds of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff
mingled together" (Leviticus 19:19).

Many were then the legions that bestirred themselves above, but the Holy One,
blessed be He, confounded them altogether; these mighty deeds which the
Almighty performed in Egypt were accomplished by the raising of one of his
hands against them, both on high and below. It was then that the wisdom of
Egypt perished, as Scripture says: "and the wisdom of their wise men shall
perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid" (Isaiah 29:14).
Note further the pronouncement: "And I will confuse Egypt with Egypt" (Ibid.
29:2), that is to say, celestial Egypt with terrestrial Egypt. For the celestial
legions are in charge of the terrestrial ones, and they both were altogether
thrown in disorder. They were confused on high so that the Egyptians could not
derive inspiration from the celestial sources as formerly.
11
The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven,
and is going to perdition.

Again, the concept of gilgul may lie behind this text, in that this same soul has
manifested itself before in seven personalities, with the eighth being the final
manifestation. Another possibility is that of ibur, where someone receives (part
of) the soul of a previously existing being(s) within their lifetime.
12
"The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as
yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
13
These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the
beast.

A contrast can be made between these being of "one mind" and those of Messiah
who are of one mind (i.e., Romans 15:6, 1Corinthians 1:10, 2:16, Philippians
1:27).

The idea of "all ten" coming together alludes to the complete complement of ten
Sefirot functioning together as a unit for the purpose of unification.

If a man makes the entire goal of his action to please his Creator and Maker,
then all ten holy sefirot are included in his deed. He thereby builds up the Divine
Presence, elevates it, and unites all worlds. 17
14a
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them ...

The idea of "messiahs battles" in the last days is found in ancient sources:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 7b - When the Holy One comes to visit the “Hind”
(Israel), he will examine who it is that remains loyal to her at that time, and then
woe to him who shall not be found worthy, and of whom it shall be said, “I looked
and there was none to help” (Isaiah 62:23). Many sufferings shall then befall
Israel. But happy he who will be found faithful at that time! For he shall see the
joy-giving light of the King. Concerning that time it is proclaimed: “I will refine
them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried” (Zechariah13:9). Then
shall pangs and travail overtake Israel, and all nations and their kings shall
furiously rage together and take counsel against her. Thereupon a pillar of fire
will be suspended from heaven to earth for forty days, visible to all nations. Then
the Messiah will arise from the Garden of Eden, from that place which is called
“The Bird's Nest”. He will arise in the land of Galilee, and on that day the whole
world shall be shaken and all the children of men shall seek refuge in caves and
rocky places. Concerning that time it is written: “And they shall go into the holes
of the rocks and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord and for the glory
of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:19). “The
glory of his majesty” refers to the Messiah when he shall reveal himself in the
land of Galilee; for in this part of the Holy Land the desolation first began, and
therefore he will manifest himself there first, and from there begin to war against
the world. After the forty days, during which the pillar shall have stood between
heaven and earth before the eyes of the whole world, and the Messiah shall have
manifested himself, a star shall come forth from the East variegated in hue and
shining brilliantly, and seven other stars shall surround it, and make war on it
from all sides, three times a day for seventy days, before the eyes of the whole
world. The one star shall fight against the seven with rays of fire flashing on
every side, and it shall smite them until they are extinguished, evening after
evening. But in the day they will appear again and fight before the eyes of the
whole world, seventy days long. After the seventy days the one star shall vanish.
Also the Messiah shall be hidden for twelve months in the pillar of fire, which
shall return again, although it shall not be visible. After the twelve months the
Messiah will be carried up to heaven in that pillar of fire and receive there power
and dominion and the royal crown. When he descends, the pillar of fire will again
be visible to the eyes of the world, and the Messiah will reveal himself, and
mighty nations will gather round him, and he shall declare war against all the
world. At that time the Holy One shall show forth his power before all the nations
of the earth, and the Messiah shall be manifested throughout the whole
universe, and all the kings will unite to fight against him, and even in Israel there
will be found some wicked ones who shall join them in the fight against the
Messiah. Then there will be darkness over all the world, and for fifteen days shall
it continue, and many in Israel shall perish in that darkness. Concerning this
darkness it is written: “Behold, darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the
peoples” (Isaiah 62:2).
14b
... for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are
called, chosen, and faithful."

Messiah is ruler over both the spiritual (Yetzirah/Zeir Anpin) and physical
(Assiyah/Malkut) worlds. (See also the reference to the faithful ones in the above
Zohar passage.)
15
Then he said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are
peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.

This fourfold description is similar to that found in a previous verse:

Revelation 9:11 - For three and a half days men from every people, tribe,
language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.
This "unity" of people is associated with either the presence of God (i.e., the
Shekinah) or the influence of the Sitra Achra (i.e., Lilith), both of which extend to
the entire earth as follows:

The essential and true understanding of the verse, "A river issues from Eden to
water the garden, and then it divides and becomes four branches." (Genesis
2:10) is that rivers represent the four divisions of the Shekinah. 18

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 34b - AND GOD CREATED THE
GREAT SEA MONSTERS. These are the Leviathan and its female. AND EVERY
LIVING CREATURE THAT CREEPETH. This is the soul of the creature which creeps
to the four quarters of the globe, to wit, Lilith.
16
And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make
her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

Here we see the idea of midah knegged midah ("measure for measure")
judgment coming upon an evil entity. Lilith, who has a reputation of turning
against her own, is inevitably rejected by her own:

Midrash Rabbah - Numbers 16:25 - Lilith who, when she finds nothing else,
turns upon her own children.

The downfall of Lilith is directly linked to the defeat of "Rome" (gentile kingdoms)
in the latter days:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 19a - And when the Almighty will
destroy the wicked Rome, He will settle Lilith among the ruins, since she is the
ruin of the world, as it is written: “For there Lilith shall settle and find her a place
of rest”

The concept of "nakedness" of the "mother" is found in the following text. It is

interesting to see that those who serve Lilith (also called the Erev rav - the
"mixed multitude") are said to separate the two He's (pronounced "hay") in the
Name Y-H-V-H. (Keeping in mind that separation of the Name comes directly
against the "prime objective" of unifying the "Name" of God - Zechariah 14:9 as
discussed throughout this Revelation study.)

Specifically, they come against the Vav which is called "the son" (i.e., verses 6
and 14 above):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 27b - Before Israel went into
captivity, and while the Shekinah was still with them, God commanded Israel:
“thou shalt not uncover thy mother's nakedness” (Leviticus 18:7), and this
captivity is the uncovering of the nakedness of the Shekinah, as it is written, “On
account of your sins your mother has been put away” (Isaiah 50:1), i.e. for the
sin of unchastity Israel has been sent into captivity and the Shekinah also, and
this is the uncovering of the Shekinah. This unchastity is Lilith, the mother of the
“mixed multitude”. It is they who separate the two He’s of the sacred name, and
prevent the Vau from entering between them; so it is written, “the nakedness of
a woman and her daughter thou shalt not uncover”, referring to the upper and
lower Shekinah. When the “mixed multitude” are between the one He and the
other, the Holy One, blessed be He, cannot link them together, and consequently
“the river becomes dry and parched”- dry in the upper He and parched in the
lower He, in order that the “mixed multitude” may not be nourished by the Vau,
which is the Tree of Life. Therefore the Vau does not link together the two He’s
when the mixed multitude is between them, and the letter Yod is not able to
draw near to the second He’; thus the precept “thou shalt not uncover the
nakedness of thy daughter-in-law” is transgressed. Further, they separate the
Yod from the upper He, and so break the command “thou shalt not uncover the
nakedness of thy father's wife”, the Yod being the father, the first He the
mother, Vau the son and the second He the daughter. Therefore it is ordained
with regard to the upper He, “thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy
father's wife”; “the nakedness of thy sister the daughter of thy father” refers to
the lower He; “her son's daughter and her daughter's daughter” refers to the He
and He which are the children of He; “the nakedness of the father's brother”
refers to the Yod, which is the product of the letter Yod, a brother to Vau. In a
word, when the “mixed multitude” are mingled with Israel, the letters of the
name Tetragrammaton cannot be joined and linked together; but as soon as
they are removed from the world, then it is said of the letters of God's name that
“On that day the Lord shall be one and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9).

The "vav" is called the "vav of connection":

The internal force of the line is the power to reveal the inherent interinclusion of
the various aspects of reality, one in the other, thereby joining them together as
an organic whole. This property of the letter vav, in its usage in Hebrew, is
referred to as vav hachibur, the vav of connection"--"and." The first vav of the
Torah--"In the beginning G-d created the heavens and [vav] the earth"--serves to
join spirit and matter, heaven and the earth, throughout Creation. 19

See previous comments on the letter vav at:

• http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/text/r13_16-18.htm

• http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/text/r7_1a.htm
17
For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and
to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

This may be compared to Pharaoh (whose heart God hardened) who served
God's purpose for a specific time.

It is evident that everything that exists, both above and below, was created only
because the Highest Wisdom deemed these phenomena necessary and useful
for furthering the purpose of creation as a whole ... Since each thing was initially
created for a purpose, it is appropriate that it be maintained as long as it is
serving its purpose. God created all things, He continues to oversee them and
maintain them in the state He desires. 20
There does not exist a single concept in the world, whether it be a process or
circumstance in anything that exists, that is not set up and ordained according
to what must exist to fulfill the purpose of creation ... 21
18
And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of
the earth."

This "woman" is a "great city" that is "reigning" over the kings of the earth. This
is the Sitra Achra counterpart to Jerusalem:

Galatians 4:26 - Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

SUMMATION

Kabbalistically, we have Lilith as the counterpart (in the lower world of Asiyah) to
the Shekinah (at the level of Malkut). We also have Babylon as the spiritual
counterpart to "Jerusalem above" (at the level of Binah). These are the "two
females" or "upper and lower mothers" that seek to be connected via the tzaddik
(the vav, Messiah ben Joseph, Metatron, Sefirah of Yesod, etc.), or in the case of
the Sitra Achra, the false-messiah/tzaddik, who causes separation between the
upper "Hay" and lower "Hay."

Note that the same or similar angel introduces "Jerusalem above" in Revelation
21:9. Lilith/Babylon is "bride" as Shekinah/New Jerusalem is the bride to
Mashiach. When Lilith "replaces" the Shekinah (i.e., Malkut) as the "lower"
female (nukveh) then God's blessings are cut off and in place comes disease,
famine, death, etc.

This is the hidden meaning behind the "women's hair" of the demons (whom
Lilith oversees) mentioned in an earlier chapter:

Revelation 9:8a - Their hair was like women's hair ...

This woman's hair on Lilith's demons is representative of the negative state of

the Shekinah:

The hair of nukva (malchut), by contrast, is a source of vitality for negative

energies. 22

Further, the "upper mother" (i.e., Binah) is associated with the matriarch Leah,
and the "lower mother" (i.e., Malkut) with the matriarch Rachel. Jacob
(Tiferet/Zeir Anpin) is the one who connects the two females, binding the upper
spiritual (Binah - the "gateway" to the upper triad of Binah-Chokmah-Keter) to
the lower spiritual (Malkut - the spiritual aspect of the physical world).

As mentioned in an earlier study however, Jacob cannot do this without the

"tzaddik" - Joseph (Yesod) who has a critical role in defeating Esau.23

Obadiah 1:18 - And the house of Jacob shall be fire, and the house of Joseph
flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.
1. Book of Enoch, chapter 28.

2. ibid., chapter 17.

3. See The Kaballah Unveiled, S.L. Macgrethor Mathers, Introduction, part 61, as
found on http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/tku/tku03.htm.

4. See
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/majorconcepts/landofisrael/divine_sustenance_32.
asp.

5. See http://www.kabbalaonline.org/weeklytorah/ari/propriety_and_passion.asp.

6. See http://www.kabbalaonline.org/weeklytorah/ari/130_evil_years.asp.

7. From http://www.torah.org.il/learning/perceptions/5765/vaeschanan.html. See

also http://www.inner.org/hebleter/ayin.htm

8. See http://www.kabbalaonline.org/weeklytorah/ari/propriety_and_passion.asp
for an interesting view of the connection between the sin of Adam and that of
Aaron's sons, as relating to this "evil wine."

9. The colors generally associated with the Four Worlds of Existence are
Asiyah=Red (the color of the earth), Yetzirah=Purple (the "mixture" of red and
blue - i.e., Asiyah and Beriah), Beriah=Blue (the heavenlies) and Atzilut=Gold or
White.

10. Citation from Seder 'Olam Rabba, ch. 17 as found in, The Messiah Texts,
Raphael Patai, 1979, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, p. 134.

11. The concept of gilgul is beyond the scope of this study. It was part of
Judaism's belief system at the time of Yeshua as seen in several New Testament
verses including; John 9:2; Matthew 16:13-14 and Matthew 11:14 and 17:12.

12. From http://thirtysix.org/modules.php?

op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=418&mode

13. Book of Enoch, 21:1-8.

14. Opening the Tanya, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, 2003, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco,
p. 43.

15. http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Introductions/firststeps/The_Other_Side.asp

16. See
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/majorconcepts/landofisrael/vanquishing_the_-
lower_7-_(22).asp.

17. From Ma'or V'Shemesh, Parshat Nitzavim, as cited in Song of the Soul, Rabbi
Yechiel Bar-Lev, Petach Tikva, 1994, p. 79.

18. Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light"), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi
Weinstein, Altamira Press, 1994, p. 14.
19. The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters, Vav - Connection, Rabbi
Yitzchak Ginsburgh, http://www.inner.org/HEBLETER/vav.htm.

20. Derech Hashem ("The Way of God"), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated
and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 91,
part 2.1.1.

21. ibid., p. 353, part 4.9.1.

22.
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/weeklytorah/chabaddiscourses/captive_souls.asp

23. For an in-depth look at the relationship between; Jacob, Israel, Rachel, Leah,
Joseph and Esau, see the excellent article at:
http://www.aish.com/torahportion/mayanot/Whats_In_A_Name.asp.

Revelation 18:1-6
Last update: February 8, 2006

AMALEK AND THE WEALTH OF BABYLON

Previously, in this study, we mentioned the topic of Amalek in terms of "doubt"

and its negative spiritual consequences. There is another important aspect to
Amalek, that of accumulating wealth with no regard for God's will regarding its
usage.

The Exodus from Egypt represented the triumph of Godliness over physical
strength and power. Amalek represented the very antithesis to this notion. As
Rav Hirsch writes: "[Amalek] finds its strength in the might of its sword and its
love of glory in treading down all unprepared weaker ones. They stepped out to
oppose by the power of the sword the first entry into the history of mankind of
the people representing the victory of the power of the Word." Amalek argued
for the "survival of the fittest," that one may utilize whatever means at his
disposal in his struggle for wealth and prominence. Am Yisrael, by contrast,
upholds the rule of God's law and morality, which forbids the mighty from
abusing their power and requires them to show concern and respect even
towards the weak. 1

In the Gospels, Yeshua comments on being a servant to either God or wealth:

Matthew 6:24 - “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and mammon.

Paul comments on a love of money in one of his epistles:

1 Timothy 6:9-10 - But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a
snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction
and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some
have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows.

ELEVATING THE SPARKS OF HOLINESS

In much of what Torah teaches, there is often a deeper, hidden message beyond
the literal (p'shat) meaning. With regard to the end time scenario of the book of
Revelation, it has to do with misuse of the proper function of wealth in terms of
bringing tikkun (rectification) to creation, which is made up of the four levels of
mineral, vegetable, animal, and human.

Judaism teaches that there are "Holy Sparks" (Nitzotzei Kedushah) throughout
each of these four levels. These sparks were scattered at the time of creation,
and further dispersed by the fall of Adam and subsequent sinners. The purpose
of mankind is to elevate these sparks back to their source. When that occurs,
"God's Name will be One." It is God who gives each spark its source and path of
tikkun.

For example, the sparks in the mineral world are elevated when they sustain
vegetation. At the vegetable level they are then elevated when an animal eats
the vegetation. They then reach the final level of elevation when man eats the
animal in a holy fashion (i.e., kosher, giving blessing to God.)

Of course some minerals do not sustain vegetation and some animals are not
kosher, but God has His way of elevating these sparks, as all of creation must be
rectified.

But how is this done? And what if man fails to do his job?

We turn to the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov for insight:

The answer is through business and trading, buying and selling. This is another
messianic concept that has been perverted today into the pursuit of wealth.
Rabbi Nachman (of Breslov) taught:

"There is a great beauty in coins -- gold, silver, copper -- for these minerals
contain a supernal beauty. Their supernal beauty lies in their being composed of
holy sparks which radiate continually (according to the Sefirah to which each
corresponds. Those who are wise will look "inside the money" and will see
therein the beauty of God and the revelation of the Malkut of holiness. But this
beauty can be misleading and can direct a person toward avarice. This
strengthens the kingdom of impurity. The verse states (Ecclesiastes 2:26),
"Surely He gives to a man that which is good in His sight, wisdom knowledge and
joy; but to the sinner He gave the task of gathering and amassing..." The Talmud
comments (Megilah 10b), "Surely He gives to a man" -- this refers to Mordekhai.
"Good" -- this refers to Torah. "To the sinner" -- this refers to Haman, a
descendant of Amalek, corresponds to the evil attribute of avarice, gathering
and amassing wealth. Thus the sinner, Amalek, will seek to gather the sparks of
holiness that are located within the money, in order to swallow them up.
However, the Malkut of holiness will gather the sparks of holiness through
Chokmah (Wisdom) and Daat (Knowledge) and will elevate them. Not only will
these sparks atttain rectification, but they will even be transformed into Torah!
(Likutey Moharan I, 56:5)."

As we have seen, the concepts of "Man" and "Torah" are synonymous on certain
levels. Thus, when the sparks of holiness found in every bit of matter in the
world are elevated, they are unified with their source, their soul, and can be
transformed into Torah. This is why we see continual trade between people,
countries and continents. People bring goods from one part of the globe to
another, carrying with them the sparks of holiness that must now be elevated by
a person in another place. For this reason, many items continually change
hands. This explains why certain items, such as family heirlooms, can remain in
one family's possession for centuries, and then are given away or sold to another
person, group or organization; all because the moment for the elevation of those
sparks has come and it is time for them to move onward to a new rectification.
Eventually, a good deed is performed with the money received or perhaps even
with the goods themselves (such as the mitzvah of hospitality where inanimate
items -- beds, linens and dishes, etc. -- are used while honoring a guest.

But rectification occurs only when people conduct themselves honorably and
honestly in business. If not, they are further dispersing the sparks, as we have
seen in the case of sexual sins, for the result is the same (as can be seen in the
Generation of the Flood, which was steeped in idolatry, immorality and theft; see
Rashi, Genesis 6:11). Amalek, symbolizing avarice, has always been an
unprincipled enemy of holiness. He tried to "gather" whatever holiness he could,
by lying, cheating, stealing and so on. Those of other nations who break their
lust for wealth will merit the revelation of the Malkut of holiness. This will be at
the time of the ingathering of the Exiles, for the sparks of holiness will all be
gathered and rectified, opening the way for Mashiach to come. Amalek, on the
other hand, is completely evil. The only good he might possibly contain is that
infinitesimal spark of Godliness that sustains him. When Mashiach comes, that
spark will depart, and nothing will be left of Amalek. This is the meaning of the
Torah's injunction (Deuteronomy 25:17-19) to leave no remembrance of Amalek.
When Mashiach comes, every iota of good must be elevated, and then nothing
will remain of Amalek.

We can understand this point better if we recall that the Torah calls Amalek
(Numbers 24:20), "Reishit Goyim, the first of foremost of the nations." The word
reishit also translates as "head," indicating that Amalek's goal is honorand the
wealth that accompanies it, to be first at the head of whatever is taking place.
That is, the evil forces represented by Amalek correspond to haughtiness and
false leadership which, as we have seen are a major impediment to Mashiach
and messianic ideals. 2

As stated, it all goes back to Adam. "Materialism" is something caused by the

fall:

The sparks were scattered even among inanimate objects, and must be rectified
through business, manufacturing and trading, because Adam ate from the Tree
of Knowledge. ... Therefore, instead of benefiting from the Garden of Eden, i.e.,
living a spiritual life without work, Adam was cursed with the need for material
pursuits (Genesis 3:17-19), "You shall eat with sadness, by the sweat of your
brow..." 3

The lesson here is as such:

Therefore, the sparks of holiness must now be elevated through business. ... The
main test of a person is how he relates to money and wealth. One who breaks
his lust for wealth merits to see Divine Providence clearly operating in his life.
Then he can elevate the sparks of holiness found within money ... 4
1
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great
authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

The arrival of angels performing different tasks continues from the previous
chapters. As discussed in our background studies, each angel is relegated to only
one task.

As Paul mentions in 1Timothy 6:9-10 (see above), the love of money results in
other sin. The following Zohar section associates the "big three" sins of adultery
(unchastity), murder and idolatry in the context of Amelek (whom we have
equated with the love of money) 5:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 28b-29a - Various impurities are mingled in the

composition of Israel, like animals among men. One kind is from the side of the
serpent; another from the side of the Gentiles, who are compared to the beasts
of the field; another from the side of mazikin (goblins), for the souls of the
wicked are literally the mazikin (goblins) of the world; and there is an impurity
from the side of the demons and evil spirits; and there is none so cursed among
them as Amalek, who is the evil serpent, the “strange god”. He is the cause of all
unchastity and murder, and his twin-soul is the poison of idolatry, the two
together being called Samael (lit. poison-god). There is more than one Samael,
and they are not all equal, but this side of the serpent is accursed above all of
them.

ENERGIZING OF AMALEK

There is another aspect to Amalek, namely what causes "him" to appear with
such power and infleunce in the days prior to the coming of the Messiah. The
following passage of the Zohar describes this in terms of the result of union of
the "ox and the ass" - defined as the powers behind the nations who come
against Israel 6:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 65a - THEN CAME AMALEK AND
FOUGHT WITH ISRAEL IN REPHIDIM. R. Jose quoted in connection with this the
following verse: Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither
the feet of the ox and the ass (Isaiah 32:20). ‘Water’, he said, ‘has many
symbolic meanings: there are many kinds of water. Blessed are the Israelites
who “sow beside the water”-the water which is under the branches of the Holy
One's Tree, a Tree great and mighty, containing food for the whole universe. This
Tree is encompassed by twelve frontiers and adjoins all four sides of the world,
and has seventy branches, and Israel is in the “body” of the Tree, and the
seventy branches encompass her. This is symbolized by the “twelve wells of
water and the threescore and ten palm trees”, as we have often explained. But
what do the words “and they encamped there by the water” signify? This. At that
time the Israelites had control over the waters which are under the branches of
that Tree, those which are called “the insolent waters,’ (Psalm 124:5). And this is
the meaning of the words, “blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send
forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass”, namely, the two “Crowns of the
Left”, to which are attached the pagan nations who are called “ox and ass”.
When the Israelites are worthy, then they dismiss these evil powers, and they
have no dominion over them.’ Said R. Abba: ‘When the two (i.e. the ox and the
ass) are united, the inhabitants of the world cannot stand up against them. For
this reason it is prohibited to “plough with an ox and an ass together”
(Deuteronomy 22:10). From them, when united, emanates the power, called
“dog”, which is more insolent than all of them. Said the Holy One, blessed be He:
“Ye said, ‘is the Lord in our midst or not?’ Behold, I will deliver you to the dog!”,
and straightway came Amalek.’

Torah gives us a hint as to who the "ass" may be. Speaking of Ishmael it says:

Genesis 16:12 - and he is a wild-ass man, his hand against every one, and
every one's hand against him -- and before the face of all his brethren he
dwelleth.'

Another source gives us an idea who the "ox" in this equation may be:

The Vilna Ga'on explains chad gadya as being a parable of Jewish history
throughout the generations up until the final Redemption; the author of the
Ma'asei Nissim similarly interprets it. The end of this song brings us to the End of
Days: Then came the ox, these are the nations (principally Edom [Rome], who is
symbolized by the ox); 7

Who are modern day Esau/Edom and Ishamel that come together at the end of
days to energize Amalek for a final time? One opinion has it that their final
manifestation is found in the other two religions of the world that trace
themesleves back to Abraham:

... for the rabbis, Esau/Edom symbolised the Roman Empire, and then (after the
conversion of Constantine), Christianity. Ishmael was the Arab world and later,
Islam. 8

Another text explains how Esau/Christianity and Ishmael/Islam, though they are
against Jacob/Israel, turn on each other:

Here, at the End of Days, after Israel has already settled on the land of Israel [!],
in the future, the peoples of the world will gather together to conquer Jerusalem.
Then will gather together to conquer the land of Israel from the Jews Gog, the
President of [the country] Meshek [which means "Market"] and Tuval from the
lands of the North and West who are uncircumcised and called Edom. (Meshek
and Tuval are of the descendants of Yafet [one of the three sons of Noah] that
live [now] in Europe, as Josephus has written; there it is also written "Persia and
Kush and Put are with them" [Ez. 38:5]). And also [with them will be] the house
of Torgama that are all circumcised and adhere to the religion of the Ishmaelite
(Islam). But when they come there will be trouble between them, and they will
fight each other - that is, Edom and Ishmael will fight against each other because
their religions are different. There G-d will judge them with sword and blood. This
is as is written there and in Zechariah, chapter 14. In relation to this, it is told
here how each will fall into the abyss. First Egypt and Assyria and Elam that hold
by Islam - they are all circumcised nowadays - and after He will account for
Meshek and Tuval and Edom and their kings and princes in the North who are all
uncircumcised. The first and most important to fall will be Egypt because they
are close to the land of Israel. They will come first and be defeated. Then the
Assyrians and the Persians will come to take their vengeance and the two sides
will both fall. 9

Inevitably, the wealth accumulated by Ishmael and Esau is given to Jacob. (See
notes to verse 6.)
2
And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is
fallen ...

The term "is fallen" is mentioned twice. The significance of this is that both the
lower (physical) and upper (spiritual) Babylon have met their end. (See previous
study "As Above, So Below" for more on this idea.)

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 65b-66a - R. Simeon said: ‘There is a deep allusion

in the name “Rephidim”. This war emanated from the attribute of Severe
Judgement and it was a war above and a war below. The Holy One, as it were,
said: “when Israel is worthy below My power prevails in the universe; but when
Israel is found to be unworthy she weakens My power above, and the power of
severe judgement predominates in the world.’ So here, “Amalek came and
fought with Israel in Rephidim”, because the Israelites were “weak” (raphe) in
the study of the Torah, as we have explained on another occasion.’ AND MOSES
SAID UNTO JOSHUA, CHOOSE US OUT MEN, AND GO OUT, FIGHT WITH AMALEK.
Why did Moses abstain from fighting the first battle which God Himself
commanded? Because he was able to divine the true meaning of his Master's
command. Hence he said: “I will prepare myself for the war above, and thou,
Joshua, prepare thyself for the war below.” This is the meaning of the
words :”When Moses lifted up his hand, Israel prevailed” (Exodus 17:11), namely
Israel above. Therefore Moses did not participate in the war on earth, so that he
might throw himself with greater zeal into the war in Heaven, and thus promote
victory on earth. Said R. Simeon: ‘Let us not think lightly of this war with
Amalek. Verily, from the creation of the world until then, and since then till the
coming of the Messiah, there has been and will be no war like that, nor can even
the war of Gog and Magog be compared with it; and this not because of the
mighty armies taking part in it, but because it was launched against all the
attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He.’ AND MOSES SAID TO JOSHUA. Why to
him, who was then but a “youth” (Eodus 33:11)? Were there in Israel no greater
warriors than Joshua? The reason was that Moses in his wisdom was aware that
it was not going to be merely a battle against flesh and blood, but against
Samael, who was coming down to assist Amalek. Now Joshua, “the youth”, had
reached at that time a high degree of spiritual perception, not, indeed, as high
as Moses, who was united with the Shekinah, but his soul was, in fact, attached
to the supernal region called “Youth” (=Metatron). Now when Moses perceived
that Samael was going to fight for Amalek, he thought: “this young man, Joshua,
will surely stand against him and prevail”, and therefore he said unto him: “go
and fight against Amalek! It is thy battle, the battle here below, and I will
prepare myself for the battle above. Choose worthy men, righteous and the sons
of the righteous, to accompany thee”.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘At the moment when
Joshua, the “young man”, started out to fight Amalek, the “Young Man” above
was stirred, and was equipped with weapons prepared by his “Mother” (the
Shekinah) for the battle in order to “avenge the covenant” (cf. Leviticus 26:25)
with the “sword” (Exodus 17:13). Moses equipped himself for the war above.
“His hands were heavy” (Ibid. v, 12), that is to say, “weighty, honourable, holy
hands”, that had never been defiled, hands worthy to wage the war above ...

... FOR I WILL UTTERLY BLOT OUT (lit. for blotting out I will blot out); that is, both
their celestial forces and their power here below: similarly THE REMEMBRANCE of
them on high as well as below. Said R. Isaac: ‘Here it is written: “For I will utterly
blot out”, whereas in another passage it says, “Thou shalt blot out the
remembrance of Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:19). The Holy One, blessed be He,
said in effect: “Ye shall blot out his remembrance on earth, and I will blot out his
remembrance on high”.’ R. Jose said: ‘Amalek brought with him other peoples,
but all the rest were afraid to commence war against Israel. Hence Joshua cast
lots which of them to slay.’ AND MOSES BUILT AN ALTAR AND CALLED THE NAME
OF IT YHVH NISSI (the Lord is my sign). He built an altar below to correspond to
the Altar above.
2
... and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit,
and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

"Birds" and "fish" are kabbalistic terms for spiritual entities. See the
representations in the drawing found at
http://www.yashanet.com/studies/images/flame.gif

The following text describes the "serpent" as having scales and fins and residing
in (spiritual) rivers, striking at other "fishes":

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 27b - Eleazar: ‘Thirteen springs.

[Tr.note: These are supposed to symbolize the forces of judgement which issue
from the Sefirah Malkuth.] emerge in the upper world, on the right side, which
give rise to thirteen deep streams. Of these streams, whilst some are rising
others are falling, and their waters mingle with each other. These thirteen
streams, issuing from thirteen springs, branch out besides into a thousand
rivers, flowing in all directions, namely, four hundred and ninety-nine and a half
to the one side, and four hundred and ninety-nine and a half to the other side,
the remaining two half rivers being joined into one and metamorphosed into a
Serpent, whose head is red as the rose, and whose scales are solid as iron, and
who has fins by means of which he propels himself through all the rivers. When
he raises his tail he strikes against all fishes coming in his way so that none of
them dare stand in his path. His mouth emits a flaming fire. When he sets out to
traverse the rivers, all the fishes fall a-trembling, take flight and precipitate
themselves into the great ocean. Once every seventy years he crouches on the
one side and once every seventy on the other side; the thousand rivers less one
are thus filled with him. So he remains for a time; but when he bestirs himself
there issues from him a strip of fire in his scales, which stand out and quiver, and
the waters of the rivers become turbid and assume a dark-blue colour, and
waves surge in every direction. He then lifts his tail and lashes with it upwards
and downwards, so that everything flees before him; until finally a flame of fire is
projected from the North and a proclamation goes forth, saying: “Arise, ye old
females, [Tr.note: Alluding to Lilith, the night-demon, and her female retinue,
According to the commentators, there is, besides old Lilith, also young Lilith, who
is at the service of Asmodeus.] be scattered into all the four corners, for, behold,
there is awakened the one who is about to put fetters on the jaws of the
monster.” So Scripture says: “And I will put hooks in thy jaws”, etc. (Ezekiel
29:4). Then they all scatter, and the monster is seized and pierced through his
jaws and thrust into the cavern of the great abyss, so that his power is broken.
After that he is brought back to his rivers. This performance is repeated every
seventy years in order to prevent him from doing damage to the heavenly
regions and their foundations. For this we all give thanks and offer up praise, as
it is written: “O come, let us bow down and bend the knee; let us kneel before
the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95:6). The superior dragons abide on high, to wit,
those that were blessed, as we read: “And God blessed them “ (Genesis 1:22).
These rule over all the other fishes, of whom it is written, “and fill the waters in
the seas” (Ibid.) Concerning this it is written: “How manifold are thy works, O
Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all” (Psalm 104:24).’

Rome and Babylon are both used in Hebraic literature when describing things
such as exile and evil. In the text of Revelation its destiny is to be a "prison" for a
great number of entities (demons, spirits, "birds") of the Sitra Achra.

The following text hints at the multitude of demons associated with

Rome/Babylon/Lilith:

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, Section 3, Page 19a - AND IF THE WHOLE

CONGREGATION SHALL ERR, ETC. R. Simeon cited in this connection the verse:
“Rise up, ye women that are at ease, and hear my voice, etc.” (Isaiah 32:9). He
said: ‘A man should be ever solicitous for the honour of his Master in order that
his son may be without flaw. For when God created man, He created him without
flaw, as it is written, “God made man upright” (yashar, lit. straight) (Ecclesiastes
7:20). The word “man” (adam) means male and female, the female being
included in the male, and hence it says “upright”. Now in the depth of the great
abyss there is a certain hot fiery female spirit named Lilith, who at first
cohabited with man. For when man was created and his body completed, a
thousand spirits from the left side assembled round that body, each
endeavouring to enter, until at last a cloud descended and drove them away and
God said, “Let the earth bring forth a living soul” (Genesis 1:24), and it then
brought forth a spirit to breathe into man, who thus became complete with two
sides, as it says, “And he breathed in his nostrils the breath of life, and the man
became a living soul” (Genesis 2: 7). When man arose, his female was affixed to
his side, and the holy spirit in him spread to each side, thus perfecting itself.
Afterwards God sawed the man in two and fashioned his female and brought her
to him like a bride to the canopy. When Lilith saw this she fled, and she is still in
the cities of the sea coast trying to snare mankind. And when the Almighty will
destroy the wicked Rome, He will settle Lilith among the ruins, since she is the
ruin of the world, as it is written: “For there Lilith shall settle and find her a place
of rest” (Isaiah 34:14). In ancient books it says that she fled from man before
this, but we have learnt differently, that she associated with man until this soul
(neshamah) was placed in him, and then she fled to the seaside, where she tries
to harm mankind.
3
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the
kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the
earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

As mentioned, Rabbi Nachman mentioned the evil Haman as representative of

misusing wealth. The following adds some insight into how badly Haman misused
wealth:

Haman, we know, was a descendent of Amalek. ... Let us then take a moment to
examine this Haman character. Material bliss, it seems, was among Haman's
blessings. In exchange for permission to kill the Jews, Haman offered King
Achashveirosh a cool ten thousand kikar of silver. Just to put that in perspective:
The Jews in the desert were commanded to give a half-silver shekel each. The
proceeds of these half-shekels would be used to purchase communal sacrifices
for the entire year, after which a new collection was taken. In parshas Pekudei,
the Torah gives a total of the silver collected as a result of the half-shekel
census: One hundred kikar. One kikar of gold was enough to fashion the
menorah, which stood so tall that Aaron needed to stand upon a ladder just to
clean out its lamps. Haman offered ten thousand kikar. Haman was no pauper. 10

The tactics of Amalek are subtle. (i.e., The New Testament warns of an evil
spiritual force appearing as an "angel of light.") The subsequent text puts it in
simple terms and offers some sound advice - enthusiasm for God and Torah!

Amalek disguises himself as the sophisticated businessman, making light of our

commitment to G-d's Torah. Once again, he argues, "Forget what the Torah has
to say about business ethics, honesty, morality, and responsibility. Forget that G-
d is guiding your steps and that you need His help to succeed. No one believes
this, much less acts on it. Your job is to make money, and in the dog-eat-dog
world of workaday reality, you have to play by the rules if you expect to survive."
The Torah here tells us that even though it sounds like we're talking to an astute
businessman, we should recognize that it is really Amalek, the archenemy of
Israel, who is talking. Despite his concessions to our private spiritual life, his goal
is to wipe us out. Therefore, the only proper response to this inner voice is to
wipe it our first, by constantly renewing our impetuous enthusiasm for G-d and
His Torah, and our desire to see it assume its rightful role as our guide in all
aspects of life. 11

Subtle compromise, rearding the keeping of Torah, is another tactic of Amalek:

Amalek had another weapon up his sleeve. Rashi teaches us that the verse "how
he met you on the way [in Hebrew, "asher korcho baderech"] (Deuteronomy
25:18) can be understood "how he cooled you off along the way". Amalek,
spreads his poison in each and every Jew and tries to dampen one's enthusiasm
for serving G-d. "Pray, learn Torah and keep mitzvot", he declares, "but why do
you have to be so religious? G-d didn't create such a big world out there just for
you to ignore it, did He?!" When this attitude, or one of extreme chutzpah like
Amalek's, takes hold amongst the Jewish People, we must uproot it to the core. 12

Money, power and fame are not evil. It is the misuse of these things that
energizes Amalek:

We must learn that power and strength can be used to destroy and uproot, or
they can be used to repair, to build and protect. As a nation we must abhor the
power that destroys and love the power that gives us strength to redeem the
world. It is the abuse of power, the greedy materialistic pursuit of wealth at the
expense of the needy and weak that which we must eradicate and "blot out".
That is the lesson of Amalek. 13

The misue of material wealth is directly tied to denial of the Name of God in this
text:

Enoch 46:5 - They shall condemn the stars of heaven, shall life up their hands
against the Most High, shall tread upon and inhabit the earth, exhibiting all their
works of iniquity, even their works of iniquity. Their strength shall be in their
riches, and their faith in the gods whom they have formed with their own hands.
They shall deny the Name of the Lord of Spirits, and shall expel him from the
temples, in which they assemble.
4
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people,
lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

The term "plague" is often used to represent the demonic realm and/or the result
of demonic activity: This Zohar text teaches on Psalm 91, known as the Psalm of
demons, as it is a prayer for protection against such evil. Again, the demon Lilith
plays a central role:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 169b - LEFT ALONE, ETC . R.

Hiya discoursed on the verse: There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any
plague come nigh thy tent. (Psalm 91:10). ‘When God’, he said, ‘created the
world, He made on each day the work appropriate for that day. This has already
been explained. Now on the fourth day the lights were created; but the moon
was created without light, since she diminished herself. This is implied in the
phrase “Let there be lights”, wherein the term meoroth (lights) is written
defectively (less the letter vau), as it were me'eroth (curses); for as a result of
the moon's diminution, occasion was granted to all spirits and demons and
hurricanes and devils to exercise sway, so that all unclean spirits rise up and
traverse the world seeking whom to seduce; they haunt ruined places, thick
forests and deserts. These are all from the side of the unclean spirit, which, as
has been said, issues from the crooked serpent, who is, indeed, the veritable
unclean spirit, and whose mission is to seduce man after him. Hence it is that
the evil prompter has sway in the world, following men about and employing all
manner of ruses and seductions to turn them aside from the paths of the Holy
One, blessed be He. And in the same way as he seduced Adam and thereby
brought death into the world, so does he ever seduce men and cause them to
defile themselves; and whoever allows himself to be defiled draws upon himself
the unclean spirit and clings unto him, and numerous unclean influences are at
hand to defile him, so that he remains polluted in this world and in the world to
come. Contrariwise, should a man strive to purify himself, the unclean spirit is
foiled and can no longer dominate him. Thus it is written: “No evil shall befall
thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent”.’ R. Jose said: ‘ “Evil” here
alludes to Lilith (night-demon), and “the plague” to the other demons, as has
been explained elsewhere.’ R. Eleazar said: ‘It has been taught that a man
should not go out alone at night, and especially when the time of the creation of
the moon recurs and it is without light. For at that time the unclean spirit, which
is the same as the evil spirit, is at large. Now, the term “evil” here is an allusion
to the evil serpent, while “the plague” alludes to him who rides on the serpent,
so that evil and plague work together. It is true, we have also been taught that
the term “plague” signifies “the plagues of the sons of man”, which issued from
Adam.
5
For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

The Revelation text expresses this sin in terms of "reaching heaven" - which may
seem strange in that "proximity" to God (heaven) is based on likeness, and sin of
course is "missing the mark," i.e., not in the likeness of God.

What we have here is the idea of "fullness of sin," which has to do with it
reaching the end of its purpose. This "length of time" is actually grounded in
Hesed, God's attribute of Mercy, as he gives the unrighteous ample time to
repent.

These concepts are found in many places:

Genesis 15:13-16 - Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your

descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them,
and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they
serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as
for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old
age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet complete.”

Romans 2:3-4 - So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do
the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show
contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing
that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Midrash Rabbah - Ecclesiastes 5:5 - IF THOU SEEST THE OPPRESSION OF THE

POOR (V, 7). If you see the oppression of the lowly and the needy,and the
Righteous One who liveth for ever granting prosperity and comfort to the
oppressor, [DO THOU SEE] IN THE STATE (BAMMEDINAH) - see at work on him
the judgment (bo'dinah) of Gehinnom. FOR ONE HIGHER THAN THE HIGH
WATCHETH: viz. the angels, AND THERE ARE HIGHER THAN THEY: viz. the Holy
One, blessed be He. R. Jose b. Haninah interpreted the verse as applying to Esau
[i.e. Rome]. If you see Esau in the great city of Rome oppressing the lowly and
robbing the poor, and the Holy One, blessed be He, granting him prosperity, see
at work on him the Attribute of Justice. MARVEL NOT at what the ancient [Isaac]
said and that his desire was fulfilled, as it is stated, Behold, of the fat places of
the earth shall be thy dwelling (Genesis 27:39). FOR ONE HIGHER THAN THE
HIGH WATCHETH:viz. the commanders, captains, and lieutenants; AND THERE
ARE HIGHER THAN THEY: viz. the King who liveth for ever.

This principle applies to God's overall plan as well. All evil has its purpose and its
end:

"[G-d] has set a limit to darkness..."(Job 28:3), meaning that He has limited the
time during which the darkness of kelipa will be permitted to derive sustenance
from the leavings of holiness, from the most extrinsic level of holiness. When
that time expires, the kelipa will be utterly destroyed and annihilated, leaving no
vestige of itself, because it does not possess any intrinsic form of true existence;
it is a non-entity... In contrast to the side of holiness, the kelipot derive their
existence from a "lack of divine desire" and were therefore sundered from G-d's
unity. They have no existence other than the animation which they receive from
the encompassing level of divine light. When this source is removed they will be
totally cut off and will be utterly obliterated. This is the meaning of the above-
quoted verse, "[G-d] has set a limit to darkness...". The darkness of the kelipot
has a limited time period, after which the kelipot will be utterly destroyed and
annihilated, since they originate from a "lack of divine desire." While this applies
to the sitra achra in general, it is especially true of the kelipa of Amalek, whose
whole being is brazenness and chutzpa, with no inner content at all. Every other
kelipa has at least some content, albeit evil, such as the " chesed of kelipa". This
is not the case with the kelipa of Amalek, the kelipa of brazen chutzpa; an
insolent individual, as he himself is aware, is essentially a non-entity. The more
degraded such people are, the less they retain their human aspect - the more
they relate with insolence, in an animal-like fashion, to people more elevated
than themselves. So, too, the kelipa of Amalek, whose whole being is insolence,
is essentially a non-entity. Amalek thus resembles the waves of the sea that are
lifted by the wind. While water, by its nature, descends, it is capable of being
lifted by the wind and momentarily standing upright like a wall; however, as
soon as the wind abates, the water collapses. So, too, kelipot in general and
Amalek in particular derive their sustenance only from the encompassing level of
divine life-force, and will thus "appear and disappear with the wind." This, then,
is what is meant by the phrase, "[G-d] has set a limit to darkness": the darkness
of the kelipot have an appointed end, after which they will be cut off and utterly
destroyed, leaving no trace. 14

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus 30:1 - Israel said to God: ' Lord of the Universe!
How long wilt Thou delay in judging the heathen?’- The reply was: ‘Until the time
of vintage comes’; as it says, In that day sing ye of her: A vineyard of foaming
wine (Isaiah 27:2). Does then one glean his vineyard before the grapes ripen?
No, only after they are ripe does he pluck them, place them in the vat, and tread
them, while his fellow-labourers sing with him. Thus said God to Israel: ' Wait
until the time of Edom comes and then will I tread upon her,’ as it says, Upon
Edom do I cast my shoe (Psalm 40:10); ‘I will begin [the song of redemption] for
you, and you will respond after Me;’ therefore does it say, ’In that day sing ye of
her: A vineyard of foaming wine.’ I the Lord do guard it, I water it every moment
(Isaiah 27:3).-I am biding My time with her to make her drink many cups, as it
says, ‘I water it every moment.’ I have only to glance at them to destroy them
completely from this world, but Fury is not in Me, as it is in them against My
children. What will I do to them? I would with one step burn it altogether

There are two other important and related concepts behind verse 5.

• It is necessary for both evil and good to reach their fullness in order for the
end to come. It is the intensification of evil that "squeezes out" the
greatest good.

Speaking of the evil ones in the days leading up to Messiah, Rabbi Pinchas
Winston states:

And, like Pharaoh before them, God will take advantage of their faulty
assumptions to create a path to redemption for the faithful. 15

• The soul of Messiah emanates from the highest realms. Because of the
"loftiness" of this soul, the "lower" it can decend to redeem everything in
creation - even the darkest elements of the Sitra Achra. (A positive spin on
the old saying, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall!) When the sin
(emanating from the lowest point) reaches its "highest point" (reaching
heaven) then Mashiach comes to bring redemption.

Regarding this latter point, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's teachings make the most
amazing claims to the power of the Messiah:

Keter actually has two levels, a lower level corresponding to Arikh Anpin and an
upper level, the intellect of Arikh Anpin, which corresponds to Atik ("The Ancient
One"), Atik Yomin ("The Ancient of Days"), Atika Kadisha ("The Holy Ancient
One"). ... The connection between Mashiach and Atik is learned from Daniel's
vision: "A man came and he approached (the level of) the Ancient of Days.."
Rashi explains that this refers to Mashiach, who will administer justice to the
entire world. ... Atik thus transcends anything we can conceive ... at this level
there is neither past nor future. Everything is in the present. And, as we have
seen, every part of Creation, from the first constriction to the lowest level of
Asiyah, is contained within the Keter Atik. Thus, Atik includes all time and space -
yet transcends it all. The soul of Mashiach "resides" within Atik, and it is from
this level that all his powers will be drawn. And, since he transcends time and
space, Mashiach can trascend every transgression ever done, he can bring each
person to a state prior to his having sinned. This is because in Keter, God
overrides the rules that He set up for all the Sefirot and their interaction between
each other and man. With the power inherent in this exalted level, Mashiach will
be able to bring the world to a state of perfection. 16

The idea of sin "reaching heaven" may be thought of in terms of it seeking to

defile the heavenly Temple, which kabbalistically is located in the world of
Beriah/Creation. This is clearly conveyed in the following passage from the
Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 194b-195a - AND MOSES

ASSEMBLED ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, ETC. R. Hiya
opened here a discourse on the text: “And Saul said unto the Kenites: Go
depart”, etc. (I Samuel 15:6). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that in regard to Amalek it is
written: “I remember that which Amalek did to Israel”, etc. (Ibid. 15:2). What is
the reason that none of the wars waged by other nations against Israel was so
displeasing to the Almighty as was the war waged against them by Amalek? The
reason, assuredly, is that the battle with Amalek was waged on both fronts, both
on high and below; for at that time the evil serpent gathered all its forces both
above and below. It is the way of a serpent to lie in wait on the cross-roads. So
Amalek, the evil serpent of Israel, was lying in wait for them on the cross-roads,
as it is written: “how he set himself against him in the way” (Ibid.). He was Iying
in ambush on high in order to defile the Sanctuary, and below in order to defile
Isracl. This we deduce from the expression, “how he met thee by the way”
(Deuteronomy 25:18), where the term qar'kha is meant to suggest the kindred
term in the passage, “If there be among you any man that is not clean by reason
of that which chanceth him (miqre) by night” (Ibid. 23:11). By using the term
qar'kha, the text as much as says: “He has arrayed against thee that evil serpent
from above that he may defile thee on all sides”; and were it not that Moses
from above, and Joshua from below, put forth all their strength, Israel would not
have prevailed against him. It is for this reason that the Holy One, blessed be He,
cherished His enmity against him throughout all generations, inasmuch as he
planned to uproot the sign of the covenant from its place. ([Tr. note: i.e. to lead
Israel into ways of unchastity.]
6
Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to
her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.
The material wealth of Esau and Ishmael will in the end all go to Jacob (Israel).
The former is punished "double" while the latter receives "double" the blessing:

Isaiah 61:6-7 - But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call
you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their
glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And
instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land
they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

This all happens in the time of Messiah:

Midrash Rabbah - Ecclesiastes 1:21 - Another interpretation of ALL THE

RIVERS RUN INTO THE SEA: All wealth only goes to the kingdom of Edom, and
the kingdom of Edom is never filled; for R. Levi said: It is written, So the eyes of
man (adam) are never satiated (Proverbs 27:20), i.e. the eyes of Edom are never
satiated. Do you mean to say that when wealth enters Edom it never returns to
its owners? Thereforethe text states, UNTO THE PLACE WHITHER THE RIVERS
GO, THITHER THEY GO AGAIN. From the place where wealth accumulates, viz.
the kingdom of Edom, in this world, thence it will be dispersed in the days of the
Messiah; as it is written, And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord
(Isaiah 23:18).

1. From http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/salt-devarim/49-5kiteitzei.htm -
comments to Parashat Ki Teitzei by Rav David Silverberg

2. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When? (exposition on the

teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov) Chaim Kramer, Breslov Research
Institute, Jerusalem, 1998, pp. 264-266.

3. ibid, p. 266.

4. ibid, p. 267

5. There are three sins for which a Jew must be willing to give up his life for and
not commit; murder, idolatry and adultery.

6. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/holydays/purim/an_end_to_evil.asp

7. From http://www.kahane.org/parsha/h6.html

8. From http://www.chiefrabbi.org/thoughts/toldot5765.htm

9. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Holydays/purim/The_Reward_of_Terror.asp

10. From http://www.torah.org/learning/olas-shabbos/5761/tetzaveh.html

11. From
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/weeklytorah/rebbechumash/battling_our_enemies_
within.asp
12. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/holydays/purim/rest_assured.asp

13. From http://www.lind.org.il/features/zachor63.htm

14. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/holydays/purim/an_end_to_evil.asp

15. Rabbi Pinchas Winston has an interesting view of this in his article, And, One
More Step, One More Chizuk, at http://www.thirtysix.org/modules.php?
op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=599&mode=thread&order=0&thold
=0

16. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov
Research Institute, Jerusalem, 1998, pp. 208-209.

Revelation 18:7-24
Last update: July 6, 2006

The great "mystery" of "Babylon" eludes most of those who write about the end
times. Many are focused on some "outwardly idolatrous" religious practice - often
described as some combination of "new age," "liberal christianity," and/or
Catholicism. The idolatry of Babylon however lies in materialism (or "serving
mammon" as Yeshua called it).

Notice the concern expressed when Babylon falls in verses 9-24. Ironically, many
of these religious authors are affiliated with groups whose teachings focus on
things such as, "how God wants you to have money," etc.
7a
In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same
measure give her torment and sorrow ...

Here we have a more direct reference to the principle of midah knegged midah -
God administrating either his justice or mecy "measure for measure."
7b
... for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen ...

Again we see Babylon proclaiming herself to be "queen" in place of the true

"queen" - the Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 51a - “The Holy One prepared for Himself a holy
Palace, a supernal Palace, a holy City, a supernal City, which is called ‘Jerusalem,
the holy city’. He who wishes to see the King, must enter through this holy City
and thence take his way to the King: ‘this is the gate of the Lord into which the
righteous shall enter’ (Psalm 118:20).” Every message which the King wishes to
send out is sent through the Matrona, and, conversely, every message sent from
the lower spheres to the King must first reach the Matrona, and from her it goes
to the King. Thus the Matrona is the messenger between the upper regions and
the lower. For this reason she is called “the angel (messenger) of God”. It may
be asked, is it consonant with the dignity of the King that the Matrona should
declare war for him and receive petitions to him? The following parable may
explain. A king married a noble lady, whose worth he esteemed so highly that in
comparison with her he regarded all other women as a mere vulgar herd. “What
shall I do to honour her?” he thought. “I will give her full control over the palace
and over my whole household!” So he made a proclamation that all the king's
business should pass through the hands of the queen. He also handed over to
her all the weapons of war, all his military advisers and generals, all his regalia,
and indeed all his treasures of every sort, and said: “From now anyone who
wishes to speak to me must first make known his suit unto the queen.” Similarly,
the Holy One, blessed be He, out of His great love for the Community of Israel
(represented by the Shekinah) has entrusted everything to her (i.e. the
Shekinah), proclaiming all the other nations to be of no account in comparison
with her.

It is all part of God's plan to allow the Shekinah to fall into a "dimished state" and
allow another to take her place as "queen" for a short while. The following
passage expounds on this, with several references to the "tzadik" (i.e., Sefirat of
Yesod/Messiah) and "zedek" (i.e., Sefirah of Malkut/Shekinah):

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 69a - One day, as the Companions were walking with
R. Simeon, he said: ‘I see all other peoples elevated and Israel degraded. What is
the reason? Because the King has dismissed the Matrona and put the handmaid
in her place. Who is the handmaid? This is the alien Crown whose firstborn God
slew in Egypt.’ R. Simeon wept, and continued: ‘A king without a queen is no
king. If a king cleaves to the handmaid of the queen, where is his honour? A
voice will one day announce to the Matrona, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, for thy king cometh unto thee; he is just
and having salvation”, etc. (Zechariah 9:9); as if to say: The Righteous One
(Zaddik) will be saved, he that was hitherto poor and riding on an ass, viz., as we
have explained, the lower Crowns of the heathen nations whose firstborn God
killed in Egypt. It is the Zaddik, as it were, who will be saved, because till now he
was without Zedek (righteousness), but now they will be joined.’ R. Isaac here
asked R. Simeon to explain how it is that some say the world is founded on
seven pillars and some on one pillar, to wit, the Zaddik. He replied: ‘It is all the
same. There are seven, but among these is one called Zaddik on which the rest
are supported. Hence it is written: “The righteous one (Zaddik) is the foundation
of the world” (Proverbs 10:25). This handmaid’, resumed R. Simeon, ‘will one
day rule over the holy land below as the Matrona once ruled over it, but the Holy
One, blessed be He, will one day restore the Matrona to her place, and then who
shall rejoice like the King and the Matrona?-the King, because he has returned to
her and parted from the handmaid, and the Matrona because she will be once
more united to the King. Hence it is written: “Rejoice exceedingly, O daughter of
Zion”, etc. Observe now that it is written, “This shall be to you a statute for ever”
(Leviticus 16:29). This promise is a decree of the King, fixed and sealed.

The idea of "Babylon" assuming the role of "queen" is to come between the "king
above" (Sefirah of Chokmah/Wisdom) and the "king below" (Ze'er Anpin/the six
Sefirot from Chesed to Yesod), or to put it another way, between the blessings of
the spiritual realm above and the world below, a function of Amalek.
Rabbi Pinchas Winston alludes to this in a recent study:

G-d told Moshe, "Write this as a memorial in the Book, and repeat it carefully
(literally, b'aznei -- in the ears) to Yehoshua. I will completely eradicate the
memory of Amalek from under heaven." (Shemos 17:14)

The gematria of Amalek is suffek (doubt). Interestingly enough, this word is very
close to another word which is quite different in meaning: sippuk (contentment).
The first one is spelled: Samech-Peh-Kuf, and the second one is spelled: Samech-
YUD-Peh-VAV-Kuf; the Yud and the Vav are extra. Nothing creates a greater
sense of lacking than doubt, the exact opposite feeling of sippuk.

The question is, what difference does the letter Yud and Vav make?

First of all, they are two letters from G-d's four-letter Ineffable Name, the first
and the third. The Yud corresponds to the sefirah called Chochmah (Wisdom),
whereas the Vav corresponds to the sefirah of Yesod, which corresponds to our
millennium, Lamed-Vav, (36). The other two letters of the Name are the same,
the letter Heh twice, one is for Binah, and the other for Malchus.

In fact, though the Name is normally written from right to left, when it represents
the Sefiros, it is written from top to bottom. Then it resembles, of all things, a
tree, with the final Heh (for Malchus) becoming the ground, the Vav acting as the
trunk and the tree, and the other Yud and Heh acting as the top of the tree. It is
Amalek's goal to sever the Yud from the Vav, so that wisdom cannot flow down
to the world below, so that suffek and discontentment can rule mankind. 1
7c
... and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’

This verse strikes an interesting contrast to the following, and almost makes it
sound as if Babylon is "delusional," thinking it has actually become the "queen":

Jeremiah 51:5 - For Israel has not been widowed, nor Judah of his God, of the
Lord of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.

(Jeremiah 51 is an important text to review at this point.)

Arrogance is at the heart of Amalek who disregards where he stands before God.
Conversely, an understanding of where one stands before God, and acting
accordingly, is what defines true "humility."

The higher a person becomes spiritually, the more humble he becomes. As we

get closer to G-d, we become more realistic about our own limitations,
vulnerability and mortality. We internalize the reality that every human's
position is tenable and only G-d is eternal. Moses was called "the most humble"
because when he stood before G-d he knew his place. Anything else precludes
room for G-d to fit in. That's why the Talmud likens arrogance to idol worship;
both push away the presence of G-d. 2
The history of Israel's enemies is one of arrogance and accusation, constantly
mistaking Israel's troubles as a sign that they are spiritually superior to the Jews.
The following story illustrates this well, and gives an interesting response:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, 220b-221b - One day a certain clever non-Jew

came to him and said: Old man, old man, I want to ask three questions of you.
One is, how can you maintain that another Temple will be built for you, whereas
only two were destined to be built, the first and the second. A third and a fourth
you will not find mentioned in the Scripture, but it is written, “Greater shall be
the glory of this latter house than of the first” (Haggai 2:9). Again, you maintain
that you are nearer to the King than all other peoples. Now, one who is near to
the King is ever in joy and free from sorrow and oppression, but you are ever in
sorrow and oppression and anguish, more than all the rest of mankind, whereas
we never suffer sorrow or oppression or anguish at all. This shows that we are
near to the King and you are far away. Again, you do not eat nebelah and
terefah, [Tr. note: Flesh of animals not killed according to Jewish rites.] in order
to protect your health, but we eat whatever we like and we are healthy and
strong, whereas you who do not eat are all weak and sickly beyond other
peoples. You are a people who are wholly hated of your God. Old man, old man,
don't say anything to me, for I will not listen to you. R. Eleazar raised his eyes
and looked at him, and he became a heap of bones. When his wrath subsided he
turned his head and wept, saying: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name
in all the earth” (Psalm 8:2). How mighty is the power of the Holy Name, and
how beloved are the words of the Torah, since there is nothing at all which
cannot be found in the Torah, and there is not a single word of the Torah which
does not issue from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He. These questions
which that wretch put to me I also one day asked Elijah, and he told me that
they had been raised in the celestial Academy before the Holy One, blessed be
He. The answer given was as follows. When Israel left Egypt, God desired to
make them on earth like ministering angels above, and to build for them a holy
house which was to be brought down from the heaven of the firmaments, and to
plant Israel as a holy shoot after the pattern of the celestial prototype. Thus it is
written, “Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine
inheritance, the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in”- this is
the first Temple-”the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established”
(Exodus 15:17) - this is the second Temple; and both were to have been the
work of the Almighty. But as they provoked God in the wilderness they died
there and God brought their children into the land, and the house was built by
human hands, and therefore it did not endure. In the days of Ezra also on
account of their sins they were forced to build it themselves and therefore it did
not endure. All this time the first building planned by God had not yet been set
up. Now of the future time it is written, “The Lord buildeth Jerusalem” (Psalm
147:2)-He and no other. It is for this building that we are waiting, not a human
structure which cannot endure. The Holy One, blessed be He, will send down to
us the first House and the second House together, the first in concealment and
the second openly. The second will be revealed to show all the world the
handiwork of the Holy One, blessed be He, in perfect joy and gladness. The first,
which will be concealed, will ascend high over that which is revealed, and all the
world will see the clouds of glory surrounding the one which is revealed and
enveloping the first one which ascends to the height of the glorious heavens. It is
for that building that we are waiting. Even the future city of Jerusalem will not be
the work of human hands, all the more so then the Temple, God's habitation.
This work should have been completed when Israel first went forth from Egypt,
but it has been deferred to the end of days in the last deliverance. As for the
second question, assuredly we are nearer to the supernal King than all other
peoples. God has made Israel as it were the heart of all mankind, and as the
limbs cannot endure for a moment without the heart, so the other nations
cannot endure without Israel. And what the heart is among the limbs, such is
Israel among the nations. The heart is tender and weak, and it alone feels sorrow
and distress, since in it alone is intelligence. The other limbs are distant from the
king, which is the wisdom and intelligence situate in the brain, but the heart is
near. So Israel is near to the Holy King, while the other nations are far away.
Similarly in regard to the third question, Israel being the heart, which is tender
and delicate and king of the members, takes for its food only the most purified
part of all the blood, and leaves the remnant for the other members, which are
not particular. They are therefore strong, as we see, but they also suffer from
boils and from other ailments from which the heart is quite free. So God takes to
himself Israel, who are clean and pure without any blemish.’

Amalek epitomizes this arrogance to the point of not fearing God:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 65a - R. Judah said: ‘It is written, “Amalek is the
first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever” (Numbers
24:20). Was, then, Amalek the first of the nations? Were there not many tribes,
nations, and peoples in the world before Amalek came? But the meaning is that
Amalek was the first nation who feared not to proclaim war against Israel, as it
says, “and he feared not God” (Deuteronomy 29:18); whilst the other nations
were filled with fear and trembling before Israel at the time of the Exodus, as it
says: “The peoples heard and were afraid; trembling took hold of the inhabitants
of Pelesheth” (Exodus 15:14); in fact, apart from Amalek there was no nation
that was not awestruck before the mighty works of the Holy One, blessed be He.
Therefore “his latter end shall be that he perish for ever”.’

The prophet Daniel spoke of such an insolent person to come:

Daniel 11:36-37 - And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt
himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous
things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard
the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall
magnify himself above all.

Looking back, we see these are the characteristics of Laodicea in chapter 3:

Revelation 3:15-17 - I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I
could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am
rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that
you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

GEMMATRIA

The description of Laodicea being "lukewarm" is another hidden reference to

Amalek:

Rabbi Tzadok of Lublin explains that there is a mystical klipah (barrier to

holiness) called snow which is associated with the nation of Amalek, the Jews'
arch-enemy. Amalek attacked the beleaguered Jewish people as they left Egypt,
and God instructed us to remember this evil deed of Amalek, as they will always
seek to harm the Jewish nation. (see Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19) In
fact, the Hebrew word for snow -- sheleg -- has a numerical value (gematria) of
333 -- the same as the word shich'cha, which means forgetfulness. This seems to
suggest that snow is not a vehicle for growth at all. And when we venture
outside on a snowy day, we are surrounded by forgetfulness and Amalek. What
could this possibly mean?

The Torah tells us to remember what Amalek did as we left Egypt because he
"happened upon you (karcha) and attacked." (Deuteronomy 28:17-18) The
simple reading, as Rashi explains, is that Amalek's attack was a surprising and
unexpected one -- "he happened upon you." A key aspect of their hideous crime
was the sheer brazenness and trickery involved. However, Rashi suggests that
karcha can also mean "he cooled you off," coming from the Hebrew word kar --
cold. As Rashi explains, the Jews were compared to a hot, scalding bath of water,
symbolizing their great passion for spiritual achievements as they left Egypt. But
Amalek was willing to burn themselves by attacking the Jewish people with the
aim of showing that the heat of inspiration will not endure. By doing so, Amalek
cooled off the tremendous fear that all of the other nations had for the Jews,
giving them license to attack as well. Amalek, we see, relates to cooling. 3
8
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine.
And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges
her.

Ironically, the punishment in Torah for the adulterous daughter of a priest was
death by burning.
9
“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with
her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning,

Having ignored the following advice, they lament the loss of what they had
deemed important:

Matthew 6:19-21 - “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.
10
standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great
city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’

The fact that these kinks are allowed to "stand at a distance" and avoid this
(particular) punishment is an indication of God's tremendous mercy. It is also
reminiscent of another episode from Torah, where an arrogant person was
judged and others were advised to "stand clear":

Numbers 16:1 - Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and
certain Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—
became insolent.

Numbers 16:23-27a - Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the assembly,
'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.'" Moses got up and
went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He warned the
assembly, "Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch
anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins."
So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.
11
“And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one
buys their merchandise anymore:

Typically, though these men "see the lesson" they don't "learn the lesson," as
repentance remains far from them despite seeing with their own eyes what God
has done. This is remindful of how the nations acted after they heard what God
had done to mighty Egypt (the "Babylon of its time) on behalf of Israel:

Exodus 15:14-16 - The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of
the inhabitants of Philistia. Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; The
mighty men of Moab, Trembling will take hold of them; All the inhabitants of
Canaan will melt away. Fear and dread will fall on them; By the greatness of
Your arm They will be as still as a stone, Till Your people pass over, O LORD, Till
the people pass over Whom You have purchased.

Did any of these nations turn to God, join Israel or even act "neutral" towards
God's people? No. They may have "reacted" but not "acted." 4
12
merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and
purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory,
every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
13
and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine
flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of
men.

The extensive list of things from creation, mineral, vegetable, animal - even the
souls of men - reflects back to Rabbi Nachman's comments in the previous study,
on the beauty of these things and their need for rectification. We can find
specific reference to the redemption of all four levels of creation in the exodus
account. Not only did the Hebrews extract physical elements from Egypt (to
redeem them from the klippot of that dark realm) but the souls of men (the erev
rav - "mixed multitude") also came out with them.

Exodus 12:35-38 - Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of
Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold,
and clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the
Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered
the Egyptians. Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth,
about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude
went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.

A comparison can be made between the materials misused by Babylon in

Revelation's verses 12 and 13 above, to those used for the Godly purpose of
constructing the tabernacle in the book of Exodus:

Exodus 35:20-29 - And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed
from the presence of Moses. Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and
everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering for the
work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.
They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought
earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all jewelry of gold, that is, every
man who made an offering of gold to the LORD. And every man, with whom was
found blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, goats’ hair, red skins of rams,
and badger skins, brought them. Everyone who offered an offering of silver or
bronze brought the LORD’s offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia
wood for any work of the service, brought it. All the women who were gifted
artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue,
purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred with
wisdom spun yarn of goats’ hair. The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones
to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, and spices and oil for the light, for
the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Israel brought a
freewill offering to the LORD, all the men and women whose hearts were willing
to bring material for all kinds of work which the LORD, by the hand of Moses, had
commanded to be done.
14
The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which
are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at
all.

The concept of "fruit" once again concerns the idea of "tikkun." Those who
elevate the sparks of holiness in creation bring "good fruit."

Matthew 7:20 - Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

However, even a "bad tree" (that "rooted" in the Sitra Achra) creates fruit:

Matthew 12:33 - Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the
tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
What is interesting regarding both Matthew passages above is that each follows
a particular reference:

Matthew 7:13-14 - Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because
narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few
who find it.

Matthew 12:31-32 - Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be
forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but
whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this
age or in the age to come.

As discussed in previous studies, both the "narrow gate" (Matthew 7:13) one
enters and the "Holy Spirit" (Matthew 12:32) are synonymous in kabbalistic texts
with the Shekinah or the Sefirah of Malkut, also called the Matrona or Queen.5

Thus we see the contrast between the "gate" of the "Matrona" versus the gate of
the "handmaid" that has taken her place (See citation from Soncino Zohar,
Vayikra, 69a in notes to 7b above).

What is especially interesting is the way John expresses the desire of this
handmaid as:

"the fruit that your soul longed for ..."

Everything in creation has some type of "nefesh" (basic soul) - including that in
the abode of the Sitra Achra (evil realm). As Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches,
even the longings for wealth and power are rooted in the beauty of the Messianic
era:

Interstingly, the pursuit of wealth and power is rooted in messianic concepts. In

the days of Mashiach, everyone will have abundant wealth ... Mankind was
created to pursue a specific goal -- God. Thus, man's basic instinct is to seek a
goal. But when clouded by evil desires, the quest for the goal becomes
deflected. Since wealth will be widespread in the future, man's desire for it is
rooted in a worthwhile goal -- that of the messianic era. Unfortunately, the
pursuit of great wealth today, since it is currently not connected with the service
of God, is idolatrous. 6
15
The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a
distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16
and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple,
and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!

See comments to verse 10.

17a
For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’...
When God "alters his course" from that of extended mercy to the final time of
judgment, the results come quickly.

Midrash Rabbah - Exodus 30:1 - Our Sages said that God replied to Israel: ' If
I were to alter My course of judgment, I would destroy them in a single flash, as
it says, If I alter [My judgment], then with the flash of My sword [would I act]
(Deuteronomy 32:41)
17b
... Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on
the sea, stood at a distance

Evil, defined as a "absence of God's light," and represented by the concept of

"Babylon," is present in all three worlds of Creation; Beriyah, Yetzirah and
Asiyah. As Rabbi Moshe Luzzatto states in Derech Hashem:

Included in God's decree that the world contain both good and evil, He also
decreed that evil would be found throughout Creation in every degree and at
every possible level ... 7

Examining verses 9 through 17, it is interesting that John mentions three groups
as "standing at a distance," those being; Kings, Merchants and Shipmasters. This
would seem to reflect the worlds of Beriah (Kings and the aspect of time [which
begins in Beriah] expressed as "judgment in one hour"), Asiyah (Merchants and
the actual physical aspects of their trade as listed) and Yetzirah (which is called
the "sea" - which the "shipmasters" trade on)

These three groups, associated with evil in each world of Creation, have their
"good" counterparts, as we will see in verse 20.
18
and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like
this great city?’
19
“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and
saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became
rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’
20a
“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets ...

Again, we see three groups (as in verse 17b above), corresponding in the same
way to the three worlds of creation ("heaven," the apostles and the prophets).
Heaven (Beriah) speaks for itself, the apostles (disciples/talmidim) correspond to
the earthly realm (Asiyah) and the prophets are by definition the ones who make
the connection between these two, through the world of Yetzirah.

Thus we see that Babylon/Amalek exists in all three Worlds of Creation, and
tikkun (repair) and rejoicing comes to all three Worlds.

Again, as explained by Rabbi Moshe Luzzatto in Derech Hashem:

It was therefore arranged that every good concept have its counterpart in evil.
This is what Scripture means when it says (Ecclesiastes 7:14) "God has made
one opposite the other." 8

Along the same lines, Rabbi Pinchas Winston says:

... there is the concept of 'zu l'umas zu' -- 'this against this' -- which means that,
for everything positive in the spiritual world, there is something that corresponds
to it in a negative way in the spiritual world, exactly. In fact, it is like standing on
top of a mirror, where everything that exists on top of the mirror exists in
reverse 'below' the mirror. 9
20b
... for God has avenged you on her!”

God's vengeance is said to involved His "separating" the Sefirah of Mercy from
the Sefirah of Judgment. The final judgment comes against Edom/Esau/Rome by
the hand of His Messiah, who will hand over everything to Israel:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 112b - So it is written: “And he divided himself

against them by night, he and his servants, and he smote them” (Genesis
14:15). By “dividing” is here meant that the Holy One separated His attribute of
mercy from that of justice in order to avenge Abraham.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 36a - And as it was then even so shall it be in the
future, as it says: “Who is this that cometh from Edom (=Rome), with dyed
garments from Bozra?” (Isaiah 63:1); for He will clothe Himself entirely in
judgement to avenge His people.’

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 8a - the Holy One swears to them to destroy the
wicked kingdom (Rome) by the hand of the Messiah, to avenge Israel, and to
give her all the good things which he has promised her.

It is at this time when Israel's enemies are destroyed that Amalek meets its end.
At a personal level, the time to do this is on Shabbat, as one needs to be at
peace to defeat Amalek. On a grand scale, Amalek is defeated at the time of the
Great Shabbat. 10

Isaiah chapters 63 to 66 is a good section to review concerning God's judgment.

21
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the
sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down,
and shall not be found anymore.

Again, there is great similarity to Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 51: 63-64 - And it shall be, when you have finished reading this book,
that you shall bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates; And you
shall say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring
upon her; and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
22
The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in
you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the
sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore.
23
The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of
bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants
were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were
deceived.
24
And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were
slain on the earth.”

As mentioned, the Sitra Achra has within it the aspects of messianism, such as
the "voice of the bride and bridegroom." (See comments to verse 14 above)

An interesting contrast can be made between the "messianic hopes" of Babylon

and Israel:

Isaiah 65:17-25 - For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the
former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice
forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her
people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of
weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. “ No more shall
an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his
days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one
hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another
inhabit; They shall not plant and another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall
be the days of My people, And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be
the descendants of the blessed of the LORD, And their offspring with them. “ It
shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still
speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat
straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the LORD.

1. From Weekly Parshah Sheet, Tetzaveh/Zachor: Shedding our Skin, Rabbi

Pinchas Winston, from www.thirtysix.org

2. From http://www.aish.com/holidays/shavuot/last/humility.htm

3. From http://www.aish.com/spirituality/kabbala101/Snow_The_Dark_Side.asp

4. From Act, Don't Just React, Parsha commentary on Parsha Beshalach, from
http://www.aish.com/torahportion/kolyaakov/Act3_Dont_Just_React.asp

5. The identification of Yeshua's mother Miryam ("Mary") in the Catholic Church

as the "Queen of Heaven" has its roots in a misapplication of the Jewish concept
of the Shekinah. Many attributes of the latter were transferred to Miryam in the
formative years of Christianity.

6. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, Chaim Kramer, Breslov
Research Institute, Jerusalem, 1998, p. 88.

7. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Feldheim
Publishers, 1997, p. 207

8. ibid.

9. From Once a Spy Always a Spy? Rabbi Pinchas Winston. Commentary on

Parsha Shlach, from http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5761/shlach.html

10. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/holydays/purim/rest_assured.asp

Revelation 19:1-9
Last update: August 27, 2006

YICHUD HASHEM, SHABBAT AND MASHIACH

The central message of the Bible, and specifically the book of Revelation, is the
"unification of the Name of God," ("Yichud Hashem," based on Zechariah 14:9)
symbolic of the tikkun (repair) of the world, arrival of the Messiah and ushering in
of the Messianic Kingdom. This time of unification is known as the "Shabbat
haGadol" (the Great Sabbath), the beginning of the "7th millennium which is
associated with the Sefirah of Malkut as discussed in our earlier studies.

The Name of God said to be made "One" is the four letter Name of God:

The Ineffable Name of God, which at this time of history is too holy to be
pronounced as it is spelled: yud-hei-vav-hei, is actually made up of two parts,
yud-hei and vav-hei. The unified Name represents periods of history when God's
Presence is revealed and known, and the divided Name represents periods of
time when God's Presence is hidden. This is why the prophet said of the Days of
Mashiach: "On that day, He will be One, and His Name will be One." (Zachariah
14:9) 1

We further discuss this unification of the "supernal" and "lower" in verses 4 and 5
below.

The following section of the Zohar discusses how the Great Shabbat (Malkut, the
seventh millennium, etc.) must come before the Lord "takes His seat" on the
heavenly Throne and His Name "becomes One." Each of the Lord's feast days is
symbolic of this:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 135a - ‘From all of these we take “the heave
offering of the Lord” [Tr. note: Malkuth.] on each of these special seasons, in
order that it may rest upon us: on Passover by means of the paschal lamb, on
Tabernacles by means of the tabernacle, and so forth. The six Days are but a
preparation for her. As they are united above in “One”, so she is unified below in
the mystery of “one”, to correspond to them above. The Holy One, blessed be
He, who is One above, does not take His seat upon the Throne of Glory, until She
has entered within the mystery of the One in accordance with His very essence
of Oneness, to be the One in One. This, as we have said, is the significance of
the words: “The Lord is One, and His Name is One.” It is the mystery of the
Sabbath, which is united with the mystery of the One so that it may be the organ
of this Oneness.

Just as God's Name is "made one" the Sabbath itself becomes "unified" at this
time. The following section of the Zohar describes the "female" and "male"
aspects to the Sabbath in terms of the evening portion and the daylight portion:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 138a - This psalm of praise was therefore ordered
to be chanted on the Sabbath by the "one people", namely the children of Israel.
(Psalm 92): "A song. A psalm for (to) the sabbath day. It is good to praise the
Lord, to sing unto thy name, O most high. To proclaim thy lovingkindness in the
morning and thy faithfulness in the nights." It has been established by the
Companions that this hymn of praise was sung by the first man (Adam) after he
had been driven out of the Garden of Eden, when the Sabbath drew nigh unto
the Holy One and interceded for the created being. Then he sang this hymn in
honour of the Sabbath which had delivered him. It is a hymn of praise sung by
the world below to the world above, to a world which is altogether "Sabbath", the
sphere of the "King whose is the peace". It is a hymn of the sabbath below unto
the Sabbath above: the sabbath below, which is like night, sings to the Sabbath
above, which is like day. In fact, whenever "Sabbath" is mentioned it refers to
the "eve of the Sabbath" (i.e. the Shekinah), but when it says "the Sabbath day",
it denotes the Supernal Sabbath (i.e. Tifereth). The former is symbolized by the
Female, the latter by the Male. Thus "And the children of Israel should keep the
Sabbath" (Exekiel 31:16) alludes to the Female, which is the night (layla), and
"remember the Sabbath day" (Ibid. 20:8) alludes to the Male. Thus the sabbath
here below sings a hymn to the Sabbath above.

The day (male) aspect of the Sabbath is referred to as the "morning star" in the
New Testament. Peter reminds his brethren to rely on the Word of God to sustain
them until this time:

2 Peter 1:19 - And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well
to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the
morning star rises in your hearts.

Earlier in Revelation, Yeshua described the reward for those who persevere as
such:

Revelation 2:26-28 - And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the
end, to him I will give power over the nations. ‘ He shall rule them with a rod of
iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ as I also have
received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.
In the book of Hebrews, the reward for those who persevere "to the end" is
expressed in terms of the "rest" of the Sabbath:

Hebrews 3:14 - For we have become partakers of Messiah if we hold the

beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end ...

Hebrews 4:1-10 - Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let
us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was
preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit
them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have
believed do enter that rest, as He has said: "So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall
not enter My rest',” although the works were finished from the foundation of the
world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And
God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this place:
“They shall not enter My rest.” Since therefore it remains that some must enter
it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of
disobedience, again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after
such a long time, as it has been said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not
harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not
afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the
people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his
works as God did from His.

Yeshua describes Himself as being this "morning star," also making the
connection to David, who is associated with the Sefirah of Malkut which is the
Shabbat:

Revelation 22:16 - “I, Yeshua, have sent My angel to testify to you these
things in the assemblies. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright
and Morning Star.”

The liturgical service for Orthodox Shabbat (Sabbath) services contain many of
the same "end time" themes as found in this chapter of Revelation.

A few of the many examles that may be found are:

... For the sovereignty is Hashem's and He rules over nations. The saviors will
ascend Mount Zion to judge Esau's mountain, and the Kingdom will be Hashem's.
Then Hashem will be King over all the world., on that day Hashem will be One
and His Name will be One. (compare to verse 6)

... The soul of very living being shall bless Your Name, Hashem our God, the
spirit of all flesh shall always glorify and exalt your remembrance, Our King.
(compare to verse 5)

... God of all creatures, Master of all generations, Who is extolled through a
multitude of praises ... To You alone we give thanks. (compare to verses 1 and 6)
... O God, in the omnipotence of Your strength, great in the glory of Your Name,
mighty forever and awesome through Your awesome deeds. (compare to verse
1)
2
... O King enthroned upon a high and lofty throne. (compare to verse 4)
1
After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
“Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!

These attributes (salvation, glory, honor, power) said to now belong to God may
be seen as representing the unification of His Name (The 4-letter Name of Yud-
Hey-Vav-Hey). This unification, as spoken of in Zechariah 14:9, is the main
theme of all of Scripture and specifically this chapter of Revelation. (See citation
on the four letter name in the introductory comments above.)

The Zohar also speaks of this voice from heaven coming at the time of
unification, assembling the saints beneath (i.e., verse 5) and beings above (i.e.,
verse 4):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 197b-198a -‘Observe this. When the hour arrives
at which it pleases the Holy One, blessed be He, to unify the Supernal Chariot,
[Tr. note: "to combine the Supernal Chariot with the Lower Chariot"] a voice
issues from that divine supernal region called Heaven to assemble all the saints
beneath and all the holy chiefs and supernal legions, so that they should all be in
readiness together.

As seen earlier in Revelation, such accolades for God are specifically tied to His
being the Creator:

Revelation 4:11 - 'Worthy art Thou, O Lord, to receive the glory, and the
honour, and the power, because Thou -- Thou didst create the all things, and
because of Thy will are they, and they were created.

2 For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great
harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her
the blood of His servants shed by her.”

God's vengence, brought on by the shed blood of His servants, is a major theme
of the last days:

May He, before our eyes, exact retribution for the spilled blood of His servants.
as it is written in the Torah of Moses, the man of God: "O nations, sing the praise
of His people for He will avenge the blood of His servants and He will bring
retribution upon His foes; and He will appease His land and His people." And by
Your servants, the prophets, is written saying: "Though I cleanse (the enemy) -
their bloodshed I will not cleanse when Hashem dwells in Zion." And in the Holy
Writings it is said: "Why should the nations say, 'Where is their God?' Let there
be known among the nations, before our eyes, revenge for Your servants' spilled
blood." And it says: "For the Avenger of blood has remembered them; He has not
forgotten the cry of the humble." 3
Psalm 72 speaks of the messiah in the context of the blood of his servants:

Psalm 72:14 - He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And
precious shall be their blood in His sight.

The Zohar makes the direct connection between Psalm 72 and the Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 107b - For whilst the Holy One is taking vengeance
on the idolatrous nations, He “will make a man more precious than gold”, to wit,
the Messiah, who will be raised and glorified above all mankind, and to whom all
mankind will pay homage and bow down, as it is written, “Before him those that
dwell in the wilderness will bow down ... the Kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall render tribute” (Psalm 72:9-10).

As does Midrash on Genesis:

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 1:4 - The name of Messiah was contemplated, for it
is written, His name existeth ere the sun. (Psalm 72:17).

The Zohar describes the vengeance of God, brought through His Messiah as
being in place since before the time of Creation:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 239b,240a - “He hath washed his garments in

wine”, even from the time of the Creation the reference being to the coming of
the Messiah on earth. “Wine” indicates the left side, and “the blood of grapes”
the left side below. The Messiah is destined to rule above over all the forces of
the idolatrous nations and to break their power above and below. We may also
explain that as wine brings joyfulness and yet typifies judgement, so the Messiah
will bring gladness to Israel, but judgement to the Gentiles. The “spirit of God
which hovered over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2) is the spirit of the
Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he “washed his garments in celestial
wine.”

As has been previously mentioned, according to Talmud, the "name"

(role/authority) of Messiah is one of seven things pre-existing the physical world:

Talmud, Pesachim 54a - Surely it was taught: Seven things were created
before the world was created, and these are they: The Torah, repentance, the
Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the
Messiah. The Torah, for it is written, The Lord made me [sc. the Torah] as the
beginning of his way. Repentance, for it is written, Before the mountains were
brought forth, and it is written, Thou turnest man to contrition, and sayest,
Repent, ye children of men. The Garden of Eden, as it is written, And the Lord
planted a garden in Eden from aforetime. The Gehenna, for it is written, For
Tophet [i.e., Gehenna] is ordered of old. The Throne of Glory and the Temple, for
it is written, Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of our
sanctuary. The name of the Messiah, as it is written, His [sc. the Messiah's] name
shall endure for ever, and has exited before the sun!

See previous chapter notes to verse 18:20 on the subject of God's vengeance.
3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!”

4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and
worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!”

Both the heavenly and earthly Temples/Thrones have an arrangement of entities

surrounding them:

Every man shall encamp by his own standard, with the sign of their fathers
house. (Numbers 2:2) Each standard was to have a colored cloth hanging in it,
the color of one being unlike the color of another. The color of each standard
corresponded to that of the stone fixed in the breastplate [of the High Priest, on
which the name of that scribe was engraved], and by this method everyone
would recognize his standard. [Rashi] But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented:
"There were signs on each of the [four main] standards. Thus the ancients sages
said that on Reuben's standard there was a figure of a man decorated with
mandrakes, and on Judah's standard there was the form of a lion, to which Jacob
had compared him, and on Ephraim's standard was the figure of an ox, based
upon [the expression that Moses used in speaking of that tribe], "the firstborn of
his ox", and on Dan's standard was the figure of an eagle. Thus [the four signs
on the four main standards] were similar to the four figures that the prophet
Ezekiel saw [in the Divine Charriot]." The Tent of Meeting was in the exact
center, with the camps of the Levites surrounding it in the midst of the camps [of
the other tribes], as is mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah: "And the Holy Temple is
placed exactly in the middle." I have furthermore seen in the Midrash [the
following text]: "And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, created four directions
in the universe, so He surrounded His Throne with four "living creatures", and
high above them all is the Throne of Glory. The Holy One, blessed be He, told
Moses to arrange the standards in a manner corresponding to these directions.
There [in Bamidbar Rabba] the Rabbis also interpret [the division of the tribes of
Israel] according to four standards as] corresponding to the four groups of angels
[surrounding the celestial Throne]. The Midrash also explains there that [the
division of the tribes was not arbitrary but] it was all in wisdom, [showing] honor
and greatness to Israel, and that therefore Scripture mentions everything in
detail. 4

The Zohar offers the following insight into the order of things:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 197b-198a - According to another exposition:

"Who hath ascended up into heaven?" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, the
allusion being contained in the word Mi (Who?), as explained elsewhere. Here in
this passage is contained the mystery of the Divine Chariot, consisting of the
four directions of the world which are the four primordial elements, all of which
depend on that supernal region called Mi (Who?), as already said. ‘Observe this.
When the hour arrives at which it pleases the Holy One, blessed be He, to unify
the Supernal Chariot, [Tr. note: Al. "to combine the Supernal Chariot with the
Lower Chariot".] a voice issues from that divine supernal region called Heaven to
assemble all the saints beneath and all the holy chiefs and supernal legions, so
that they should all be in readiness together. Thus Scripture says, "And Moses
assembled", "Moses" being an allusion to Heaven; while the words "all the
congregation of the children of Israel" allude to the twelve supernal holy legions.
The next words, "and said unto them... This is the thing... Take ye from among
you an offering unto the Lord", means, "prepare yourselves, all of you, to take
and to bear upon you the glory of the Divine Throne so as to raise it aloft to the
divine heights; appoint from among you those supernal glorified chiefs who shall
take up that offering containing the mystery of the Divine Throne, in order to
bring about a union with the "patriarchs", [Tr. note: Al. "with her spouse."] for
the Matrona (i.e. the Shekinah) may not come to her Spouse except those
youthful bridesmaids follow in her train until she is brought to Him, as it says,
"The virgins her companions in her train being brought unto thee" (Psalm 45:15),
to wit, that she may join her Spouse. The next words, "Whosoever is of a noble
heart", are an allusion to the four superior legions that contain within themselves
all the other legions; it is these who issue forth with the exalted patriarchs called
"nobles", as in the passage, "which the nobles of the people delved" (Numbers
21:18), indicating the patriarchs. The verse continues, "let him bring it". The
singular, "him", where we should expect "them", indicates the merging of them
all into a unity. In the next words, "the Lord's offering", the accusative particle
eth indicates the inclusion of all the other supernal legions which were to be
integrated into one unity; their number is twelve, symbolized by "gold, and
silver, and brass; and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goat's
hair; and rams’ skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia-wood; and oil for the
light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense". These are the
twelve supernal legions, which are all comprised under the four sacred Hayoth
mentioned before. All these ascend towards the Divine Throne, so as to take her
up on high that she may join her Spouse, and that He should be with Her in
surpassing glory. The Most High King then seats Himself on the Divine Throne in
perfect unison with His Spouse, and joy is thus diffused through the universe.
(Observe that Scripture here mentions gold before silver, the reason being that
this is the scale of values here below; but when it enumerates according to the
scale of values in the Heavenly Chariot, Scripture commences from the right and
proceeds to the left. So we find it written: "Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold"
(Haggai 2:8), first silver and then gold, but here below the left comes first and
then the right, as it is written, "gold, and silver, and brass".)

5 Then a voice came from the throne saying, “Praise our God, all you His
servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

The idea of God "sitting" and a being in a "throne" are anthropomorphisms

(attributes of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior) applied to God to
enable us to understand a concept. God of course does not have physical
attributes, nor can we "assign Him" to being located in one place.

As expressed in a modern Parsha commentary:

Hashem has no defined place. He is everyplace. However, we know that there is

also a notion connecting the presence of Hashem to a throne, and to the throne
of Glory. We cannot imagine a throne without assuming that in fact the throne is
limited and defines a place, as opposed to Hashem who is unlimited and fills
every place. When Hashem sits on the Throne, so to speak, there is an aspect of
His presence that is similar to a physical limit. ... We can perceive things only
partially and it will seem to us that Hashem has a place. Sometimes in heaven
and sometimes on earth and on very special times both in heaven and on earth
at the same time. ... We see Hashem clearly, but not completely. 5

The "Throne of Heaven" is representative of the Sefirah of Binah (Understanding)

and the World of Beriah (Creation - the "upper" spiritual realm). The image of
God sitting in this Throne shows the unification of the Yod (God/Atzilut) and the
first Hey (Throne/Beriah). Kabbalistically, the Yod and the first Hey are never
separated in the higher worlds, but appear to be so in the lower ones. (See
introdution above and comments to verse 7 below.)

As Rabbi Pinchas Winston states:

Furthermore, one of the special paragraphs said in advance of a mitzvah, to

focus us on the purpose of the mitzvah (found in most prayer books) is: [I hereby
do this mitzvah] for the sake of the unification of The Holy One, Blessed is He,
and His Divine Presence, in fear and in love, to unify the Name of yud-h'eh with
vav h'eh in completion, in the name of the entire Jewish people. 6

Another insight on this theme, this one from Chabad, says:

"On that day", however, with the advent of Moshiach, the Vav and Hay, the
letters of G-d's name that condense and cloak the Light of Divinity, will no longer
obscure, because the world will have been refined to the extent that it can
receive, and openly manifest G-dliness. At that time, the Vav and Hay will serve
to reveal G-dliness just as do the Yud and Hay. In other words, the Yud - Hay -
Vav - Hay will function in a manner of Yud - Hay -Yud - Hay to reveal G-d's
countenance openly. 7

The (future) unity of all Creation is expressed in the Zohar in this fashion:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 234b - And observe that all these measurements
prescribed for this world had for their object the establishment of this world after
the pattern of the upper world, so that the two should be knit together into one
mystery. At the destined time, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will bestir
Himself to renew the world, all the world will be found to express one mystery,
and the glory of the Almighty will then be over all, in fulfilment of the verse, "In
that day shall the Lord be one, and his name one" (Zechariah 14:9).’ R. Judah
followed with a discourse on the verse: "The counsel (sod) of the Lord is with
them that fear him; and his covenant to make them know it" (Psalm 25:14). ‘
"The counsel" (sod),’ he said, ‘alludes to the sublime mystical knowledge which
remains hidden and undisclosed save for those that fear the Lord continuously
and thus prove themselves worthy of these secrets and able to keep them.

6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many
waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord
God Omnipotent reigns!
7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has
come, and His wife has made herself ready.”

The book in the Bible that perhaps holds more insight into this "marriage" is
Song of Songs.

"In the day of his espousals" (Song of Songs 3:11) - this refers to the days of the
Messiah, for (then) the Holy One blessed be He, will be like a bridegroom. 8

The "marriage" of the Lamb (the "Son," representative of Yetzirah) and the "wife"
(the Bride/Shekinah/Israel representative of Asiyah) shows the unification of the
Vav and second Hey. Taken in conjunction with the reference in verse five (to the
Yod and first Hey being together) we see the total "unification of the Name"
(Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey) representative of the end of days as forecast by the prophet
Zechariah:

Zechariah 14:9 - And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it
shall be, “The LORD is one,” And His name one.

SHEMA AND THE UNIFICATION OF THE NAME

As dicussed in earlier studies, the central meaning of the Shema (the preeminent
prayer of Judaism) is that of unification of the Name of God. It is expressed in the
Zohar in terms of the wedding between the Malkut (Shekinah/Israel) and the
King:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 160b-161b - The word Shema’ consists of shem

(name) and ‘ain (seventy), indicating the combination of this Name and the other
seventy from whence it derives blessing. At the recitation of the Shema’,
therefore, one must concentrate attention on this union of all the Divine names.
For these seventy Names constitute the mystery of the supernal Chariot from
whence that Name receives blessing and in which it is contained. Then comes
the word Israel, referring, as we have learnt, to "Ancient Israel" (Tifereth), so that
this emanation may also be included. So "Hear, O Israel," signifies the union of
the Spouse with her Husband (i.e. Malkuth with Tifereth), so that all is in all, and
all is one ... "The Lord our God, the Lord", the mystery of the Unity in three
aspects (lit. "in three sides") has often been referred to by the Holy Lamp (R.
Simeon), and we are not permitted to enlarge upon what he has said. However,
certain it is, that upon the head of the man who unifies the Name of the Holy
One above and below, the Shekinah descends to rest, and to bless him with
seven blessings, and to proclaim concerning him: "Thou art my servant, Israel, in
whom I am glorified" (Isaiah 49:3).’

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 215b-217b - The term SH e M a’ (hear) is

esoterically analysed into SHeM (name) and the letter ‘Ain (= 70), that is, one
Name comprising seventy names whilst remaining a unity. "Israel" here signifies
"Ancient Israel", in contrast to "Little Israel", of whom it is written: "When Israel
was a child, then I loved him" (Hosea 11:1). "Ancient Israel" symbolizes the union
of the Shekinah with her Spouse, and in pronouncing that name we have to
concentrate our mind on the principle of unity, on the union of the two
habitations; we have to put all our being, all the members of our body, our
complete devotion, into that thought so as to rise and attach ourselves to the
En-sof (Infinite), and thus achieve the oneness of the upper and the lower
worlds. The words, "the Lord our God" are to reunite all the Members to the
place from which they issued, which is the innermost Sanctuary. The same
thought is continued in the words, "the Lord is one", in the recital of which we
have to make our thoughts range throughout all the grades up to the Infinite
(En-sof) in love and fear ...

This same section of the Zohar links everything together and mentioned Ezekiel's
Chariot (the "four living creatures mentioned in verse 3 above) as being a
representation of this unification:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 217b ... As we have learnt, "one" alludes to above,
below, and the four quarters of the universe, these being the supernal Chariot,
so that all are embraced in a single unity reaching out to the En-sof (Infinite).

(For additional information on the Shema and Yichud Hashem see our
background study on the Shema.)

This marriage ushers in the long awaited time of perfect peace throughout
creation, from the loftiest levels of heaven "down to" the depths of Gehenna:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 51b - At last comes the moment when a voice
proclaims throughout all the spheres: "Sanctified! Sanctified!" Then there is
peace everywhere, perfect peace, even to the wicked in Gehenna, and all the
souls crown themselves, some above, and some below.

(In the next section [on the subject of "crowns"] we will review the role of
Messiah in bringing such a sweeping rectification of Creation.)

8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the
fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

The reference to linen is allusion to the Cohen Gadol and Mishkan (Hight Priest
and Tabernacle) as found in the Tenakh. The text shows that our "spiritual
garments" are made of our "physical good works."

9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage
supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

Note how verse 8 is in the singular and verse 9 in the plural (showing the unity of
the bride, i.e., the Shekinah and all of Israel) as explained in Zohar 197b-198a
shown in verse 4 above.

1. From
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Society/currentevents/Great_Walls_Will_Fall.asp
2. From The Complete Artscroll Siddur, Shacharis for Sabbath and Festivals,
Mesorah Publications, Ltd..Brooklyn, 1994.

3. ibid.

4. From
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/WeeklyTorah/MysticalClassics/Standards_of_Celesti
al_Conduct.asp "Standards of Celestial Conduct," commentary on Parsha
Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20).

5. From http://www.yhol.org.il/parsha/5762/yitro62.htm - Commentary on Parsha

Yitro by Rabbi Chaim Brovender.

6. From http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5760/vaeschanan.html -
Parshas Vaeschanan/Nachamu, Pleading in Comfort, by Rabbi Pinchas Winston.

7. From http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?print=true&AID=2965

8. From Yalqut Shim'oni, Songs, no. 988, as cited in The Messiah Texts, Raphael
Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1979, p. 238.

Revelation 19:10
Last update: March 13, 2007

The purpose of this study on verse 10, is to give insight into the relationship
between the concept of "prophecy," the characteristics of messiah, and ideas
concerning the tzaddik (righteous person) including his/her role with "Yichud
Hashem," the unification of the Name of God and advancing of the Kingdom.

10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not
do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony
of Yeshua. Worship God! For the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy.”

At the literal level, this verse makes a connection between these concepts:

1. Worshipping God only

2. The "testimony" of Yeshua (i.e., the Messiah)

3. The command to "worship God"

4. The "spirit of prophecy"

Central to this verse is the idea of "worshipping God." What is the purpose of
worshipping God? A chapter title to a classic kabbalistic text, Yedid Nefesh (Song
of the Soul) states:

"The Purpose of Worshipping God is to Bring About the Coupling of Ze'er Anpin
and Nukva" 1
Exactly what is meant by this? Ze'er Anpin and Nukva are called partzufim --
"personifications" of the Sefirot. As shown in previous studies, the above
sentence is kabbalistic language for uniting the "spiritual groom and bride" which
in itself represents the "unification of the Name of God" as spoken of in
Zechariah 14:9. This unification is the ultimate message of the Bible and the goal
to which all of the commandments direct us. It is also a continuation of the idea
presented earlier in chapter 19, as discussed in the previous study.

Note that this unification was expressed in the verses immediately leading up to
this one:

Revelation 19:7-9 - Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to
her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen
is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those
who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These
are the true sayings of God.”

An understanding of the relationship between the Sefirot and prophecy is critical

to interpreting Revelation 19:10. As shown in earlier studies, Ze'er Anpin (the six
Sefirot from Hesed to Yesod) is the "groom" representing the letter "vav" in the
four-letter Name of God (y-h-V-h). Nukva (the Sefirah Malkut) is the "bride"
representing the last letter "hey" in the Name (y-h-v-H).

We will review and elaborate on the concepts underlying this "testimony" and
"spirit of prophecy" including:

• the Image of God

• the Sefirot

• the Temple

• Moses

• Joseph & Messiah ben Joseph

• The Soul of Messiah

THE IMAGE OF GOD

The Bible has several references to "the image of God," including these:

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 9:6 - Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For
in the image of God He made man.
Colossians 4:4 - Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every
creature:

2 Corinthians 4:4 - In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of
them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Messiah, who is
the image of God, should shine unto them.

God has no physical form, therefore the "image" to which man was formed
alludes to something spiritual. Further, God the Creator (i.e., "before" Genesis
1:1, called "Eyn Sof") is beyond our comprehension in any way. All we can strive
to understand about "God" is that which God chooses to reveal within Creation.
As this image is "within Creation," it is within our capabilities (with the help of
God) to understand this and thus obey the command to be "conformed" to it.

As discussed in earlier studies, these "emanations" of God within creation (that

we can to varying degrees understand) number ten and are called "Sefirot." A
comprehensive teaching on this subject is beyond the scope of this study. There
are a number of reliable web sites and books that offer this as well as further
information in our own previous studies. 2

These ten Sefirot, prior to their being "revealed" by God within existence, are
also known as Adam Kadmon. This is the "image" to which man was created. By
creating the Sefirot, God gave us the means to relate to how He rules the world.
By understanding the Sefirot we are able to become "conformed to the image of
God." Within this deep understanding of the Sefirot is what we call "prophecy."

Physical man's body reflects this spiritual image. The human body is thus
designed with the goal of worshipping God in mind. The body is the vessel which
enables the soul to perform the commandments, resulting in the worship of God,
rectification of man's soul and at times attainment of prophecy.

As stated in Yedid Nefesh (Song of the Soul):

Corporeal man was created in character and image, meaning that the body parts
were not created at random, rather, for a single purpose, which is to worship the
Creator. The Creator wanted to make mankind to be able to comprehend Him.
His parts and their connecting tissue were to be in the character of spiritual man,
man of emanation. When man fulfills the commandments of the Torah with the
intention to worship his Creator and he does it with his thought and speech, and
acting through the body parts, he brings about a "repair" to spiritual man,
subjugates himself to the Creator and becomes a part of the holy chariot which
is composed of the tzaddikim.
3
... corporeal man and all his parts is a reflection of spiritual man.

As mentioned in a previous study, the performance of every mitzvah may also be

expressed in terms of unification of the Name of God:

Furthermore, one of the special paragraphs said in advance of a mitzvah, to

focus us on the purpose of the mitzvah (found in most prayer books) is: [I hereby
do this mitzvah] for the sake of the unification of The Holy One, Blessed is He,
and His Divine Presence, in fear and in love, to unify the Name of yud-h'eh with
vav h'eh in completion, in the name of the entire Jewish people. 4

THE SEFIROT AS THE ROOT OF PROPHECY

Stated in simple terms, prior to any of the "four worlds" coming into existence,
were the Sefirot. Everything that comes to be has its root within the Sefirot, as
they exist in every "World," from our physical world (Asiyah) to the spiritual
words of "Formation" (Yetzirah) and "Creation" (Beriah), all the way to the World
of Atzilut ("nearness," i.e., to Eyn Sof).

Prophecy is therefore understood as a person's ability to comprehend that which

is rooted in the Sefirot:

Prophecy is a knowledge and an attainment that God, in His Glory, gives he

prophets. But doesn't this necessarily contradict what we previously said
regarding the fact that we can never attain knowledge of God's ways? No, for as
we have mentioned, we cannot grasp the whys and wherefores of the Infinite
One (Eyn Sof), but as to limited will, namely the Sefirot, we can grasp something,
for the Sefirot exist even in the world of making (Asiyah). We have defined this
limited will through the Sefirot, which are the attributes of the Holy One, Blessed
be He ... In addition, we mentioned that the Sefirot represent the actual essence
of reality, and everything that will ever happen is included and rooted in them.

... No creation -- not even the loftiest of the creations -- has direct access to the
Creator, and any access at all must come through the Sefirot, through God's will.

When a person attains a great level of spirituality, the creator, Blessed be He,
allows that person to gain some measure of insight into the way He rules the
world. This is what we call prophecy. Prophecy is ranked by the level the prophet
achieves in comprehending the Sefirot. When a prophet gains a certain level of
comprehension of God, in other words when he attains the Sefirot, which are
God's guiding ways, he will also necessarily gain an understanding of the details
and the results, the product of the Sefirot. 5

In his book Meditation and the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan sites a prayer based upon the
Sefirot, used to attain the prophetic state:

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, Crown Me (Keter)

Yah, give me wisdom (Chokmah)
Elohim Chaim, grant me understanding (Binah)
El, with the right hand of His Love, make me great (Chesed)
Elohim, with the Terror of His judgment, protect me (Gevurah)
YHVH, with His mercy, grant me Beauty (Tiferet)
YHVH Tzavaot, watch me Forever (Netzach)
Elohim Tzvaot, grant me beatitude from his Splendor (Hod)
El Chai, make His covenant my Foundation (Yesod)
6
Adonay, open my lips and my mouth will speak of Your praise (Malkut)
Returning to the partzufim, the events within the 6,000 years of human history
are said to be tied to Ze'er Anpin and Nukvah, i.e., the "lower seven" Sefirot (also
called the "middot"):

The central focus in much of the Kabbalah is on the Patzufim of Zeir Anpin and
Nukvah, and their interrelationship. This is because it is primarily between these
two Partzufim that the world in which we live in is governed. 7

All events in this world specifically rooted in Ze'er Anpin and Nukvah. Therefore,
in the patzufim Ze'er Anpin and Nukva lies the root of all the world's creatures,
and in them is the essence of the Guiding Power of the world in which we live.
Everything that happens to the individual human is rooted in Ze'er Anpin and
therefore we must try to understand the different aspects of the partzuf, so that
we can understand the ways of the Creator. 8

... all reality during the six thousand years of the world's existence is rooted in
the partzuf Ze'er Anpin. 9

... the Ze'er Anpin and the Nukva are the root of the world we live in. Therefore
the behavior of mankind will find the same conditions as the Ze'er Anpin and the
Nukva. 10

THE TEMPLE

The Temple was/is considered central to worship of God. All of its associated
functions are designed toward bringing the above mentioned unification between
Nukveh (below) and Ze'er Anpin Above. 11

The third (millennial) Temple is symbolic of the unification of Nukveh and Ze'er
Anpin. As shown by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto in his text Secrets of the Future
Temple, the third Temple is a combination of a new earthly Temple and the
heavenly Temple upon which all the Tabernacle and previous Temples were
patterned.

For the heavenly Temple will not be uprooted from its place. Rather, it will
extend until it reaches the lower world, and then around it will be built a physical
structure as fitting in the material world., and the two structures will be joined
and become one and never again separate. 12

That which "separated" the earthly and heavenly Temples, is also that which
"separated" Nukveh (the Hey) and Ze'er Anpin (the Vav). This idea will be further
discussed in our comments to Revelation 21:1. This unification within the third
Temple results in the uninterrupted flow of "blessing" from above to below. This
is specifically symbolized by the gate of the Holy of Holies, as discussed in our
study of Revelation 7:1a (See section at the end on "Gemmatria.")

MOSES

As shown in our earlier stories, the design of the Temple just like that of man's
physical body is patterned after the Sefirot. The man who most emulated the
Sefirot was Moses. The Tenakh presents Moses as a prophet whose "level of
prophecy" was in a class of its own.

The difference between the level of prophecy of Moses versus all other prophets
is explained in various ways in Hebraic literature. God spoke to Moses "directly,"
whereas to the other prophets He communicated through dreams and visions.

Prophecy is envisioned as seeing Divine truth through a lens. Moses’s prophetic

vision is said to have been as if “through a transparent lens,” while that of all the
other prophets is said to have been as if “through a non-transparent lens,” i.e.
either a cloudy pane or a mirror. This simply indicates that the inferior prophecy
of the other prophets was transmitted through the Sefirah of malchut; they
experienced Divinity as it has been funneled into creation (specifically, the three
worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah). Moses, in contrast, experienced Divinity
directly (i.e., as it is manifest in the world of Atzilut before being channeled
through malchut). 13

Thus we see that Moses' level of prophecy was that of uniting Zeir Anpin and
Nukvah:

... the flow of divine power stimulated by the uniting of Ze'ir and Nuqba (sic) in
the course of contemplation constitutes the source of the inspiration that the
successful adept attains ... Moses looked through a glass that shined, the
kabbalists associated Moses' prophecy with the divine masculine ... Uniting the
partzufim of Ze'ir and Nuqba contemplatively infuses an individual with divine
inspiration and enables him to speak with words of prophecy. 14

JOSEPH

Although Moses was the greatest of prophets, we can look to Joseph as an

example of one attaining this "spirit of prophecy" as related to messiah, as the
concept of "Messiah ben Joseph" is directly associated with characteristics of the
latter.

Interestingly, we find a direct reference to our subject matter in the language of

Targum Onkelos:

Genesis 41:38 - And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find (someone) like
this, a man in whom is the spirit of prophecy from before the Lord?" 15

Targum Onkelos is the Aramaic rendering of the Torah used in synagogues at the
time of Yeshua. In it, Pharaoh is seen as recognizing "the spirit of prophecy" in
the young Hebrew prisoner brought before him.

There are a number of interesting concepts surrounding Joseph that we will

examine:

• His age

• His dreams
 • His fall and "descent into Egypt"

• His elevation to being "second only to Pharaoh" and being given the signet
ring."

• His maintaining his (sexual) purity

• His brothers not recognizing him

Joseph's Age

Joseph's story begins in a mystical fashion, with the Torah explaining the "history
of Jacob" in terms of the Joseph's adventure.

Genesis 37:1-2a - Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger,
in the land of Canaan. This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years
old ...

The first thing the Torah mentions on any topic is always important. In this case,
it is Joseph's age. The fact that the number seventeen is mentioned should not
be overlooked as it is a number of messianic significance in terms of the tzaddik
- righteous person who unites the physical realm (represented by the number
"7") with the heavenly realm (represented by the number "10").

This unification is a role of Messiah ben Yosef:

“the unification of Yesod and Malchut” -- This is one of the principal missions of
Mashiach ben Yosef:to unify heaven and earth, to unify the two meshichim,
which means the tree of Yosef with the tree of Judah during the awakening from
below with the joining of Jerusalem above with Jerusalem below by a rebuilt
Jerusalem. Then it will be like a city that is united together (Ps. 122:3). 16

The relationship Messiah ben Yosef has to the earthly and heavenly realms has
to do with his parents and how they are seen as connected to the earthly and
heavenly worlds:

Mashiach ben Yosef is the miraculous power who will assist every act done
when the awakening starts from below, in a natural manner, because he comes
from the earth. Mashiach ben David, however, will come from Heaven as
revealed by the different aspects of Rachel and Leah, and as known regarding
the footsteps of the Mashiach and the revealed end. Mashiach ben Yosef himself
is a composite of two aspects: on the one hand, he is Yosef the son of Rachel of
the land; on the other hand, he is Yosef son of Jacob from Heaven. 17

Others who are associated with this number are:

• Betzalel, the numerical value of whose name is 153, which is the sum of
the numbers between 1 and 17 (the "triangle" of 17).

• Moses, whom the Torah says that his mother looked upon him as a baby
and said that he was "tov" (good), the numerical value of which is 17.
 • Yeshua, who directed his disciples to recast their nets to the "right side" of
their boats, with the following consequence:

John 21:11a - Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large
fish, one hundred and fifty-three;

Joseph's Dreams

Having given us one hint of Joseph being a "hidden tzaddik" the Torah gives us
another - his receiving prophetic revelation through dreams.

Dreams are the medium that cross the realm between the physical world
(Asiyah) and the "lower" spiritual realm (Yetzirah), centered around the Sefirah
of Yesod (foundation) which as shown in previous studies is linked to Joseph and
the idea of the tzaddik.

(Psalm 127 [126:1]) “the captivity of Zion” -- In the same sentence we find: “we
were like dreamers.” All of the aspects found in this Psalm beginning: “when God
returns the captivity of Zion, ” etc., were said about the mission of Mashiach ben
Yosef, as explained in the Midrash (Tanchuma, end of the parsha “Vayegash”). 18

Joseph's "Descent"

As mentioned in earlier studies, one of the fundamental principles of the tzaddik

is that of his having to "fall" in order to rectify a greater number of people and
the lower levels of creation.

The Tzaddik is called pure, but on some occasion some impurity may be found in
him so that he may join the impure to elevate them to a state of purity. 19

One who gives freely and generously. By lifting up his brethren, he himself is
raised. 20

... for the intensity of the descent is determined by the potential for ascent --
"the bigger they are, the harder they fall." The inverse is also true: According to
how low the nation has fallen, the ascent that follows is that much greater. 21

The "tzaddik descending" is often not an obvious thing to recognize, nonetheless

as Joseph himself told his brothers:

Genesis 45:8 - So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has
made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all
the land of Egypt.

(Also see section below on "Joseph not being recognized.")

Joseph being "second only to Pharaoh"

In the Torah, Joseph is given the power of Pharaoh by Pharaoh himself:

Genesis 41:39-44 -
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is
no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my
people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I
be greater than you.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all
the land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on
Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain
around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and
they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of
Egypt. Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no
man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”

Mashiach is the preeminent servant of the King. As such he is not only "second in
command" but is treated at if he were the king himself:

A king's servant is a king. Attach yourself to a captain and people will bow down
to you. Become close to one who is anointed (important) and you will become
anointed. 22

The Zohar makes this powerful statement regarding the Messiah at the end of
the age:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 107b - For whilst the Holy One is taking vengeance
on the idolatrous nations, He “will make a man more precious than gold”, to wit,
the Messiah, who will be raised and glorified above all mankind, and to whom all
mankind will pay homage and bow down, as it is written, “Before him those that
dwell in the wilderness will bow down ... the Kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall render tribute” (Psalm 72:9-10).

Joseph's "Purity"

Another important concept mentioned earlier (see notes to 14:3-5) is that of

sexual purity in relation to making a connection to God and receiving prophecy.
Joseph proves himself in this area when he resisted the advances of Potiphar's
wife.

Sexual purity is directly tied to the covenant of circumcision and enhancing the
coming of Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 93b - Another then discoursed on the text: And
Joseph said to his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you, and they came near
(Genesis. 45:4). He said: ‘Seeing that they were already standing by him, why
did he tell them to come near? The reason was that when he said to them “I am
Joseph your brother”, they were dumbfounded, seeing his royal state, so he
showed them the sign of the covenant and said to them: “It is through this that I
have attained to this estate, through keeping this intact.” From this we learn
that whoever keeps intact this sign of the covenant is destined for kingship.
Another example is Boaz, who said to Ruth, “As the Lord liveth, lie down until the
morning” (Ruth 3:13). By this adjuration he exorcised his passion, and because
he guarded the covenant he became the progenitor of the greatest lineage of
kings, and of the Messiah, whose name is linked with that of God.’
Sexual purity is a messianic trait according to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov:

Everyone, according to his level of holiness and purity, has a messianic aspect ...
the messianic aspect hinges mainly on abstaining from adultery. 23

Joseph not being recognized / Messiah ben Joseph

Another mystical trait of Messiah ben Joseph is in his brethren not recognizing
him when he comes.

Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him -- This is one of the
traits of Yosef not only in his own generation, but in every generation, i.e., that
Mashiach ben Yosef recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him. This
is the work of Satan, who hides the characteristics of Mashiach ben Yosef so that
the footsteps of the Mashiach are not recognized and are even belittled because
of our many sins. Otherwise, our troubles would already have ended. Were
Israel to recognize Yosef, that is, the footsteps of ben Yosef the Mashiach which
is the ingathering of the exiles etc., then we would already have been redeemed
with a complete redemption. 24

The text further states that Joseph's brothers dwelling on what they perceived as
arrogance caused them to miss who he really was:

“Yosef understood” -- in the verse: “and they did not know that Yosef understood
them.” Without the vau in the first word, the two words in gematria equal
Mashiach ben Yosef [566]. This means that the brothers did not know that the
mission of Yosef was that he was Mashiach ben Yosef. The Gaon has already
explained the first thought of Yosef’s brothers. They knew that when the soul of
our forefather Abraham went down into the world, a “layer” from the right side
attached itself to him. Therefore Ismael came out of him: in order to separate
that layer from him. When the soul of our forefather Isaac went down into the
world, a layer from the left side attached itself to him. Therefore Esau came out
of him in order to separate that layer from him. The brothers thought that the
center layer had attached itself to Jacob, who is the middle line. But when they
saw that Yosef was acting in line with the traits of arrogance, they felt certain
that Yosef was the layer that had separated itself from Jacob. They did not know
his holiness and great mission to prepare the way for the Redemption. 25

Messiah ben Joseph as a "suffering servant"

Kol Hator also alludes to "two comings of Messiah" (albeit not as Christianity
presents it), as Messiah ben Joseph must accomplish his role prior to Messiah
ben David his. Just as Joseph had to go ahead of his brethren and suffer before
rising to his designated role.

Note the multiple references in Kol Hator to the "servant song" from Isaiah
regarding Messiah ben Joseph:

... "repair of the world in the Malchut of the Almighty” -- Wherever repair is
mentioned, it is part of the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef. This is the ultimate
purpose of all the work connected with the beginning of the footsteps of the
Mashiach, whose main goals are as follows: to gather in the exiles, rebuild
Jerusalem, remove the impure spirit from Eretz Israel, redeem Truth, sanctify the
name of God, and repair the world in the Malchut of the Almighty, as is written:
“with their own eyes they will see when God returns to Zion” (Isaiah 52:8). This
refers to the ingathering of the exiles. “Burst out, sing glad songs together, O
ruins of Jerusalem” (Isaiah 52:9). This refers to rebuilding Jerusalem and reviving
the land that has been desolate. “God has comforted his people, he has
redeemed Jerusalem” (Isaiah 52:9), refers to God’s redemption of Truth, for
Jerusalem is called “the city of Truth” (Zach. 8:3). “God has exposed His holy
arm before all the nations” (Isaiah 52:10), refers to sanctifying the name of God.
“All ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God” (Isaiah 52:10), refers to
repairing the world in the Malchut of the Almighty. All of these are the mission of
the mashiach of the beginning, the first Mashiach, Mashiach ben Yosef, who
comes at the time of the awakening from below, and will find completion when
Mashiach ben David comes, speedily in our day, Amen. 26

THE TZADDIK AND THE SOUL OF MESSIAH

The tzaddik who associates himself with Messiah through Torah may become
"one" with him (i.e., 1 John 2:3-6, John 6:35-59). Such a union enables a person
to share in the soul or "mind" of the Messiah (i.e., 1 Corinthians 2:16).

Such a person can bring about unifications in the spiritual realms:

Now com and see what the power is of the tzadikim, who hold fast to the Torah
and its commandments. They have the power to connect all the emanations
making peace between and within the upper and lower worlds. When the true
pure man joins the attribute tzedek (i.e., Malkut) with tzadik (i.e., Yesod) it is
then known as YHVH is One, thus creating peace between the upper heavenly
court and the lower one. The heavens and the earth are united by this person. 27

This fulfills the ultimate purpose of man:

In the normal order of things, heaven and earth do not meet, for the spiritual
source of something is of an altogether different order than is its physical
manifestation. Only man can remove this barrier, for man is created in G-d's
image and thus, like G-d, is immune to the incongruity of heaven and earth. 28

This soul of Messiah has the "fullness of the Godhead" (Colossians 2:9) meaning
a "perfect balance" of the Sefirot, and emanates from a level higher than other
souls (one including and transcending all time and space).

As stated by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov:

... the Keter (Arikh Anpin) is the loftiest Parfutz (personae of the Sefirot). But the
ARI writes, Keter actually has two levels, a lower level corresponding to Arikh
Anpin and an upper level, the intellect of Arikh Anpin, which corresponds to Atik.
Atik is referred to in the holy writings by several names: Atik ("The Ancient
One"), Atik Yomin ("The Ancient of Days"), Atika Kadisha ("The Holy Ancient
One"). ... The connection between Mashiach and Atik is learned from Daniel's
vision: "A man came and he approached (the level of) the Ancient of Days ..."
Rashi explains that this refers to Mashiach, who will minister justice to the entire
world. ... Atik thus transcends anything that we can conceive -- giving and
receiving, right and left, reward and punishment, and so on. At this level there is
neither past or future. Everything is in the present. And, as we have seen, every
part of Creation, from the first constriction, until the lowest level of the world of
Asiyah, is contained within Keter. Thus Atik includes all time and space -- yet
transcends it all. The soul of Mashiach "resides" within Atik, and it is from this
level that all his powers will be drawn. And, since he transcends time and space,
Mashiach can transcend every transgression ever committed and rectify it -- for
since he can transcend everything ever done, he can bring each person to a
state prior to his having sinned. ... With this power inherent in this exalted level,
Mashiach will be able to bring the world to a state of perfection. 29

1. Chapter 9 title of Yedid Nefesh (Song of the Soul), Rabbi Yecheil Bar-Lev, Petach Tikva, 1994.

2. For example; www.aish.com, www.chabad.org, www.kabbalaonline.org, www.inner.org.

3. Yedid Nefesh (Song of the Soul), Rabbi Yecheil Bar-Lev, Petach Tikva, 1994, p. 234, 235.

4. From http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5760/vaeschanan.html - Parshas Vaeschanan/Nachamu, Pleading in Comfort, by Rabbi

Pinchas Winston.

5. Yedid Nefesh (Song of the Soul), Rabbi Yecheil Bar-Lev, Petach Tikva, 1994. pp. 349,350.

6. Citation of a prayer from the 16th century school of Rabbi Joseph Tzayach (Rabbi of Jerusalem and Damascus) as found in Meditation and

the Bible, Aryeh Kaplan, Samuel Weiser Inc., York Beach, Maine, 1978, p. 72.

7. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, translated by Avraham Greenbaum, Temple Institute and

Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 1999, p.35.

8. Yedid Nefesh (Song of the Soul), Rabbi Yecheil Bar-Lev, Petach Tikva, 1994. p. 269.

9. ibid., p. 274.

10. ibid., p. 319

11. Nukveh as "daughter" to Binah and Chokhmah is considered both the "sister" and the "bride" of Ze'er Anpin. This concept is key to

understanding texts such as Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) in the Bible, in which the female character is presented as both bride and

sister to the same man.

12. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, translated by Avraham Greenbaum, Temple Institute and

Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 1999, p.69.

13. From http://www.chabadofmalibu.com/media/pdf/65/CkhE655592.pdf.

14. Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos, Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship, Lawrence Fine, Stanford University Press,

Stanford, California, 2003, p. 282.

15. Ariel Chumash, Parsha Miketz. United Israel Institutes, Jerusalem, p. 347. Footnote to verse: "The Hebrew has, 'in whom is the spirit of

God.' The phrase 'spirit of God' is altered to avoid the irreverent suggestion that man could truly partake of God's spirit. Onkelos refers to

Joseph's gift as the spirit of prophecy because he foretold the future." (Nefesh Hager, a commentary on Onkolos.)

16. Kol Hator (Voice of the Turtledove), chapter 2, the "156 aspects and characteristics of Mashiach ben Yosef," as found

onhttp://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/2.htm.

17. ibid, chapter 1, http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/1.htm.

18. ibid, chapter 2, http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/2.htm.

19. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics, Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany,

1995, p. 98.

20. On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead: Basic Concepts in the Kabbalah, Gershom Scholem, Schocken Books, New York, 1991, p. 139
21. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (an exposition of the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer,

Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem, pp. 185-186.

22. Ariel Chumash, Volume 1 (Bereishit-Chaye Sarah), United Israel Institutes, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 52.

23. Likkutei Moharan 2:32, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.

24. Kol Hator (Voice of the Turtledove) chapter 2, http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/2.htm.

25. ibid.

26. ibid.

27. Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light"), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi Weinstein, Altamira Press, 1994, p. 63..

28 From: http://www.kabbalaonline.org/WeeklyTorah/RebbeChumash/Naming_with_Divine_Inspiration.asp

29. Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (an exposition of the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer,

Breslov Research Institute, Jerusalem, pp. 208-209.

Revelation 19:11-12a
Last update: January 30, 2007

11a
Now I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse ...

The following teaching concerns the unification of the physical and spiritual
realms. The symbol of Mashiach on a horse is explained as him riding on the
"Community of Israel." (This may be contrasted to the beast and its rider in a
previous chapter.) It also alludes to the role of the angel Metatron, who is known
as the angel of Messiah ben Joseph. 1

This is the reason it is written about the Mashiach that he is "just and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey" (Zachariah 9:9). The word "humble" [in Hebrew,
"oni"] in that verse is spelled ayin nun yud and is an acrostic for the three
tractates of the Talmud that deal with the strict decrees - Eruvin, Nidah and
Yevamot.... In the mystical realms these tractates represent the control of the
physical realm as it given over to the angelic forces supervised by the faithful
servant of the King, the angel Metatron. The commands of the King are
delegated to this angel to carry out or delegate to others. He represents the
spiritual forces affecting the physical world . Until the servant fulfills his
command, He is not called King. The higher spiritual level is only revealed when
there is unity between the spiritual and the physical, between the King and the
Community of Israel. [He] is not called "King" until he rides on his horse, which is
the Community of Israel. When the King is outside his residence, not united with
his Queen, He is not in His full majesty. In the future, when He returns to His
residence, then "G-d shall be King over all the earth; on that day G-d will be one,
and His name one" (Zachariah 14:9). All Israel are called "the sons of the King".
Their relationship is like father and son, but not like the sons of the King until
they return to the Land of Israel. When they return to the Land of Israel, the full
majesty of their relationship will be revealed. 2

Another interesting passage, this from Talmud, has Messiah coming on a white
horse:
Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 98a - R. Alexandri said: R. Joshua b. Levi pointed
out a contradiction. it is written, in its time [will the Messiah come], whilst it is
also written, I [the Lord] will hasten it! — if they are worthy, I will hasten it: if not,
[he will come] at the due time. R. Alexandri said: R. Joshua opposed two verses:
it is written, And behold, one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven
whilst [elsewhere] it is written, [behold, thy king cometh unto thee . . . ] lowly,
and riding upon an ass!— if they are meritorious, [he will come] with the clouds
of heaven; if not, lowly and riding upon an ass. King Shapur said to Samuel, ‘Ye
maintain that the Messiah will come upon an ass: I will rather send him a white
horse of mine.
11b
... And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness
He judges and makes war.

This qualities of faithfulness, truth, righteousness and judgment (of the nations)
coming from "the rod of his mouth" is grounded the Tenakh:

Isaiah 11:11-5 - There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a
Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The
Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the
LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing
of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with
equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His
mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness
shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

These messianic characteristics are at the core of the Torah and our goal:

Matthew 23:23b - ... the weightier matters of the Torah: justice and mercy and
faith.

The judgment of the nations by Messiah usher in the Messianic Kingdom:

Isaiah 2:3,4 - Many people shall come and say, “ Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His
ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And
rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their
spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither
shall they learn war anymore.

For more on the judgment aspect of Messiah, see notes on Psalm 72 in verse 2 of
the previous section of this study.)

12a His eyes were like a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns ...

CROWN (KETER)

The term "crown" in kabbalistic language in certain contexts may allude to any
of the Sefirot. Most precisely, it is Keter, the "uppermost" and most enigmatic of
the Sefirot as it serves as a "buffer" between the remaining Sefirot (which may
be comprehended to some degree) and Eyn Sof, "God" that we cannot
comprehend in any way. Keter, being the first, "includes" all of the other Sefirot.

Keter is the intermediate category between the Infinite Light and the sefirot. In
each of the worlds, it is the source of the other sefirot. 3

The "Torah of Mashiach" is said to be at the level of Keter.4

As shown in the previous two studies the Torah, the Sefirot (all contained with
Keter), the "Image of God" and the divine attributes of the Messiah are all
connected. Thus, Paul wrote of Messiah being the "goal of the Torah" in Romans
10:4, just as Keter may be viewed as a goal for us.

Romans 10:4 - For Messiah is the goal of the Torah for righteousness to
everyone who believes.

In the following text (in which the Torah itself is said to be crowned) the Torah at
the level of Keter is linked to themes such as a "higher level," "inwardness,"
"food" and "inner aspect" directly relate to Yeshua's teachings as found in places
such as John, chapter 6 and Matthew 23:23. Note the reference to us (the
bride/Matrona/Malkut) circling the scroll of the written Torah (the
groom/King/Tiferet) seven times, as the bride in the Jewish wedding ceremony
circles the groom in the same manner:

The focal point of the service on Simchat Torah is the hakafot, when we circle
the Torah seven times; it is said that the simcha (joy) at this time is so great that
even the feet are rejoicing. If the concept of Simchat Torah is so closely
associated with dancing, why do we read from the Torah? The answer lies in the
fact that, on Simchat Torah, the Jewish People brings down a higher aspect of
Torah within the Torah itself, a joy which crowns the Torah from the aspect of
keter. There are two ways of understanding this simcha. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and all of Israel, including Mashiach, are rejoicing in the Torah on Simchat Torah.
In addition, the Torah itself is rejoicing, because on this day it receives its crown,
a level that is higher than the head. Keter is an encompassing power which
surrounds the Torah, and is on a higher level than learning, which penetrates the
Torah and is associated with the concept of inwardness (pnimiyut). This level of
Torah is compared to food as in the verse "create your own sustenance". The
sustenance can take the form of bread, the most basic form of food, but, at this
level, the Torah reflects the level of "fat meat", as in the verse, "eat fat meat".
Bread is necessary to sustain life, but meat, especially fat meat, is above the
level of mere physical existence the way that the inner aspect of the Torah is on
a spiritual level - above basic survival. However, the level of keter is above even
the level of the richness of the Torah, i.e. "fat meat". 5

The Zohar has much to say on the subject of crowns,often in the context of the
unification of the King and His Bride. This first citation fits in with the idea of
Messiah defeating the nations as it points to the kings of the world uniting (with
the Erev Rav, the evil "mixed multitude," within Israel) to fight against Messiah:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 7b - Also the Messiah shall be hidden for twelve
months in the pillar of fire, which shall return again, although it shall not be
visible. After the twelve months the Messiah will be carried up to heaven in that
pillar of fire and receive there power and dominion and the royal crown. When he
descends, the pillar of fire will again be visible to the eyes of the world, and the
Messiah will reveal himself, and mighty nations will gather round him, and he
shall declare war against all the world. At that time the Holy One shall show forth
his power before all the nations of the earth, and the Messiah shall be
manifested throughout the whole universe, and all the kings will unite to fight
against him, and even in Israel there will be found some wicked ones who shall
join them in the fight against the Messiah. Then there will be darkness over all
the world, and for fifteen days shall it continue, and many in Israel shall perish in
that darkness. Concerning this darkness it is written: “Behold, darkness covers
the earth and gross darkness the peoples” (Isaiah 40:2).

The following section depicts the study of Torah as creating "crowns" that in turn
ascend onto the head of the “Zaddik, the life of the universe," a term for the
Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Page 4b - IN THE BEGINNING. R. Simeon opened

his discourse with the text: And I put my words in thy mouth (Is. LI, 16). He said:
‘How greatly is it incumbent on a man to study the Torah day and night! For the
Holy One, blessed be He, is attentive to the voice of those who occupy
themselves with the Torah, and through each fresh discovery made by them in
the Torah a new heaven is created. Our teachers have told us that at the
moment when a man expounds something new in the Torah, his utterance
ascends before the Holy One, blessed be He, and He takes it up and kisses it and
crowns it with seventy crowns of graven and inscribed letters. When a new idea
is formulated in the field of the esoteric wisdom, it ascends and rests on the
head of the “Zaddik, the life of the universe”, and then it flies off and traverses
seventy thousand worlds until it ascends to the “Ancient of Days”.

This theme continues in this text where our words of Torah ascend and are
formed into a heavenly crown:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 215b-217b - For the words of the holy Law spoken
here below ascend on high, where multitudes come to meet them to take them
up and present them before the Holy King, there to be adorned with many
crowns woven of the supernal radiances. All these words, then, are self-spoken,
as it were, before the Most High King. Whoever saw such joy, whoever witnessed
such praises, as mount up into all those heavens at the moment those words
ascend, whilst the Holy King looks on them and crowns Himself with them! They
spring up and down, they settle, as it were, on His bosom for Him to disport
Himself with them, whence they ascend toward His head and are woven there
into a crown. Hence the words spoken by the Torah: "and I would be playing
always before him" (Proverbs 8:30), In the verse cited there is twice mention of
"them that fear the Lord"; the first indicates the men themselves as they are
here below, and the second their images as reflected in their words that ascend
on high.

This esoteric doctrine is found in the Book of Enoch, where it says that all the
words of exposition uttered by the righteous on earth are adorned with crowns
and are arrayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, who delights Himself with
them. They then descend and come up again before His presence in the image
of that righteous man who gave expression to them, and God then delights
Himself with that image. The words, then, are inscribed in "a book of
remembrance before Him", so as to endure for evermore. "And they that thought
upon His name" is an allusion to those that meditate on the words of Torah in
order thereby to cleave to their Master through an insight into the Divine Name,
so as to know Him and beceme equipped with the wisdom of His name in their
heart. It is written: "And above the firmament that was over their heads was as
the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne" (Ezekekiel 1:26).

This idea is further elaborated on in a more modern study on the subject:

A Jew must serve G-d with the totality of his being, as the Mishnah declares: the
purpose of his creation is “to serve his Creator,” with a service which
incorporates all one’s heart, soul, and might — every aspect of his personality.
There must be a level of service which serves as a “crown,” standing above all
the individual aspects of his nature, his intellect and emotions. This involves
serving with true will and true pleasure, above the feelings of one’s heart. Each
person has a particular tendency which dominates his personality and shapes it
into one fundamental thrust. This is his crown. 6

The Zohar states that the righteous receive "crowns" along with their "robes" (as
discussed in earlier chapters of this study). Note the link to "prophetic vision" in
this citation (connecting back to verse 19:10):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 227b - ... the righteous see into the distant future
and God crowns them with His own crown.

The following text is similar to the above, only this one mentions the stream the
flows into the Garden of Eden. This hidden source of the River of Eden is further
mentioned in another citation below (Zohar, Vayikra 62a,b):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 224b - ... all the virtuous who have acquired a
robe of glory through their days are crowned in the future world with crowns like
those of the patriarchs, from the stream that flows continually into the Garden of
Eden, and of them it is written, “the Lord shall lead thee continually and satisfy
thy soul in dry places” (Isaiah 58:11)

In the next section the righteous (i.e., Israel, when they keep Torah), are said to
unify the Name of God. This is further expressed as the "holy crowns" (Sefirot)
being "drawn near" to one another (rectified). This is further associated with the
sacrificial system, which is in turn expressed in terms of God's mercy and union
of the "Matrona" (Shekinah/Bride) to the King:
Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 4b-5b - ‘Happy are Israel’, he said, ‘in that wherever
they congregate God is among them and takes pride in them, as it says, “Israel
in whom I will be glorified” (Isaiah 49:3). Nay more, Israel attain to perfect faith
on earth and Israel consummate the Holy Name. For when Israel are blameless
in their conduct the Holy Name, so to speak, is whole, but when Israel are faulty
in their conduct on earth, the Holy Name, if one may say so, is not whole above.
For so we have learnt: “One went up and the other went down. The supernal
Israel ascended aloft, the Community of Israel came down to earth. So they were
parted from one another, and the Holy Name was left incomplete”; and all
because the Community of Israel is in exile. Yet though Israel are in exile, the
Holy One, blessed be He, is to be found among them, and precedes them to the
synagogue, where he exclaims: “Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your
backslidings” (Jeremiah 3:22). And if none heed, then God says: “Wherefore
when I came was there no man, when I called was there none to answer?” So on
the day when the Tabernacle was completed God came at once and rested
thereon and straightway “called unto Moses and spake to him from the tent of
meeting, saying”. He made known to him how Israel would sin and how this tent
of meeting would be “pledged”[Tr. note: A play on the words mischan, “tent”,
and mashcen (Aramnaic), “pledge”.] for their sins and would not endure. There
was, however, a remedy for this: “if a man should bring an offering to the Lord”.’

R. Hizkiah once, when in the company of R. Simeon, asked him what was the
precise meaning of the term korban (offering). He replied: ‘As is well known to
the Companions, it means their “drawing near”. [Tr. note: From karab, to draw
near,] It refers to those holy Crowns which are all knit together and drawn near
to one another until they all form a perfect unity to make whole the Holy Name.
Hence it is written, “a korban to YHVH”, meaning that the drawing near of those
Crowns is to YHVH to unify properly the Holy Name so that mercy should be
shown to all worlds, and rigour should not be aroused. Hence the name YHVH is
used (in connection with the sacrifices), and not the name Elohim. ‘ Said R.
Hizkiah: ‘How glad I am that I asked this question, so as to receive such an
explanation. But is it not written, “The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit; a
broken and contrite heart, Elohim, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:18)?’ He
replied: ‘It does not say here “offering” (korban), but “sacrifices” (zibehe). It is
for this reason that the sacrifices were killed on the north side of the altar,
because that is the side of Geburah, which is designated Elohim, the purpose
being to soften and break the spirit of severity, so that mercy may obtain the
upper hand. It is meet, therefore, that a man should stand by the altar with a
contrite spirit and repent of his misdeeds so that that stern spirit may be
softened and mercy prevail over severity.’ WHEN ANY MAN OF YOU OFFERETH
AN OBLATION UNTO THE LORD. R. Eleazar said: The words “of you” are inserted
here to show that the word “man” (adam) does not refer to Adam, who also
brought a sacrifice when God created the world, as explained elsewhere.’ Said R.
Simeon to him: ‘You are quite right.’ R. Abba discoursed here on the Psalm
commencing: “A song, a psalm of the sons of Korah” (Psalm 48). ‘This psalm’, he
said, ‘surpasses all the other hymns of praise, sung by the sons of Korah, being
hymn upon hymn, a hymn with two facets, song and psalm. It was sung in praise
of the Community of Israel. Wherein lies this praise? In the words, “Great is the
Lord and highly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain”. For
when is the Holy One, blessed be He, called great? When the Community of
Israel is with Him; He is great “in the city of our God”. We learn from this that the
King without the Matrona is no king, nor is He great nor highly praised. Hence,
whoever being male is without his female is bereft of all his praises and is not
included in the category of “man”, nor is he even worthy to be blessed. (So in
the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder we find it stated that Job was called “great”
(Job 1:3) only because of his wife, who was God-fearing like himself.) The praise
of their espousals is contained in the next words, “Beautiful in elevation”, the
one referring to the Holy One, blesssed be He, and the other to the Zaddik, this
union being “the joy of the whole earth”. “God hath made himself known in her
palaces for a refuge”

The following text contains allusions to related themes such as:

• "The River of Eden" (which reappears later in Revelation for the first time
since the beginning of Genesis)

• The "Holy Son," who receives a crown and inheritance

• The Sefirah of Yesod (i.e., foundation, the tzadik) through which blessings
come upon the marriage of the King and His Bride

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 62a,b - R. Abba took as his text the verse: "While the
king sat at his table, my spikenard sent forth its fragrance" (Song of Solomon,
1:12). ‘This has been applied by the Companions to the children of Israel when at
the giving of the Law they sent forth a sweet fragrance which will bestead them
in all generations by saying "we will do and we will hear". Or we may translate
"my spikenard forsook its fragrance", applying the words to the making of the
calf. There is, however, also an esoteric allusion in this verse. It says "A river
went forth from Eden to water the garden" (Genesis 2:10). This stream first
issues in a path which none knoweth. Then Eden joins with it in perfect union,
and then fountains and streams issue and crown the holy Son, who thereupon
assumes the inheritance of his Father and Mother, and the supernal King regales
himself with royal delights. Then "my spikenard gives forth its fragrance": this is
Yesod, who sends forth blessings at the union of the Holy King and the Matrona,
and so blessings are dispensed to all worlds and upper and lower are blessed.

The following two sections link these "spiritual crowns" to the Song of Moses
(also called the Song of the Sea) in Exodus, which is said to be sung in
Revelation 15:3. The Zohar also speaks of this song being sung again with the
coming of a crowned Messiah, who exacts judgment on his enemies:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 132a - At the hour when the Song of the Sea is
recited the Community of Israel is crowned with the crown wherewith the Holy
One, in the time that is to be, will crown the King Messiah. That crown is
engraved with Holy Names, those same Names which glittered as crowns of fire
upon the head of the Holy One Himself on the day when Israel crossed the Sea
and Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned therein. Therefore that song must be
recited with special devoutness, and he who is able to recite this hymn in the
present world will be found worthy to behold King Messiah in the hour of His
crowning and to sing then this song of redemption. All this is beyond dispute.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 8b-9a - He shall take out from a certain temple in it
a crown inscribed with holy names. It was with this crown that the Holy One
adorned Himself when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and He avenged
Himself on all the chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen. With this same crown
will He crown King Messiah. As soon as he is crowned, the Holy One will take him
and kiss him as before. All the holy multitude and the whole holy army will
surround him and will bestow upon him many wonderful gifts, and he will be
adorned by them all. Then will he enter into one of the temples and behold there
all the upper angels, who are called "the mourners of Zion" because they
continually weep over the destruction of the Holy Temple. These angels shall
give him a robe of deep red in order that he may commence his work of
revenge.

In the following teaching, the "crown of God" is said to be upon the high priest.
Note the importance given to the subject of purity (as has been discussed in our
previous studies):

In order to digest this overwhelming development let us study the inner

workings of the Kohain Gadol. In this week's parsha, the Torah gives us the
reason for the Kohain Gadol's elevated status. After listing all his specific
regulations the Torah states "And he should not leave the Mikdash and not
profane the sanctity of Hashem because the crown of Hashem is upon his head."
(Vayikra 21:12) Sefer HaChinuch (in Mitzva 270) elaborates upon the concept of
"the crown of Hashem". He cites the opinion of the Rambam (in Hilchos Klei
Hamikdash 5:7) that the Kohain Gadol was confined to the Bais Hamikdash area
throughout his entire day of service. In addition, Rambam teaches us that the
Kohain Gadol was forbidden to leave the holy city of Yerushalayim during nightly
hours. This produced an incredible focus on Hashem and His service yielding the
supreme sanctity of the Kohain Gadol. Sefer HaChinuch profoundly states,
"Although the Kohain Gadol was human he was designated to be Holy of Holies.
His soul ranked amongst the angels constantly cleaving to Hashem thus
detaching the Kohain Gadol from all mundane interests and concerns." (ad loc)
Sefer HaChinuch understands the Kohain Gadol's elevated sanctity as a product
of his total immersion in the service of Hashem. His surroundings of total
sanctity together with his constant focus on Hashem and His service produced
the holiest man on earth. His elevated life-style was restricted to one of total
sanctity because his total interest and focus were devoted to purity and sanctity.
7

The following verse concerns Abraham being "crowned" and has another
reference to prophetic vision. Interestingly, it describes Abraham's vision in
terms of being able to see "all the celestial figures," which may be the idea
behind Yeshua's words in John 8:56.
Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, Section 1, Page 91a - Until Abram was
circumcised, God spoke to him only in a vision, as it says above, "The word of
the Lord came unto Abram in a vision" (Genesis 15:1). By "vision" we understand
the grade in which all figures are apparent, and which symbolises the
covenant. ...

Of Balaam it is said that he saw "the vision of Shaddai" (Numbers. 24:4), and of
Abraham that God spoke to him "in a vision", simply. The difference is that
Balaam saw only those (angels) below the Almighty, whereas Abram saw the
"He" in which all the celestial figures are reflected. Till Abram was circumcised,
he was addressed only by that degree which we have mentioned; after he was
circumcised, then THE LORD APPEARED UNTO ABRAM, i.e. all the other grades
appeared over this grade, and this grade addressed him without reserve. Thus
when Abram was circumcised he emerged from the unripe state and entered
into the holy covenant, and was crowned with the sacred crown, and entered
into the covenant on which the world is based, and thus the world was firmly
established for his sake.

This final text on the subject of crowns summarizes the subject - it is by faith we
receive our crown. Interestingly, the test of that faith is the "manna" (i.e., John
chapter 6):

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 62b - Said R. Simeon: ‘Observe

that before the Holy One gave Israel the Torah He tried them to see who would
be a son of faith and who would not be. How did He try them? By the manna. All
those who were found to be sons of faith were signed with the sign of the crown
of Grace by the Holy One Himself; and from those who were not found to be
thus, this supernal crown was withheld.

1. Kol Hator (Voice of the Turtledove) Apect #112 of Messiah ben Joseph as
found on http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/2.htm

2.
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/WeeklyTorah/Zohar/The_Torah_of_a_United_World.
asp

3. http://www.kabbalaonline.org/staticpages/glossary.asp

4. As discussed in, Mashiach - Who? What? Why? How? Where? When?, (an
exposition of the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov), Chaim Kramer,
Breslov Resarch Institute. See also the chart featured at
www.yashanet.com/studies/judaism101/chart

5.
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Holydays/sukkotsimhattorah/A_Crown_of_Supernal
_Joy.asp#

6. http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/6/04.htm
7. http://www.torah.org/learning/haftorah/emor.html

Revelation 19:12b-21
Last update: May 29, 2007

The text of Revelation continues forward with its description of the defeat of evil
within the physical realm of Asiyah as we near the fulfillment of Zechariah's
prophecy regarding the unification of the Name of God.

As Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto points out, these two concepts are associated:

The basis of the annihilation and removal of evil, as well as the perpetuation of
good in all creation depends on the revelation of God's unity. 1

12b ... He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

This is the first of three references to a "name" regarding the Messiah in this
chapter, the others being verses 13(b) and 16. The "name" of Messiah (as with
the "name" of other key figures in the Bible and also the "Name" of God) has to
do with attributes, authority and function (in God's plan).

Talmud - Mas. Sanhedrin 98b - What is his [the Messiah's] name? — The
School of R. Shila said: His name is Shiloh, for it is written, until Shiloh come. The
School of R. Yannai said: His name is Yinnon, for it is written, His name shall
endure for ever: e'er the sun was, his name is Yinnon. The School of R. Haninah
maintained: His name is Haninah, as it is written, Where I will not give you
Haninah. Others say: His name is Menahem the son of Hezekiah,for it is written,
Because Menahem [‘the comforter’ ], that would relieve my soul, is far. The
Rabbis said: His name is ‘the leper scholar,’ as it is written, Surely he hath borne
our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him a leper, smitten of
God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:4)

This "name" of messiah has existed since before the physical world (i.e., 1Peter
1:20; Revelation 13:8; Hebrews 4:3, 9:26; John 17:24; Matthew 13:35, 25:34).

The Talmud refers to several things pre-existing the world including the "name"
of Messiah:

Talmud, Pesachim 54a - Surely it was taught: Seven things were created
before the world was created, and these are they: The Torah, repentance, the
Garden of Eden, Gehenna, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the
Messiah. The Torah, for it is written, The Lord made me [sc. the Torah] as the
beginning of his way. Repentance, for it is written, Before the mountains were
brought forth, and it is written, Thou turnest man to contrition, and sayest,
Repent, ye children of men. The Garden of Eden, as it is written, And the Lord
planted a garden in Eden from aforetime. The Gehenna, for it is written, For
Tophet [i.e., Gehenna] is ordered of old. The Throne of Glory and the Temple, for
it is written, Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of our
sanctuary. The name of the Messiah, as it is written, His [sc. the Messiah's] name
shall endure for ever, and has exited before the sun!

(See verse 13b below for a continuation of the theme of the "name" of Messiah.)
13a
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood ...

The judgment of Messiah against the nations on behalf of Israel is discussed in

this section of the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 238a - BINDING HIS FOAL UNTO THE VINE . The
vine is the Community of Israel, so called also in the verse: “Thou didst remove a
vine from Egypt” (Psalm 80:9). By “his foal” is meant the Messiah, who is
destined to rule over all the hosts of the peoples, that is to say, the heavenly
hosts who have charge of the Gentiles, and from whom they derive their
strength. The Messiah will prevail over them, because this vine dominates all
those lower crowns through which the Gentiles have dominion. This will be the
victory above. Israel, who are “a choice vine”, will conquer and destroy other
hosts below; and the Messiah will prevail over all. Hence it is written of him that
he will be “poor and riding on an ass and on a young ass's colt” (Zechariah 9:9).
“Colt” and “ass” are two crowns by virtue of which the Gentiles have dominion,
and they are from the left side, the side of uncleanness. It is strange that the
Messiah should be called “poor”. R. Simeon explained that it is because he has
nothing of his own, and he is compared to the holy moon above, which has no
light save from the sun. This Messiah will have dominion and will be established
in his place. Below he is “poor”, because he is of the side of the moon, and
above he is poor, being a “mirror which does not radiate”, “the bread of
poverty”. Yet withal he “rides upon an ass and upon a colt”, to overthrow the
strength of the Gentiles; and God will keep him firm. HE HATH WASHED HIS
GARMENT IN WINE . With this may be compared the verse: “Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?” (Isaiah 53:1); and also: “I
have trodden the winepress alone, etc.” (Ibid. 3). “Wine” here alludes to the side
of Geburah, of stern justice which will be visited on the idolatrous nations. AND
HIS VESTURE IN THE BLOOD OF GRAPE . This is the lower-world tree, the
judgement court which is called “grapes”, in which the “wine” is kept. Thus the
Messiah will be clothed in both to crush beneath him all the idolatrous peoples
and kings.

As this judgment has to do with the entering of the "Great Sabbath" (Messianic
Kingdom) it is not surprising that it is incorporated into the Orthodox Shabbat
liturgy:

When He comes from Edom with bloodied clothes, He will have a slaughter in
Bozrah, an execution of traitors. The dripping of their lifeblood will redden His
garments. With His great strengh He will cut down the spirit of the nobles. 2
13b
... and His name is called The Word of God.
Continuing with the Orthodox Shabbat liturgy, we see that it is "the Word of God"
(Torah) that goes forth to destroy Israel's enemies. Again this is read every
Shabbat when the Torah is brought out:

This explains the verse we quote whenever we open the Holy Ark before the
reading of the Torah: “And it was when the Ark traveled, and Moses said, ‘Arise
G’d and let your enemies scatter and let those who hate you flee from you.’”
(Bamidbar 10:35) This sounds like a battle cry and would appear to be out of
place in a synagogue prior to the Torah reading. However, with the realization
that reading and studying the Torah is our most powerful weapon against our
enemies, we understand why this is the appropriate time to quote this
declaration. 3

(See notes on verse 15a below for the link between the judgment of the nations,
the Word of God and the "sword" from the mouth of Messiah.)

In this next midrash, the Messiah is called (among several names) "the Lord,"
due to his likeness to the image of God as discussed in the previous chapter:

Midrash Rabbah - Lamentations 1:51 - BECAUSE THE COMFORTER IS FAR

FROM ME, EVEN HE THAT SHOULD REFRESH MY SOUL. What is the name of King
Messiah? R. Abba b. Kahana said: His name is ‘the Lord’; as it is stated, And this
is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness (Jerermiah
23:6). For R. Levi said: It is good for a province when its name is identical with
that of its king, and the name of its king identical with that of its God. ‘It is good
for a province when its name is identical with that of its king,’ as it is written,
And the name of the city from that day shall be the Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35).
‘And the name of its king identical with that of its God,’ as it is stated, ’And this
is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness.’ R. Joshua
b. Levi said: His name is ' Shoot ‘; as it is stated, Behold, a man whose name is
Shoot, and who shall shoot up out of his place, and build the temple of the Lord
(Zechariah 6:12). R. Judan said in the name of R. Aibu: His name is ‘Comforter’;
as it is said, THE COMFORTER IS FAR FROM ME. R. Hanina said: They do not
really differ, because the numerical value of the names is the same, so that '
Comforter ' is identical with ' Shoot ‘.

A relationship between a "mystery" regarding the Name of God and the role of
the Torah is discussed in this fascinating section of the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 160b-161b - The whole mystery of the Faith

depends upon this; from this comes the knowledge of the mystery of mysteries,
the secret of secrets. YHVH ELOHIM is a full Name, and the whole is one. Herein
is a mystery of mysteries to the masters of the esoteric knowledge. And, indeed,
blessed are they who endeavour to comprehend the Torah. When the Holy One
resolved to create the world, He guided Himself by the Torah as by a plan, as
has been pointed out [Tr. note: v. Zohar, Genesis, 134a in connection with the
words "Then I was by him as amon" (Proverbs 8:30), where the word amon
(nursling) may also be read uman (architect). Was the Torah, then, an architect?
Yes; for if a King resolves to build him a palace, without an architect and a plan
how can he proceed?

Nevertheless, when the palace has been built, it is attributed to the King: "here
is the palace which the King has built", because his was the thought that thus
has been realized. Similarly, when the Holy One, blessed be He, resolved to
create the world, He looked into His plan, and, although, in a sense, it was
the plan which brought the palace into being, it is not called by its
name, but by that of the King. The Torah proclaims: "I was by Him an
architect, through me He created the world!"-for the Torah preceded the
creation of the world by two thousand years; and so, when He resolved to create
the world He looked into the Torah, into its every creative word, and fashioned
the world correspondingly; for all the words and all the actions of all the worlds
are contained in the Torah. Therefore did the Holy One, blessed be He, look into
it and create the world. That is why it says not merely "I was an architect", but "I
was, alongside of Him, an architect". It may be asked, How can one be an
architect with Him? God looked at His plan in this way. It is written in the Torah:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"; He looked at this
expression and created heaven and earth. In the Torah it is written: "Let there be
light"; He looked at these words and created light; and in this manner was the
whole world created. When the world was all thus created, nothing was yet
established properly, until He had resolved to create man, in order that he might
study the Torah, and, for his sake, the world should be firmly and properly
established.

Thus it is that he who concentrates his mind on, and deeply penetrates into, the
Torah, sustains the world; for, as the Holy One looked into the Torah and created
the world, so man looks into the Torah and keeps the world alive. Hence the
Torah is the cause of the world's creation, and also the power that maintains its
existence. Therefore blessed is he who is devoted to the Torah, for he is the
preserver of the world.

‘When the Holy One resolved to create man, there appeared before His Mind
potential man, in form and condition as he was to be in this world; and not he
alone, but all human beings, before they enter this world, stand before Him in
the same way, in that treasure-house of souls where, dressed in a semblance of
their earthly forms, they await their entry into this world. When their time has
arrived to descend to this world, the Holy One calls upon a certain emissary
appointed over all the souls to go down, and says to him: "Go, bring hither to Me
such and such a spirit", and on the instant that soul appears, clad in the form of
this world, and is led forward by the angel that the Holy King may look upon it.
Then does the Holy One warn that soul, when it shall have reached the earthly
regions, to remember the Torah, and devote itself thereto, so that it may know
Him and the mystery of Faith; for better were it for a man that he should never
be born than not to know Him.

Therefore is it presented before the Holy King, that afterwards it may know Him
in this world, and be devoted to the Holy One in the mystery of the Faith.
Concerning this it is written: "Thou hast been shown to know", that is, shown by
the angel to the Holy One, in order to know, to understand, to penetrate in this
world to the mystery of the Faith, the mystery of the Torah. And he who, having
come into this world, does not study the Torah to know Him-better were it for
him that he had never been born; since the only aim and object of the Holy One
in sending man into this world is that he may know and understand that YHVH is
Elohim.

This is the sum of the whole mystery of the Faith, of the whole Torah, of all that
is above and below, of the Written and Oral Torah, all together forming one
unity. The essence of the mystery of Faith is to know that this is a complete
Name. This knowledge that YHVH is One with Elohim is indeed the synthesis of
the whole Torah, both of the Written and of the Oral, for "Torah" stands for both,
the former being symbolic of YHVH and the latter of Elohim. The Torah being the
mystery of the Holy Name, it is therefore called by two names, one of which is
general, and the other particular. The general is complemented by the
particular, also the particular by the general, both combining to form one
synthesis. In the Torah we find, therefore, the synthesis of the Above and the
Below, for the one Name, YHVH, is above, while the other, Elohim, is below, one
indicating the higher world and the other the lower. And therefore is it written:
"Thou hast been shown to know that YHVH is Elohim."

Putting together the ideas presented above together, we see:

• The "name" (function, role, etc.) of Messiah pre-existed the physical world

• That which judges the nations is both part of the role of Messiah and the
"Word of God"

• There is a relationship (likeness) between the "name" of Messiah and

"name" of God

• The Word of God, the Torah, pre-existed the world "with God" and is called
not by its name but by God's name

• Both the Torah and the tzaddik are said to sustain the world

The prime example of a tzaddik with high regard for Torah, is Jacob. We have
seen in an earlier study that the image of Jacob is engraved in the divine throne,
that he pre-existed the world and through him all things were made and
sustained.

Considering all of this, we now have insight into one of the New Testament's
more mysterious verses:

John 1:1-5 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made
through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life,
and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not comprehend it.
The relationship between Messiah, Torah and the concept of a "sword" is
discussed below in 15a.

14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him
on white horses.

The tzaddikim follow in the likeness of Messiah who is in the likeness of God:

This is the essence of Him, may He be Blessed and exalted forever. He glories in
the creatures who have sinned and have become penitent ... Furthermore, above
with the sphere of Keter, there are kinds of splendour, compassion and mercy,
all of which are white, and with them He watches and adorns the name YHVH,
may He be Blessed, with the white clothing that is called Tiferet, and with them
YHVH glorifies Himself and has mercy over His world. 4

Regarding the Messianic age, it is written (Isaiah 4:3), "And it will be, that he
who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, 'holy' shall be said to him."
The Talmud teaches us that the angels will chant, "holy, holy, holy," before the
Tzadikim, just like they do before God (i.e., Rev. 4:8). This is the plain meaning
of the verse. For the Tzadikim who remain faithful before the Messiah's coming,
will deserve this, and much more. 5

15a Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the
nations.

God has promised to destroy Amalek (called "reshith goyim" - the "head of the
nations") at the end of this age. The precursor to this was Joshua, who slew
physical Amalek as found in Exodus, chapter 18. The following excerpt from the
Zohar makes a direct connection between Joshua, in the physical world, and the
angelic figure Metatron in the spiritual realm.

What is of particular importance in the Zohar is that it is not so much Joshua who
"slew Amalek" as it is "the sword" itself that does the slaying, "executing the
vengeance of the covenant" (the vengeance of Yesod, i.e., Messiah ben Joseph).

Soncino Zohar, Shemot, 66a - Now when Moses perceived that Samael
[Esau's angel] was going to fight for Amalek, he thought: “this young man,
Joshua, will surely stand against him and prevail”, and therefore he said unto
him: “go and fight against Amalek! It is thy battle, the battle here below, and I
will prepare myself for the battle above. Choose worthy men, righteous and the
sons of the righteous, to accompany thee”.’ Said R. Simeon: ‘At the moment
when Joshua, the “young man”, started out to fight Amalek, the “Young Man”
above was stirred, and was equipped with weapons prepared by his “Mother”
(the Shekinah) for the battle in order to “avenge the covenant” (cf. Leviticus
26:25) with the “sword” (Exodus 17:13). Moses equipped himself for the war
above. “His hands were heavy” (Ibid. v, 12), that is to say, “weighty, honourable,
holy hands”, that had never been defiled, hands worthy to wage the war above.
AND THEY TOOK A STONE AND PUT IT UNDER HIM AND HE SAT THEREON: to
participate in the distress of Israel. AND AARON AND HUR STAYED UP HIS
HANDS, THE ONE ON THE ONE SIDE, AND THE OTHER ON THE OTHER SIDE: AND
HIS HANDS WERE STEADY (emunah, lit. faith). This cannot be taken in the literal
sense; what it means is that Aaron represented his “side” (the attribute of
Grace), Hur his “side” (the attribute of Strength), and Moses’ hands between the
two represented Faith. AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN MOSES HELD UP HIS
HAND, ISRAEL PREVAILED, AND WHEN HE LET DOWN HIS HAND, AMALEK
PREVAILED.

“Hand ‘ here refers to the right hand, which he held up above the left, and so
long as he did so, Israel, i.e. the Supernal Israel, prevailed; but when Israel below
ceased praying Moses could not keep his hand up and “Amalek prevailed”. From
which we derive the lesson that, although the priest spreads out his hands at the
sacrifice to make his mediation complete, yet Israel must co-operate with him in
prayer. AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, WRITE THIS FOR A MEMORIAL IN THE
BOOK, ETC. Note that in the previous verse it says, “And Joshua disabled
(vayahlosh) Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” Why is the word
“ disabled” used here instead of “slew”? Because the word halash has also
another meaning, namely, “to cast lots” (cf. Isaiah 14:2). Joshua did indeed first
cast lots, .[Tr. note: i.e. as to which of the multitude of nations that Amalek
brought with him (vide infra) should first be put to the sword.] and then the
sword, executing the vengenace of the covenant, slew them. WRITE THIS
FOR A MEMORIAL: “this” in the first place, AND REHEARSE IT IN THE EARS OF
JOSHUA, namely, that he is destined to slay other kings. FOR I WILL UTTERLY
BLOT OUT (lit. for blotting out I will blot out); that is, both their celestial forces
and their power here below: similarly THE REMEMBRANCE of them on high as
well as below. Said R. Isaac: ‘Here it is written: “For I will utterly blot out”,
whereas in another passage it says, “Thou shalt blot out the remembrance of
Amalek” (Deuteronomy 25:19). The Holy One, blessed be He, said in effect: “Ye
shall blot out his remembrance on earth, and I will blot out his remembrance on
high”.’ R. Jose said: ‘Amalek brought with him other peoples, but all the rest
were afraid to commence war against Israel. Hence Joshua cast lots which of
them to slay.’ AND MOSES BUILT AN ALTAR AND CALLED THE NAME OF IT YHVH
NISSI (the Lord is my sign). He built an altar below to correspond to the Altar
above.

(Click here for a collection of texts on the subject of Amalek)

Metatron in turn is called "the angel of Messiah ben Joseph" as found in the text,
Kol Hator:

The Mashiach ben Yosef from above is Metatron, the Minister of Interior; as is
known, Yosef is Metatron. Both of them are from the light from above, and both
are in the sefira Yesod 6

“For a bird of the skies will carry the sound, and some winged creature will relate
the matter” -- This was said about Metatron, the Minister of Interior, as brought
in Tikunei Zohar. He is the Angel of Mashiach ben Yosef. The word hints at, and
in gematria the two words are equal [156]. 7
The Zohar has more about the revenge taken upon Israel's enemies by their
Messiah:

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, 212b - Then will the King Messiah appear and the
kingship shall be given to him. Mankind will then suffer one calamity after
another, and the enemies of Israel will prevail, but the spirit of the Messiah shall
rise against them and destroy the sinful Edom and burn in fire the land of Seir.
Hence it is written, “And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a
possession of his which were his enemies, while Israel doth valiantly”. And in
that time the Holy One, blessed be He, shall raise the dead of his people, and
death shall be forgotten of them.’ R. Abba said: ‘Why is it written, “For in joy ye
shall go out” (Isaiah 55:12)? Because when Israel go out from captivity the
Shekinah will go forth with them and they with Her.

Midrash Rabbah (on Shir haShirim, the union of the groom and his bride) offers
the following:

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs VI:25 - It is not written here, like
degalim (standards), but nidgaloth, implying, like the generation which was on
the point of being carried into captivity (nithnadned legaluth). Which was this?
The generation of Hezekiah, as it says, A day of trouble, and of rebuke, etc.
(Isaiah 37:3). How do we know that they inspired fear? Because it says, So that
he was exalted in the sight of all nations (II Chronicles 32:23). R. Huna said in the
name of R. Eleazar the Modean: It is not written here, like ‘degalim’, but, like
‘nidgaloth’, implying, like the generation which was on the point of being carried
into captivity but was not. Which is this? The generation of the Messiah, as it
says, For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle (Zechariah 14:2).
And how do we know that he will inspire fear? Because it says, And he shall
smite the land with the rod of his mouth (Isaiah 11:4).

(See also Zohar, Shemot 8a-9a further down this page for more about Messiah,
his Bride and his vengeance against his enemies.)

15b ... And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Midrash Rabbah explains Psalm 2 in terms of the messiah's strict rule:

Midrash Rabbah Genesis 97 - THE SCEPTRE [STAFF] SHALL NOT DEPART

FROM JUDAH alludes to the Messiah, son of David, who will chastise the State
with a staff, as it says, Thou shalt break them with a rod [staff] of iron (Psalm
2:9).

Psalms Chapter 2 - Why do the nations rage, and the peoples mutter a vain
thing?. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their
bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He who sits in the heavens
shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then he shall speak to them in
his wrath, and terrify them in his fury. But I have set my king on my holy
mountain of Zion. I will tell of the decree; the Lord has said to me, You are my
son; this day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations for
your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. You
shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s
vessel. Now therefore be wise, O you kings; be instructed, you judges of the
earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Worship in purity, lest
he be angry, and you perish from the way, for in a little while his wrath will
blaze. Happy are all who put their trust in him.

16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

This would be a fulfillment of Psalm 45:

Psalm 45:3-5 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory
and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth,
humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome
things. Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; The peoples fall
under You.

The kingly role of Messiah at his coming is spoken of in the Zohar and other
sources:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 107b - For whilst the Holy One is taking vengeance
on the idolatrous nations, He “will make a man more precious than gold”, to wit,
the Messiah, who will be raised and glorified above all mankind, and to whom all
mankind will pay homage and bow down, as it is written, “Before him those that
dwell in the wilderness will bow down ... the Kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall render tribute” (Psalm 72:9-10).

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 143a - AND NATIONS BOW DOWN TO THEE ,

alludes to the time when the Messiah will appear, concerning whom it is written:
“Yea, all kings shall prostrate themselves before him” (Psalm 72:11). R. Judah
said: ‘The whole applies to the advent of the Messiah, of whom it is also written:
“all nations shall serve him (Ibid.).

Soncino Zohar, Bemidbar, 213a - Then will the King Messiah appear and the
kingship shall be given to him. Mankind will then suffer one calamity after
another, and the enemies of Israel will prevail, but the spirit of the Messiah shall
rise against them and destroy the sinful Edom and burn in fire the land of Seir.
Hence it is written, “And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a
possession of his which were his enemies, while Israel doth valiantly”. And in
that time the Holy One, blessed be He, shall raise the dead of his people, and
death shall be forgotten of them.’ R. Abba said: ‘Why is it written, “For in joy ye
shall go out” (Isaiah 55:12)? Because when Israel go out from captivity the
Shekinah will go forth with them and they with Her.

Yalqut haMakhiri ad Isaiah. 11:4, p. 86 - In the days of the Messiah, he will

begin (to address the nations) in peace ... and they will subject themselves to
him ... and will bring him presents. 8
Midrash Leqah Tov, ed. Buber, 1:235 - In the days of the Messiah the
nations will bow down to him. 9

Lastly, we present this amazing description of the coming of Messiah from the
Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 8a-9a - ‘At the time when the Holy One shall arise
to renew all worlds, and the letters of his Name shall shine in perfect union, the
Yod with the He, and the He with the Vau, a mighty star will appear in the
heavens of purple hue, which by day shall flame before the eyes of the whole
world, filling the firmament with its light. And at that time shall a flame issue in
the heavens from the north; and flame and star shall so face each other for forty
days, and all men will marvel and be afraid. And when forty days shall have
passed, the star and the flame shall war together in the sight of all, and the
flame shall spread across the skies from the north, striving to overcome the star,
and the rulers and peoples of the earth shall behold it with terror, and there will
be confusion among them. But the star will remove to the south and vanquish
the flame, and the flame shall daily be diminished until it be no more seen. Then
shall the star cleave for itself bright paths in twelve directions which shall remain
luminous in the skies for the term of twelve days. After a further twelve days
trembling will seize the world, and at midday the sun will be darkened as it was
darkened on the day when the holy Temple was destroyed, so that heaven and
earth shall not be seen. Then out of the midst of thunder and lightning shall a
voice be heard, causing the earth to quake and many hosts and principalities to
perish. On the same day when that voice is heard throughout the world, a flame
of fire shall appear burning in Great Rome (Constantinople); it will consume
many turrets and towers, and many are the great and mighty who shall perish
then. All shall gather against her to destroy her, and no one will have hope to
escape. From that day on, for twelve months, all the kings (of the world) will take
counsel together and make many decrees to destroy Israel; and they shall
prosper against him, as has been said. Blessed is he who shall live in that time,
and blessed is he who shall not live in that time! And the whole world then will
be in confusion. At the end of the twelve months the “sceptre of Judah”, namely
the Messiah, will arise, appearing from Paradise, and all the righteous will
surround him and gird him with weapons of war on which are inscribed the
letters of the Holy Name (YHVH). Then a voice will burst forth from the branches
of the trees of Paradise: “Arise, O ye saints from above, and stand ye before the
Messiah! For the time has come for the Hind to be united with her Spouse, and
he must avenge her on the world and raise her from the dust”. And all the saints
from above will arise and gird the Messiah with weapons of war, Abraham at his
right, Isaac at his left, Jacob in front of him, while Moses, the “faithful shepherd”
of all these saints, shall dance at the head of them in Paradise. As soon as the
Messiah has been installed by the saints in Paradise, he will enter again the
place which is called “the Bird's Nest’,, there to behold the picture of the
destruction of the Temple, and of all the saints who were done to death there.
Then will he take from that place ten garments, the garments of holy zeal, and
hide himself there for forty days, and no one shall be able to see him. At the end
of those forty days a voice shall be heard from the highest throne calling the
Bird's Nest and the Messiah who shall be hidden there. Thereupon he shall be
carried aloft, and when the Holy One, blessed be He, shall behold the Messiah
adorned with the garments of holy zeal and girded with weapons of war, he will
take him and kiss him upon his brow. At that moment three hundred and ninety
firmaments shall begin to shake. The Holy One shall command one of these
firmaments, which has been kept in waiting since the six days of creation, to
approach, and He shall take out from a certain temple in it a crown inscribed
with holy names. It was with this crown that the Holy One adorned Himself when
the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and He avenged Himself on all the chariots of
Pharaoh and his horsemen. With this same crown will He crown King Messiah. As
soon as he is crowned, the Holy One will take him and kiss him as before. All the
holy multitude and the whole holy army will surround him and will bestow upon
him many wonderful gifts, and he will be adorned by them all. Then will he enter
into one of the temples and behold there all the upper angels, who are called
“the mourners of Zion” because they continually weep over the destruction of
the Holy Temple. These angels shall give him a robe of deep red in order that he
may commence his work of revenge. The Holy One will again hide him in the
“Bird's Nest” and he will remain there for thirty days. After the thirty days he will
again be decked with those adornments from above and from below, and many
holy beings will surround him. The whole world then shall see a light extending
from the firmament to the earth, and continuing for seven days, and they will be
amazed and not comprehend: only the wise will understand, they who are
adepts in the mystic lore, blessed is their portion. All through the seven days the
Messiah shall be crowned on earth. Where shall this be? “By the way”, to wit,
Rachel's grave, which is on the cross-road. To mother Rachel he will give glad
tidings and comfort her, and now she will let herself be comforted, and will rise
and kiss him. The light will then move from that place and shall stand over
Jericho, the city of trees, and the Messiah will be hidden in the light of the “Bird's
Nest” for twelve months. After the twelve months that light will stand between
heaven and earth in the land of Galilee, where Israel's captivity began, and there
will he reveal himself from the light of the “Bird's Nest”, and return to his place.
On that day the whole earth will be shaken from one end.to the other, and thus
the whole world will know that the Messiah has revealed himself in the land of
Galilee. And all who are diligent in the study of the Torah-and there shall be few
such in the world-will gather round him. His army will gain in strength through
the merit of little infants at school, symbolized by the word ephroah-”young bird”
(cf. Deuteronomy 22:6). And if such will not be found at that time it will be
through the merit of the sucklings, “the eggs” (Ibid), “those that are weaned
from the milk, and drawn from the breasts” (Isaiah 22:9), for whose sake the
Shekinah dwells in the midst of Israel in exile, as indeed there will be few sages
at that time. This is the implication of the words “And the dam sitting upon the
young, or upon the eggs”, which, allegorically interpreted, means that it does
not depend upon the Mother to free them from exile, but upon the Supreme
King; for it is the young ones and the sucklings that will give strength to the
Messiah, and then the Supernal Mother, which “sits upon them”, will be stirred
up towards Her Spouse. He will tarry for twelve months longer, and then he will
appear and raise her from the dust: “I will raise up on that day the tabernacle of
David that is fallen” (Amos 9:2). On that day the Messiah will begin to gather the
captives from one end of the world to the other: “If any of thine be driven out
unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee”
(Deut.eronomy 30:4). From that day on the Holy One will perform for Israel all
the signs and wonders which He performed for them in Egypt: “As in the days of
thy coming out of the land of Egypt, will I show unto him wonders” (Micah
7:15).’.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together
for the supper of the great God,

The particular name of this angel is not revealed but the text could apply to
either Metatron or Michael.

One section of the Zohar may be pointing to this same event:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth 188a - When before the rising of the sun the light
shines forth, the angel appointed to rule and guide the sun steps forth with the
holy letters of the supernal blessed Name inscribed upon his brow, and in the
power of those letters opens all the windows of Heaven and flies out. Then he
enters into the aura of brightness which surrounds the sun and waits there till
the sun himself arises to spread his light over the world.

18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty
men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all
people, free and slave, both small and great.”

Whether it be Egypt, Rome or Babylon, their end is similar:

Tanach - Ezekiel Chapter 32 - And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the
twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to
me, saying: Son of man, raise a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say
to him, You consider yourself a young lion of the nations, but you are like a
crocodile in the seas; and you burst forth in your rivers, and trouble the waters
with your feet, and foul their rivers. Thus says the Lord God: I will therefore
spread out my net over you with a company of many people; and they shall
bring you up in my net. Then will I throw you upon the land, I will cast you out on
the open field, and I will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you, and I will
fill the beasts of the whole earth with you. And I will lay your flesh upon the
mountains, and fill the valleys with your height. I will also water with your blood
the land over which you overflow, as far as the mountains; and the rivers shall
be full of you.

19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered
together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

The Zohar gives a similar view of the nations focusing their final effort against
the Messiah himself:
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 7b - Also the Messiah shall be hidden for twelve
months in the pillar of fire, which shall return again, although it shall not be
visible. After the twelve months the Messiah will be carried up to heaven in that
pillar of fire and receive there power and dominion and the royal crown. When he
descends, the pillar of fire will again be visible to the eyes of the world, and the
Messiah will reveal himself, and mighty nations will gather round him, and he
shall declare war against all the world. At that time the Holy One shall show forth
his power before all the nations of the earth, and the Messiah shall be
manifested throughout the whole universe, and all the kings will unite to fight
against him, and even in Israel there will be found some wicked ones who shall
join them in the fight against the Messiah. Then there will be darkness over all
the world, and for fifteen days shall it continue, and many in Israel shall perish in
that darkness. Concerning this darkness it is written: “Behold, darkness covers
the earth and gross darkness the peoples” (Isaiah 40:2).’.

As discussed in earlier sections, this arrival of Messiah (and the nations coming
against him) is synonymous with the unification of the Name of God, described
here in terms of the vav (son, groom) being united to the hey (daughter, bride):

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 119a - From that time the Messiah will begin to
declare himself, and round him there will be gathered many nations and many
hosts from the uttermost ends of the earth. And all the children of Israel will
assemble in their various places until the completion of the century. The Vau will
then join the He, and then “they shall bring all your brethren out of all the
nations for an offering unto the Lord” (Isaiah 66:20). The children of Ishmael will
at the same time rouse all the peoples of the world to come up to war against
Jerusalem, as it is written, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to
battle, etc.” (Zechariah 14:2), also, “The kings of the earth stand up, and the
rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed” (Psalm
2:2); and further, “He that sitteth in heaven laugheth, the Lord hath them in
derision” (Psalm 2:4). Then the lesser Vau will rouse itself to unite (with the He)
and renew the souls that had become old, so as to rejuvenate the world, as it is
written, “May the glory of the Lord endure for ever, let the Lord rejoice in his
works” (Psalm 104:31). The first part of this verse signifies that God's glory will
attach itself to the world, and the latter half that He will cause souls to descend
into the world and make them into new beings, so as to join the world into one.
Happy are those who will be left alive at the end of the sixth millennium to enter
on the Sabbath. For that is the day set apart by the Holy One on which to effect
the union of souls and to cull new souls to join those that are still on earth, as it
is written, “And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written unto
life in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 4:3).’

20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked
signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the
beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the
lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The figure of "Armilus" as the personification of evil in the end of days is
associated with the one who gathers the armies against Israel. (e.g., the "anti-
Christ" in Christian writings.)

T'fillat R. Shim'on ben Yohai, BhM 4:124-126 - And Armilus will hear that a
king arose for Israel, and he will gather the armies of the nations of the world,
and they will come to King Messiah and to Israel. And the Holy One, blessed is
He, will fight for Israel, and will say to the Messiah: "Sit at my right hand." And
the Messiah will say to Israel: "Gather together and stand and see the salvation
of the Lord." And instantly, the Holy One, blessed be He, will go forth and fight
against them. 10

21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of
Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Numerous sources speak of this great battle at the end of the age:

Sefer Eliyahu, BhM 3:65-67 - Messiah will come, and with him 30,000 saintly
men ... and when the nations of the world see this, instantly each one of them
will be crushed, they and their horses. 11

Midrash Rabbah - Genesis 78:12 - All the gifts which the Patriarch Jacob
made to Esau,’ replied he, ‘the heathens will return them to the Messiah in the
Messianic era.’ ' What is the proof? ' ’ The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall
return tribute (Psalm. 72:10): it does not say, "shall bring," but "shall return".’
‘By thy life!’ he exclaimed, ‘thou hast said a good thing, and I will teach it in thy
name.’

The Zohar places Moshe and Messiah as the bookends to the process of unifying
the Name:

Soncino Zohar, Devarim, 260b - Thus Moses was a new beginning in the
world. And if you ask, Who is the termination? the answer is, the King Messiah,
for then there shall be such perfection in the world as had not been for all
generations before. For then there shall be completeness above and below, and
all worlds shall be united in one bond, as it is written, “On that day the Lord shall
be one and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9).’

1. Derech Hashem (The Way of God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated
and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, p. 175

2. From The Complete Artscroll Siddur, Zemiros for the Sabbath Day, Baruch
Hashem Yom Yom, Mesorah Publications, Ltd..Brooklyn, 1994.

3. From Torah Attitude: Parashas Mattos-Masei: The Secret Army, Rabbi Avraham
Kahn http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/parsha/kahn/archives/matos63.htm.

4. Sha'are Orah ("Gates of Light"), Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, translated by Avi

Weinstein, Altamira Press, 1994, p. 225.
5. Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom, translated by Aryeh Kaplan, Breslov Research
Institute, Jerusalem, 1973, p.255.

6. From Kol Hator, Chapter 1, http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-

hator/1.htm

7. From Kol Hator, Chapter 2, http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-

hator/2.htm

8. As cited in The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press,
Detroit, 1979, p. 177.

9. ibid, p. 178.

10. Citation from T'fillat R. Shim'on ben Yohai, BhM 4:124-126, as cited in The
Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1979, p.
159.

11. Citation from Sefer Eliyahu, BhM 3:65-67, as cited in The Messiah Texts,
Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1979, p. 151.

Revelation 20:1-6
Last update: November 18, 2007

While examining the commentaries in this section, the reader should take note
of the mention of both "Wisdom" (the highest of the knowable Sefirot), "heaven,"
(Binah) and the Shekina/Holy Spirit/Bride (Malkut, the lowest of the Sefirot). This
is indicative of the full extent of both the "positive" and "negative" spiritual
realms.

1. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

The "pit" is "gehenna" (gehinnom), a place of spiritual punishment or

purification:

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis I:6 - R. Judah b. Simon quoted: And He revealeth

the deep and secret things-mesatratha (Daniel 2:22). ' The deep things’ are the
Gehenna, as it is written, But he knoweth not that the shades are there; that in
the depths of the nether world are her guests (Proverbs 9:18). ’And secret
things’ refers to the garden of Eden, as it is written, And for a refuge and for a
covert (le-mistor), etc. (Isaiah 4:6).

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 33:1 - R. Levi said: It [Scripture] gives a simile for
the righteous in their dwelling, and for the wicked in their dwelling. The
righteous in their dwelling: I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high
mountains of Israel shall their fold be (Ezekiel 34:14)- The wicked in their
dwelling: In the day when he went down to the netherworld I caused the deep to
mourn and cover itself for him (ib. 32:15). R. Judah said: Hobalti (I brought) is
written: a lid for a vat is made not of gold or silver but of earthenware, which is
the selfsame material. Thus the wicked are darkness, Gehenna is darkness, and
the deep is darkness: hence I brought the wicked to Gehenna and covered them
with the deep: let darkness cover darkness.

Midrash Rabbah, Numbers 10:2 - So the Holy Spirit said through Solomon,
‘For a harlot is a deep ditch.’ Why did he call her ' ditch (shuhah)’? In allusion to
the text, For her house sinketh down (shahah) unto death (Proverbs 2:18).
‘Deep’? This recalls the text, Her guests are in the depths of the nether-world (ib.
9:18). ‘A harlot’? This refers to a married woman. ‘A narrow pit ‘? Because she
brings the adulterer down into Gehenna. Hence it is written, Her steps take hold
on the nether-world (ib. 5:5), and the nether-world is called ‘pit’; for it is written,
O Lord, Thou broughtest up my soul from the netherworld; Thou didst keep me
alive, that I should not go down to the pit (Psalm 30:4). Why has it been said that
' narrow’ alludes to Gehenna? Because it is broad underneath and has a narrow
opening on top.1 Hence it is written, Yea, if one hath allured thee from a narrow
opening into a broad place, where there is no straitness (Job 36:16).

Mishna, Avoth Chapter 5 - What is [the difference] between the disciples of

Abraham, our father, and the disciples of Balaam, the wicked. The disciples of
Abraham, our father, enjoy [their share] in this world, and inherit the world to
come, as it is said: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance and
that I may fill their treasuries, but the disciples of Balaam, the wicked, inherit
gehinnom, and descend into the nethermost pit, as it is said: but thou, o God,
wilt bring them down to the nethermost pit; men of blood and deceit shall not
live out half their days; but as for me, I will trust in thee.

Talmud, Yoma 87a - And whosoever causes the community to sin, no

opportunity will be granted him for repentance’, lest he be in Gan Eden and his
disciples in Gehinnom, as it is said: A man, that is laden with the blood of any
person shall hasten his steps unto the pit; none will help him.

Midrash Rabbah, Exodus 51:7 - EVEN THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY.

What is the meaning of TESTIMONY?--It means the Torah, in which they toil. God
said: ‘I will deliver you from Gehinnom for the sake of the Torah [you study], and
the sacrifices [you bring].’ To our patriarch Abraham did God also show the
Torah and Gehinnom, the sacrifices and the various captivities, for it is said,
And... behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between the
pieces (Genesis 15:17). This refers to the Torah and Gehinnom, for it says, And
all the people perceived the thundering, and the lightning, and the voice of the
horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled,
and stood afar off (Exodus 20:15).

Gehenna would also seem to be an abode of demons ("shedim") and angels:

Zohar, Bemidbar 154b - Then follows the third standard to the north. It had for
its ensign Ox and was accompanied by the angel Gabriel and his two chieftains,
Kafziel and Hizkiel. The Ox, being of the left side, has horns between his two
eyes, which flame as it were with burning fire; he gores and tramples with his
feet ruthlessly. When he moos there emerge out of the hollow of the great abyss
numerous spirits of wrath who proceed in front in a chorus of shrieking. Seven
fiery rivers flow in front of him, and when thirsty he draws up a whole riverful at
one gulp.

Zohar, Bereshith 113b-114a - "...whenever the Holy One sits on the Throne of
Judgment to judge the world, Satan, the seducer of men and angels, is at hand
to do mischief and to snatch up souls.

The Zohar also describes an angelic entity named "Duma," assigned as

"guardian" over Gehenna:

Zohar, Shemoth 18a - R. Judah said in the name of R. Isaac: ‘Why did the
Egyptians so desire to prevent Israel from multiplying, and what motive
prompted their supernal representative to put such a desire into their hearts?
Because he knew and made known to them that a son would be born to the
Israelites through whom judgement should be brought upon the gods of Egypt;
for, according to R. Johanan, when Moses said that God “will exercise judgement
against all the gods of Egypt” (Exodus 22:12), Duma, the celestial Prince of
Egypt, ran away four hundred parasangs, and the Holy One said to him: “It is My
decree!” In that hour his power and his dominion was taken from him, and he
was banished, instead, to the lower regions and appointed over the realms of
Gehenna, as judge of the souls of the wicked.’

2. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years;

In this verse as well as the citation from the Zohar below, we see related
manifestations of the evil realm. The dragon manifests as; "the serpent," "the
devil" and "Satan" among other concepts [the archangel Samael (poison-god,
also called the angel of Esau), the Sitra Achra ("other side" or "evil realm"), the
Yetzer Hara (the evil inclination in humans), etc.

Further, the relationship between human activity and demons (that relates to
both being occupants of Gehenna) is found in the following text, which indicates
how the latter are actually attracted (or even created) by human activity.

Note also the reference to the "mountains of the east" as the source of demonic
activity. Kabbalistically, just as "east" is the "heavenly direction" (toward
Keter/Crown) so to in the mirror image of the Sitra Achra, "east" is the direction
of strength.

Lastly, the idea of such entities being "chained" is also seen in this text:

Zohar, Bereshith 125b-126a - R. Isaac and R. Jose were walking from Tiberias
to Lud. Said R. Isaac: ‘I marvel at the wicked Balaam, how all his actions
proceeded from the side of impurity. We here learn the mystical lesson that all
species of witchcraft are linked up with, and proceed from, the primeval serpent
who is the foul and unclean spirit. Hence all sorceries are called n'hashim (lit.
serpents). And whoever becomes addicted to them pollutes himself, nay more,
he has first to become polluted in order to attract to himself the side of the
unclean spirit. For it is a dictum of our teachers that corresponding to the
impulses of a man here are the influences which he attracts to himself from
above. Should his impulse be towards holiness, he attracts to himself holiness
from on high and so he becomes holy; but if his tendency is towards the side of
impurity, he draws down towards himself the unclean spirit and so becomes
polluted. For this reason, in order to draw towards himself the unclean spirit from
that supernal serpent, the wicked Balaam besmirched himself nightly by bestial
intercourse with his ass, and he would then proceed to his divinations and
sorceries. To begin with he would take one of the familiar serpents, tie it up,
break its head, and extract its tongue. Then he would take certain herbs, and
burn them as incense. He would then take the head of the serpent, split it into
four sections, and offer it up as a second offering. Finally, he traced a circle
round himself, mumbled some words, and made some gestures, until he became
possessed of the unclean spirits, who told him all that they knew from the side of
the heavenly dragon; and he thus continued his magical practices until he
became possessed of the spirit of the primeval serpent. It is thus that we
understand the passage, “he went not, as at the other times, to meet with
n'hashim” (enchantments, lit. serpents) (Numbers 24:1).’ Said R. Jose: ‘Why is it
that many kinds of magic and divination are only found in women?’ R. Isaac
replied: ‘Thus I have learnt, that when the serpent had intercourse with Eve he
injected defilement into her but not into her husband.’ R. Jose then went up to R.
Isaac and kissed him, saying, ‘Many a time have I asked this question, but not
until now have I received a real answer.’ R. Jose further asked him:‘In which
place and from whom did Balaam derive all his magical practices and
knowledge?’ R. Isaac replied: ‘He learned it first from his father, but it was in the
“mountains of the East”, which are in an eastern country, that he obtained a
mastery of all the arts of magic and divination. For those mountains are the
abode of the angels Uzza and Azael whom the Holy One cast down from heaven,
and who were chained there in iron fetters. It is they who impart to the sons of
men a knowledge of magic. Hence the Scripture says: “From Aram Balak
bringeth me, the King of Moab, from the mountains of the East” (Numbers 23:7).’
‘But,’ said R. Jose, ‘is it not written, “and he went not as at the other times to
meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness” (ibid.
24:1)?’ Said R. Isaac to him: ‘The lower side, which comes from the unclean spirit
above, was the unclean spirit prevailing in the wilderness when Israel made the
calf in order to defile themselves therewith; and Balaam tried every device of
magic to uproot Israel, but without success.’

The following texts presents "Satan" as not only the accuser, but also one active
in tempting men (i.e., 1Peter 5:8) and angels:

Zohar, Bereshith, 113a - AND THE LORD REMEMBERED SARAH AS HE HAD

SAID, ETC. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: And he showed me Joshua the High
priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand
to accuse him (Zechariah 3:1). ‘This verse,’ he said, ‘must be carefully pondered.
“Joshua the high priest” is Joshua the son of Jehozedek; “the angel of the Lord”
before whom he was standing is the region of the “bundle of the souls” of the
righteous, which is known as “the angel of the Lord”; “Satan standing at his right
hand to accuse him” is the evil tempter who roams to and fro through the world
to snatch up souls and to lure beings to perdition, angels as well as human
beings.

Zohar, Bereshith 113b-114a - So whenever the Holy One sits on the Throne of
Judgement to judge the world, Satan, the seducer of men and angels, is at hand
to do mischief and to snatch up souls.’ For from the day that the evil serpent,
having enticed Adam, obtained dominion over man and over the world, he has
ever been at work seducing people from the right path, nor will the world cease
to suffer from his machinations until the Messiah shall come...

1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a

roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

The following text shows the collaboration between the "serpent," "Samael" and
"Satan," in the temptation of Chava (Eve) in Gan Edan. Note also the relationship
between Adam (the "first tree") and Jacob (the "second tree" and messianic
figure - see notes in previous study on "The Divine Jacob.") and how Yeshua is
spoken of in Romans chapter 5 and 1 Corinthians chapter 15). The extent of the
power of Samael is seen in its source being "Wisdom":

Zohar, Bereshith, 35b - AND THE SERPENT. R. Isaac said: ‘This is the evil
tempter’. R. Judah said that it means literally a serpent. They consulted R.
Simeon, and he said to them: ‘Both are correct. It was Samael, and he appeared
on a serpent, for the ideal form of the serpent is the Satan. We have learnt that
at that moment Samael came down from heaven riding on this serpent, and all
creatures saw his form and fled before him. They then entered into conversation
with the woman, and the two brought death into the world. Of a surety Samael
brought curses on the world through Wisdom and destroyed the first tree that
God had created in the world. This responsibility rested on Samael until another
holy tree came, namely Jacob, who wrested the blessings from him, in order that
Samael might not be blessed above and Esau below. For Jacob was the
reproduction of Adam, and he had the same beauty as Adam. Therefore as
Samael withheld blessings from the first tree, so Jacob, who was such another
tree as Adam, withheld blessings, both upper and lower, from Samael; and in
doing so Jacob but took back his own. It is written: AND THE SERPENT WAS
SUBTLE. This serpent is the evil tempter and the angel of death. It is because the
serpent is the angel of death that it brought death to the world.’

1Corinthians 15: 21-22 - For since by man came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah shall all be
made alive.

Romans 5:12-14 - Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For
until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not
sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that
was to come.
3a. and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on
him, so that he should deceive the nations no more ...

This text indicates the end of the evil realm's activities as coinciding with the
coming of Messiah:

Zohar, Bereshith 113b-114a - Hence here also it is written, “The Lord rebuke
thee, O Satan,” and not: “Behold, I rebuke thee.” So whenever the Holy One sits
on the Throne of Judgment to judge the world, Satan, the seducer of men and
angels, is at hand to do mischief and to snatch up souls.’ For from the day that
the evil serpent, having enticed Adam, obtained dominion over man and over
the world, he has ever been at work seducing people from the right path, nor will
the world cease to suffer from his machinations until the Messiah shall come,
when the Holy One will raise to life those who sleep in the dust in accordance
with the verse, “He will swallow up death for ever, etc.” (Isaiah 25:8), and the
verse, “And I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zechariah
13:2). Meanwhile Satan dominates this world and snatches up the souls of the
sons of men.

3b. ... till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be
released for a little while.

The Zohar speaks of the serpent having a seven (thousand) year lifespan that is
cut short to six:

Zohar, Shemoth 220a - with him that She brings forth souls, since he is
responsible for the body and she for the soul, and the two are combined. The
Serpent is destined in the future to bring about the birth of the whole of the
bodies before its own time comes, as Scripture says: “Before she travailed, she
brought forth” (Isaiah 46:7). For, whereas the period of the serpent's gestation is
seven years, that will be at the end of six. And at that hour, when he will have
brought about their birth, he himself will die. Of this, Scripture says: “He will
swallow up death for ever” (Ibid. 25:8), also “Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies
shall arise” (Ibid. 26:19).

In order for the messianic kingdom to thrive, the evil realm must be "out of the
way." (Similar to how at Yom Kippur a goat was sent to Azazel to "distract" him
on this one day, so God could deal directly with Israel without "accusation"). We
find this idea present in various texts:

Talmud, Sanhedrin 97a - R. Kattina said: Six thousand years shall the world
exist, and one [thousand, the seventh], it shall be desolate, as it is written, And
the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. Abaye said: it will be desolate two
[thousand], as it is said, After two days will he revive us: in the third day, he will
raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. It has been taught in accordance with
R. Kattina: Just as the seventh year is one year of release in seven, so is the
world: one thousand years out of seven shall be fallow, as it is written, And the
Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,’ and it is further said, A Psalm and song
for the Sabbath day, meaning the day that is altogether Sabbath — and it is also
said, For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past.

Midrash Rabbah, Exodus 41:7 - God then said to Moses: ' In this world they
made idols because of the Evil Inclination in them, but in the millennium I will
uproot from them the Evil Inclination and give them a heart of flesh, as it says,
And I will take away the stony heart from out of your flesh, and I will give you a
heart of flesh (Ezekiel 26:26).

The Zohar expresses this time (when the Bride is united to the King) as done "in
secret:"

Zohar, Shemoth 145b - The Day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is a thousand
years, and this number symbolizes also the River which goes out of Eden. Joseph
was called “Righteous” after the Moon, the Shekinah, according to a special
agreement between her and the Holy One. Therefore, the Song of Songs is holy
of holies, and there is no verse in this Canticle which does not contain the
mystery of the “thousand and five”. There are five grades contained in the title,
as we have said. But why is the “thousand” not indicated? The truth is that this
is hidden and will remain hidden until the Wife (the Shekinah) unites Herself with
her Husband. Therefore Solomon endeavoured to bring that “Thousand” to the
Bride in secret, by the aid of the mysterious ring whereon is engraved the seal of
the supernal wisdom (cf. Targum on Ecclesiastes 1:7). As soon as he had
completed the making of the Holy of Holies below, the mystery of the Holy of
Holies above ascended and was hidden, so that the concealment of the Union
might be complete above and below, according to the Divine purpose.

The following Midrash indicates that the Millennium is also a specific time of
punishment for the nations and purification for the sinful of Israel:

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 20:1 - AND THE LORD GOD SAID UNTO THE
SERPENT: BECAUSE THOU HAST DONE THIS, CURSED ART THOU FROM AMONG
ALL CATTLE, etc. (3:14). A slanderer shall not be established in the earth; the
violent and wicked man shall be hunted with thrust upon thrust (Psalm 140:12).
R. Levi said: In the millennium the Holy One, blessed be He, will take the nations
of the world and hurl them down into Gehenna, saying to them, ' Why did ye
mulct My children? ' and they will answer Him: ' Some of them were much
addicted to slander.’ Then the Lord will take both and hurl them into Gehenna.
Another interpretation: ‘A slanderer’ alludes to the serpent, who uttered slander
against his Creator ;’Shall not be established in the earth,’ as it is written, Upon
thy belly shalt thou go; ‘The violent and wicked man shall be hunted’: not ' With
a thrust’ is written, but ' With thrust upon thrust ‘: Adam was cursed, Eve was
cursed, and the serpent was cursed, as it is written, AND THE LORD GOD SAID
UNTO THE SERPENT, etc.

4a. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to
them ...

The Zohar speaks on the subject of the righteous sitting in judgment:

Zohar, Bereshith 164a - R. Jesse then discoursed on the verse: He
withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous; but with kings upon the throne he
setteth them for ever, and they are exalted (Job 36:7). ‘When’, he said, ‘the
domination of the wicked ceases and they perish from the world, then the
righteous obtain dominion, as it says: “He preserveth not the life of the wicked,
but giveth to the poor their right” (Ibid. 6). The words, “He withdraweth not from
the righteous his eye” are parallel to the text, “The eyes of the Lord are toward
the righteous” (Psalm 34:16). “But with kings upon the throne”; these are the
kings who are, as it were, united to their thrones, and whom He setteth for ever
so that they remain immovably established. “And they are exalted”, to wit, to
rule over the world so that the throne remains firmly established on its supports.
Or, again, it may mean that they raise the throne and set it up on high so that it
should become united to its proper place and there should thus be a complete
unity.’

Midrash Rabbah offers the following:

Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus 11:8 - The Holy One, blessed be He, will in the
Time to Come sit as in a goren (court-room), with the righteous sitting before
Him, like that [goren mentioned in the verse], Now the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in a
threshing floor--goren (I Kings 22:10). Were they then sitting in a threshing-floor?
Surely, what is intended is the same as what we have learnt in a Mishnah: The
Sanhedrin were seated in the formation of a semicircular goren, so that they [i.e.
the members of the court] could see one another. [King] Solomon said: I saw
Him [as it were] confined in the midst of them; this is [indicated in] what is
written, Her master is known in the gates, as He sitteth with the elders of the
land (Proverbs 31:23).

4b. ... Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to
Yeshua and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image,
and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they
lived and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years.

The concept of "divine service" is well established in Torah. There is also the idea
that the service performed in the last generation immediately preceding the
coming of Messiah, that which helps usher in the redemption, is of a "higher
order." Linked to the service at this time is the idea of "loving God to the point of
self-sacrifice."

The following explains this important concept in detail:

The transcendence of all limitations that will characterize the Era of the
Redemption will be all-encompassing. Therefore, all entities will exist on an
infinitely higher plane during that era than they exist at present. This will affect
both the world at large as well as the realm of Torah. With regard to the world,
there will then be a "new heaven and a new earth." (Isaiah 65:17) With regard to
the Torah [the medium through which the world was created - "He gazed into
Torah and created the world" ( Zohar II, beginning of 161b)], "new [dimensions
of] the Torah will emerge from Me" ( Vayikra Rabba 13:3). This also applies to
the revelation of G-dliness. In the Era of the Redemption, there will be an entirely
new degree of revelation, infinitely higher than the present. All revelations of the
present era have their source in the external level of Atik, while in the Era of the
Redemption, the revelation will stem from the inner dimension of Atik On this
basis, we can understand why the Future Redemption will come about primarily
through the divine service performed during the concluding period of the exile.
Since all matters in the Era of the Redemption will be of an entirely new nature,
the divine service that draws them down must be a new form of service as well.

In the time of the Holy Temple, G-dliness was revealed, as is written: "Ten
miracles were wrought for our ancestors in the Holy Temple," (Avot 5:5). There
were miracles apparent to the naked eye, many of them beheld even by the
common people. Therefore, the divine service of Torah and its mitzvot was an
outgrowth of man's ordinary thinking processes. In addition, there was the
command (Deut. 6:5) of "You shall love...your G-d, with all your heart, with all
your soul and with all your might," [and as explained in Chasidut, "with all your
might" refers to an unbounded commitment, to the point of mesirut nefesh,
"complete self-sacrifice"]. Nevertheless, since G-dliness was palpably revealed,
even the self-sacrifice that existed in that era could be limited by man's ordinary
thinking processes. This concept holds true as well with regard to those periods
of exile when the darkness of unholiness was not that overwhelming.

This is not the case in the present generation, the generation that immediately
precedes Mashiach's arrival. For at present, the forces of darkness increase
daily, and there are many challenges that have to be overcome - in particular,
the challenge of "Do not be embarrassed by those who scoff" ( Shulchan Aruch,
Rama) This challenge is made especially difficult to bear by the fact that these
scoffers are base and ignoble individuals. The ability to overcome these
challenges stems from the divine service of self-sacrifice that transcends all
limitations and bounds. This is why the divine service of the generation that
immediately precedes Mashiach's arrival contains a certain dimension of
superiority over the divine service accomplished by the Jewish people in previous
generations. In addition, the divine service within this generation at the very
conclusion of the period of exile has an incomparable advantage. It is so
radically different that it is considered a new kind of divine service. For the
divine service in previous generations was related to reason and logic and the
limitations of our revealed soul powers. The divine service at the conclusion of
the period of exile, by contrast, reflects self-sacrifice, which emanates from the
innermost level of the soul.

Through our divine service in the time of exile in general, and especially through
our service at the very end of the exile (at which time the service is from the
innermost degree of the soul), we draw down influence from the innermost level
Above, including the inner dimension of Atik. This will evoke a new dimension
within the Torah as well. The concept of "new dimensions of the Torah will
emerge from Me") will be demonstrated by a new approach to the Torah
emphasizing the connection to the Giver of Torah. (It is possible to explain that
this aspect, as well, is accomplished through the divine service at the conclusion
of the exile. For when the service is in a manner of self-sacrifice, then one's
Torah study is lishmah, for its own sake.) The new dimension of Torah study will
in turn lead to an innovation in creation, as well (for "He gazed into Torah and
created the world"), bringing about "a new heaven and a new earth." May it be
G-d's will that this occur most speedily; that our present deeds and divine
service hasten the time when we will greet our Righteous Mashiach. And then,
we will witness the actual fulfillment of the prophecy: "As in the days of your
exodus from Egypt, I will show you wonders." 1

The Zohar states the following regarding those who enter the Millennium:

Zohar, Bereshith, 119a - Happy are those who will be left alive at the end of
the sixth millennium to enter on the Sabbath. For that is the day set apart by the
Holy One on which to effect the union of souls and to cull new souls to join those
that are still on earth, as it is written, And it shall come to pass, that he that is
left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every
one that is written unto life in Jerusalem (Isaiah 4:3).

5. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection.

Resurrection is not directly mentioned in the Tenakh. (Neither is "The Messiah"

for that matter). The Midrash Rabbah shows the relationship between living
according to the Torah, attaining the "Holy Spirit" and resurrection. Note the
relationship between "Holy Spirit" and the Shekinah (the "Bride" or "Wife") as
also mentioned throughout this study.

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs I:9 - R. Phinehas b. Jair used to say:
Zeal leads to cleanliness, cleanliness leads to purity ; purity leads to holiness;
holiness leads to humility; humility leads to the fear of sin; the fear of sin leads
to saintliness; saintliness leads to the holy spirit; the holy spirit leads to the
resurrection of the dead; the resurrection of the dead leads to Elijah the prophet.
‘Zeal leads to cleanliness,’ as it says, And when he hath made an end of atoning
for the holy place (Leviticus 16:20). ‘Cleanliness leads to purity’ (taharah), as it
says, And the priest shall make atonement for her and she shall be pure-we-
taherah (ib. 12:8). ' Purity leads to holiness,’ as it says, And he shall purify it, and
hallow it (ib. 16:19). ‘Holiness leads to humility,’ as it says, For thus saith the
High and Lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the
high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah
57:15). Humility leads to the fear of sin,’ as it says, The reward of humility is the
fear of the Lord (Proverbs 12:4). ' The fear of sin leads to saintliness,’ as it says,
Then thou spokest in a vision to thy saints1 (Psalm 89:20). ' Saintliness leads to
the holy spirit,’ as it says, ‘Then thou spokest in a vision to thy saints.’ ‘The holy
spirit leads to the resurrection,’ as it says, And I will put My spirit in you and ye
shall live (Ezekiel 37:14). ‘The resurrection leads to Elijah the prophet, of blessed
memory,’ as it says, Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, etc. (Malachi
3:23). R. Mathna said: That which wisdom has made a crown to her head,
humility has made a shoe for her foot. ‘That which wisdom has made a crown for
her head,’ as it says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm
111:10). ' Humility has made a shoe for her foot,’ as it is written, The fear of the
Lord is the heel3 of humility (Proverbs 12:4). The resurrection will be through the
agency of Elijah the prophet it is written, Then thou shalt understand the fear of
God and find knowledge of the holy ones; this refers to the holy spirit.

R. Simon said in the name of R. Simeon b. Halafta: [Solomon resembled] a

councillor who was a great favourite at the king's court, and to whom the king
once said, ‘Ask me for anything you want.’ Said the councillor to himself: If I ask
for silver and gold, he will give me. Said he: I had better ask for the king's
daughter, and that includes everything. Even so, In Gibeon the Lord appeared to
Solomon in a dream by night, and God said: Ask what I shall give thee (I Kings
3:5). Said Solomon to himself: If I ask for silver and gold and precious stones and
pearls, He will give me. But what I will do is to ask for wisdom, and that will
include everything. So it says, Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart
(ib. 9). Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘Solomon, thou hast asked for
wisdom and thou hast not asked for wealth and possessions and the life of thine
enemies. As thou livest, wisdom and knowledge are granted to thee, and
thereby I will give thee riches and possessions.’ Forthwith, Solomon awoke and,
behold, it was a dream (ib. 15). R. Isaac said: [This means that] the dream stood
upon its foundation.1 If an ass brayed, he knew what it meant; if a bird chirped,
he knew what it meant. Straightway, he came to Jerusalem and stood before the
ark of the covenant of the Lord and offered up burnt offerings and offered peace-
offerings and made a feast to all his servants (ib.). Said R. Eleazar: From this we
learn that a feast is made to celebrate the conclusion of the reading of the
Torah.2 R. Judan said: This is to show that whoever teaches the Torah publicly
merits that the holy spirit should rest on him. For so did Solomon; he taught, and
the holy spirit rested on him, and he composed three books, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, and The Song of Songs.

6. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the
second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Messiah, and
shall reign with Him a thousand years.

The description of the Millennial Temple, as found in Ezekiel chapters 40-48,

gives us the most information about events surrounding the Temple and
Priesthood at this time. The pre-eminent text on this subject is Mishkney Elyon,
(also called Secrets of the Future Temple) which is available free of charge from
www.azamra.org. Another key resource on the topic of resurrection as it relates
to Messiah is The Messiah Texts by Raphael Patai - now in reprint and available
through most online book sites.

GEMMATRIA

The Zohar speaks of a "garment" given to those whom are claimed by God at the
time of the resurrection. (See previous studies on the idea of a "garment for the
soul.") As mentioned, this is the time of the union of the "bride" (associated with
the number 7) and the "groom" (associated with the number 6). Interestingly,
the garment itself is given the specific God-name of "Eloah" which has a
numerical value of 42:

Zohar, Shemoth, 96b - And after some time the Holy One takes into His own
guardianship the soul, and the evil power attains mastery over the body. But
eventually body and soul become the possession of the Holy One (in the
Resurrection). ‘ “She shall not go out as the menservants do.” What does this
mean? When the soul emerges from the scales, and the side of righteousness
rejoices, the Holy One, blessed be He, stamps upon her the impress of a seal;
and He likewise spreads about her His costly garment-namely the Holy Name
Elohah. This is indicated by the words in the text, “be-bigdo bah” (when his
garment is upon her, v. 8), for they signify the costly garment (beged ) of the
King. Therewith she is guarded and so cannot be delivered to a “strange nation”,
but only to Israel. Concerning this it is written: “He guards me like the days of
Elohah” (Job 29:2). It is also of this mystery that we read here: “To sell her unto
a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath put his garment upon
her.” As long as this costly garment of the King adorns her, what power can the
evil side have over her?

1. From
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/MajorConcepts/messianicera/Transcending_Limitati
ons.asp

Revelation 20:7-15
Last update: December 15, 2007

7. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his
prison

The number seven has to do with the complete and full expression of something.
Though Satan is "defeated" at the end of the sixth Millennium, his
"reappearance" at the end of the seventh Millennium is part of a sequence of
events that must unfold, one that even includes a "Shabbat rest" for him.

(This idea of something being part of a chain of events may also be said of
Yeshua's life, death and resurrection, 2,000 years ago, which played a key role in
the perfection of mankind.) 1

8. and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as
the sand of the sea.

The following text describes Satan as not only the "accusing angel" but also the
one who comes to earth (as an "ox") to lead astray.

Zohar, Bemidbar 186a - The “Satan” is he who has charge of the souls in
Gehinnom, who ever craves for more and says “give, give”, more souls to
Gehinnom. Then, “The Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, Satan, and
the Lord rebuke thee....” Why two rebukes here? One for Dumah and one for him
who comes out of Gehinnom to lead astray. That higher Satan, as we have
stated elsewhere, goes down to earth in the form of an ox, and all those wicked
spirits which have been condemned to Gehinnom he licks up in one moment and
hands over to Dumah after he has swallowed them

Interestingly, the name given to the "unclean spirit" coming from (and returning
to) the great abyss is, "the end of all flesh." The Zohar states that there was once
a time when the Shekinah (Holy Spirit) ruled (at the time of the Temple) and this
unclean spirit was no longer "in the world."

Further, it is the actions of man that allow this spirit to return. This would
indicate that the yetzer hara will still be present in the Millennium and cause the
final, brief return of haSatan. Only in the Olam Haba, following the Millennium is
every aspect of evil totally eradicated.

Zohar, Shemoth 269a - THEN THE CLOUD COVERED THE TENT OF MEETING,
whereby the Shekinah dwelt on the earth, and the unclean spirit, designated
“end of all flesh”, passed out of the world and disappeared into the cavern of the
great abyss. The Holy Spirit had thus sole sway over the world, as Scripture says:
“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting”. It is further written: AND MOSES
WAS NOT ABLE TO ENTER INTO THE TENT OF MEETING, BECAUSE THE CLOUD
ABODE THEREON, in other words, because the Holy Spirit hovered over the world
and the unclean spirit passed out. The wicked, however, draw him again into the
world, and if not for them he would completely disappear. But in the days to
come the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause him to pass completely out of the
world, as Scripture says: “He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord God
will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he
take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8); also,
“and (I will cause) the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zechariah 13:3).
Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen. “The Lord will reign for
ever.”

9. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the
saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and
devoured them.

Fire is associated with the world of Atzilut - that which is "from God" (i.e.,
"beyond" heaven. See chart on
http://www.yashanet.com/studies/judaism101/chart.htm.)

Why punishment by fire? Pride seems to be at the core as shown in this Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah, Leviticus 7:6 - R. Levi said: It is a praiseworthy enactment

that a person who behaves boastfully should be punished by fire, as it is said,
This is the law regarding a person striving to be high: it is that it goes up on its
burning-place (Leviticus 6:2).1-The generation of the Flood, because they had
been haughty, having said: What is the AImighty, that we should serve Him? (Job
21:15), were punished by fire, as it is said, What time they were scorched, they
were exterminated-nizmathu (ib. 6:17).--R Joshua b. Levi said: [This means that]
their burning up was complete, as it is said, Completely (la-zemithuth) to the
buyer (Leviticus 25:30).-It being hot, they were consumed out of their place (Job
loc. cit.). ’It being hot’ means: with boiling water. R. Johanan said: Every single
drop [of rain] which the Holy One, blessed be He, brought down on the
generation of the Flood, He made to boil in Gehinnom. This is [indicated by] what
is written, ’Through His heat were they consumed out of their place.’ The
Sodomites, because they had been overbearing, saying: ‘Let us cause the law of
hospitality to be forgotten from our midst,’ as it is said, They are forgotten of the
foot that passeth by (Job 28:4), were punished by fire, as it is said, Then the Lord
caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire, etc. (Genesis
19:24). Pharaoh the wicked, because he had behaved boastfully, saying: Who is
the Lord, that I should hearken unto His voice? (Exodus 5:2), was punished by
fire, as it is said, So there was hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail (ib. 9:24).
Sisera, because he had been overbearing, and oppressed Israel, as it is written,
And he oppressed the children of Israel with forcefulness (Judges 4:3)-what does
’with forcefulness’ mean? Said R. Isaac: It means blasphemy and reviling-was
punished with fire [as it is said], The stars in their courses fought against Sisera
(ib. 5:20). Sennacherib, because he had behaved overbearingly by saying: Who
are they among the gods of these countrtes, that have delivered their country
out of my hand (Isaiah 36:20), was punished by fire, as it is written, And under
his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire (ib. 10:16).
Nebuchadnezzar, because he had behaved insolently, by saying: And who is
God, that He shall deliver you out of my hands? (Daniel 3:15), was punished by
fire, as it is said, The flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach
Meshach and Abed-nego (ib. 22). The wicked State, because it blasphemes and
reviles, saying: Whom have I in heaven...? (Psalm 73:25), is to be punished with
fire, [as it said], I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and
it was given to be burned with fire (Daniel 7:11). Israel, however, who are
despised and lowly in this world, will be comforted by means of fire, as it is said,
For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the
glory in the midst of her (Zechariah 2:9).

The following Midrash speaks of this fire coming from "within" their bodies:

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 6:6 - And the day that cometh shall set them
ablaze (Malachi 3:19). R. Jannai and R. Simeon b. Lakish said: There is no other
Gehenna [in the future] save a day which will burn up the wicked. What is the
proof? For, behold, a day cometh, it burneth as a furnace (ib.). Our Rabbis
maintain: There will be a Gehenna, for it is said, Whose fire is in Zion, and his
furnace in Jerusalem (Isaiah 31:9). R. Judah b. R. Ila'i said: There will be neither a
day nor a Gehenna, but a fire shall come forth from the bodies of the wicked
themselves and burn them up. What is the proof? Ye conceive chaff, ye shall
bring forth stubble, your breath is a fire that shalI devour you (ib. 33:11).

Another reference to this destruction by fire is found in Midrash:

Midrash Rabbah, Ecclesiastes 1:11 - 11. It has been taught in the name of R.
Nathan: The globe of the sun has a sheath, as it is written, In them hath He set a
tent for the sun (Psalm 19:5), and therefore it is a lake of water. Whenever the
sun desires to come forth it flames, and the Holy One, blessed be He, weakens
its force with the water in order that it should not burn up the world. In the
Hereafter, however, the Holy One, blessed be He, will strip its sheath and
uncover it and cause it to consume the wicked; as it is said, For, behold, the day
cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness,
shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze (Malachi 3:19).
R. Jannai and R. Ishmael both declared: There is no Gehinnom in the Hereafter;
but the sun will come forth and the righteous derive benefit from it. Whence do
we know this? As it is said, But unto you that fear My name shall the sun of
righteousness arise with healing in its wings (ib. 20). The wicked, on the other
hand, will be punished by it, as it is said, ' And the day that cometh shall set
them ablaze

10. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone
where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and
night forever and ever.

The interesting concept in this verse is what sounds like "eternal punishment"
(i.e., "...forever and ever.") This merits careful interpretation as God does not act
without purpose. The idea of punishment that lasts "forever and ever" is not one
of sadistic, pointless revenge. It is best rendered as one disallowing entry into
the Olam Haba, eventual annihilation, and a "recycling" of the spiritual "energy"
associated with that entity. (Akin to the parable of Yeshua told in Matthew 25,
specifically verse 28.)

The following text alludes to this idea:

Zohar, Bereshith 66b - ‘Woe to the wicked who will not repent of their sins
before the Almighty while they are still in this world. For when a man repents of
his sins and feels remorse for them, the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives them.
But those who cling to their sins and refuse to repent of them will in the end
descend to Gehinnom and never come up again. Thus because the generation of
Noah were stubborn of heart and flaunted their sins openly and defiantly, the
Holy One, blessed be He, punished them as here described.’ Said R. Isaac: ‘When
a man sins in secret, if he repents, the Holy One, blessed be He, being merciful,
relents and forgives him; but if not, He then publishes his sins before the world.
We learn this from the treatment of the faithless wife (Sotah). Similarly here, the
wicked were exterminated in sight of all. The manner of their death was as
follows: scalding water spurted up from the abyss, and as it reached them it first
burnt the skin from the flesh, and then the flesh from the bones; the bones then
came asunder, no two remaining together, and thus they were completely
blotted out.’ R. Isaac said: ‘The words “they were blotted out from the earth” is
analogous to the expression “let them be blotted out of the book of the living”
(Psalm 69:29), thus indicating that they will not participate in the resurrection
and will not rise in the Day of Judgment.’
The following speak of the doing away of evil with the coming of Messiah:

Zohar, Shemoth 235b,236a - ‘The Tabernacle, in its recondite significance,

reflected the supernal mysteries comprised within the Divine Name ADNY. The
same significance is reflected by the Ark, of which it is written: “Behold, the ark
of the covenant of the Lord (ADN) of all the earth” (Joshua 3:11), the term ADN
being identical with the Divine Name ADNY. The name ADNY corresponds to the
most sublime Divine Name YHVH,, the Aleph of the one containing the same
recondite meaning as the Yod of the other, the Daleth of the one corresponding
to the He of the other, and so with the Nun and Vau, the Nun being emblematic
of the male principle and the Vau of the female principle, but the two forming a
complete whole; and so, too, with the Yod of the one and the He of the other.
The several letters of the two Names, moreover, imply each other, complement
each other, and together enfold one mystery. Now, the lower and earthly
Tabernacle was the counterpart of the upper Tabernacle, whilst the latter in its
turn is the counterpart of a higher Tabernacle, the most high of all. All of them,
however, are implied within each other and form one complete whole, as it says:
“that the tabernacle may be one whole” (Exodus 26:6). The Tabernacle was
erected by Moses, he alone being allowed to raise it up, as only a husband may
raise up his wife. With the erection of the lower Tabernacle there was erected
another Tabernacle on high. This is indicated in the words “the tabernacle was
reared up (hukam)” (Exodus 40:17), reared up, that is, by the hand of no man,
but as out of the supernal undisclosed mystery in response to the mystical force
indwelling in Moses that it might be perfected with him. It is written above: “And
all the wise men that wrought all the work of the sanctuary came”, etc. (Ibid.
36:4). The “wise men that wrought” embrace the “right”, the “left”, and all the
other sides constituting the ways and paths that lead into the sea and fill it.
These wrought the supernal Tabernacle and perfected it. Likewise, the lower
Tabernacle was wrought by Bezalel and Oholiab, the one of the right, the other
of the left, followed by “every wisehearted man”, all after the supernal pattern.
On the day the Tabernacle was reared up death was removed from the world,
that is, it was deprived of its dominion over the world. For, indeed, the entire
extinction of the evil impulse will not come to pass until the coming of King
Messiah, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in His works and “he will
swallow up death for ever” (Isaiah 25:8). Yet when the Tabernacle was reared up
by the hand of Moses the power of the evil impulse was subdued so that it could
not exercise dominion. At that time the power of Samael, the wielder of the fury
of the “left side”, was removed from the evil serpent, so that the latter was not
able to dominate the world or attach himself to man and lead him astray.’ R.
Judah said: ‘It is written: “And Moses used to take the tent and pitch it without
the camp” (Exodus 33:7). The reason of this was that Moses did not wish that
the “holy side” should rest in the midst of the side of defilement.’ Said R.
Eleazar: ‘So long as the “holy side” rules, the side of defilement is powerless and
bows before it. So we have learnt that so long as Jerusalem is in its fulness
wicked, Tyre remains devastated.’ [Tr. note: Babylonian Talmud, Pesahim 42b.]

Zohar, Shemoth 240b - Of the time that God will restore His House it is
written: “He will swallow up death for ever” (Ibid. 25:8); it will not be as at the
time when Moses reared up the Tabernacle, but for ever and for all generations.
The Holy One, blessed be He, will then establish the Community of Israel, will
raise up the pillars and the pins, and all the beams of the Sanctuary in their
proper setting to endure for evermore. The “other side” will be swallowed up for
ever.

A more recent study explains that even the "snake" will be recycled into
something beautiful - the breastplate of the High Priest:

As soon as the kingdom of the Mashiach will be established, the remarkable

feature will be that his former enemies will make peace with him, i.e. the kelipa
will then be purified, and all the Gentile nations will acknowledge the truth. That
is the day when G-d and His name will be One. Even the erstwhile "Nachash"
[the proverbial "Snake"] will be turned into "Choshen" [breastplate of the High
Priest, spelled with the same letters as "Nachash"]. 2

11. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

12. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were
opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead
were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the
books.

The mention of the white throne is an allusion to Yom Kippur, the time of
judgment. There are three books ("bad," "good" and "intermediate") mentioned
in Jewish writings as shown in this Talmudic passage. Inevitably, at Yom Kippur
everyone ends up in either the "good" or "bad" book:

Talmud, Rosh HaShana 16b - Three books are opened [in heaven] on New
Year, one for the thoroughly wicked, one for the thoroughly righteous, and one
for the intermediate. The thoroughly righteous are forthwith inscribed
definitively in the book of life; the thoroughly wicked are forthwith inscribed
definitively in the book of death; the doom of the intermediate is suspended
from New Year till the Day of Atonement; if they deserve well, they are inscribed
in the book of life; if they do not deserve well, they are inscribed in the book of
death.

Repentance allows for even the wicked to change their outcome:

Zohar, Shemoth Raya Mehemna 43a - AND EVERY FIRSTLING OF AN ASS

THOU SHALT REDEEM WITH A LAMB, AND IF THOU WILT NOT REDEEM IT... THOU
SHALT BREAK HIS NECK. The ass and the lamb symbolize the evil and the good
inclinations. The very evil can be turned into good by repentance: the “ass” must
be redeemed by a “lamb”. In other words, even if a man is an “ass”, a spiritual
ignoramus, he can be redeemed from the exile of darkness and be included in
the redemption of Israel, “the scattered sheep” (Jeremiah 50:17). But if he does
not repent, “thou shalt break his neck”, meaning, he belongs to the stiffnecked
ones who will be blotted out from the Book of Life, for concerning such
unrepentant sinners it is written: “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I
blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:33).

13. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up
the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his
works.

"Hades" is not a term typically found in Hebraic spiritual writings. It would seem
to have a connection to the abode of souls who await the resurrection
(associated with the idea of "Abraham's bosom"):

Zohar, Bereshith 175b,176a - R. Judah discoursed on the verse: For the ways
of the Lord are right, and the just do walk in them; but transgressors stumble
therein (Hosea 14:10). ‘All the ways of God’, he said, ‘are right and true, but
mankind know not and regard not what it is that keeps them alive. Hence “the
just do walk in them”, because they know the ways of God, and they devote
themselves to the Torah; for whoever devotes himself to the Torah knows those
ways and follows them without turning either to the right or the left. “But
transgressors do stumble therein”, to wit, the sinners, since they labour not in
the Torah nor regard the ways of the Almighty, and know not in which way they
are walking. And since they are thoughtless and do not study the Torah, they
stumble in their ways in this world and in the world to come. Now the soul of one
who has laboured in the study of the Torah, when it leaves this world, ascends
by the ways and paths of the Torah-ways and paths familiar to them. They who
know the ways and paths of the Torah in this world follow them in the other
world when they leave this world. But those who do not study the Torah in this
world and know not its ways and paths, when they leave this world know not
how to follow those ways and paths, and hence stumble therein. They thus
follow other ways which are not the ways of the Torah, and are visited with many
chastisements. Of him who devotes himself to the Torah, on the other hand, it is
written: “When thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou
awakest, it shall talk with thee” (Proverbs 6:22). When thou liest down”, to wit, in
the grave, the Torah shall watch over thee against the judgement of the other
world; “and when thou awakest”, that is, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will
awake the spirits and souls so as to bring the dead to life again, it shall talk with
thee, the Torah will speak in defence of the body, so that those bodies which
laboured to keep the Torah as required will rise up. These it is who will be the
first to rise up, and of whom it is written: “And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, etc.” (Daniel 12:2), for the
reason that they occupied themselves with everlasting life, which is the Torah.
Further, all the bodies of those who have devoted themselves to the Torah will
be preserved, and the Torah will protect them, inasmuch as at that time the Holy
One, blessed be He, will raise up a wind from all four quarters of the world, a
wind specially prepared to bring to life all those who have laboured in the Torah
so that they should live for ever. It may be asked here, what of the dead who
were revived by the prophet's invocation, “Come from the four winds, O breath”
(Ezekiel 37:9), and who yet did not survive, but died a second time? The answer
is that at that time, although the wind was compounded of all four winds, it did
not come down to give them permanent life, but only to demonstrate the mode
in which God will one day bring the dead to life, namely, by a wind formed in this
fashion. So that although those who were then resurrected turned again into
bones, since their resurrection was only meant as a proof to the world that God
will one day raise the dead to life, we may still believe that at the proper time
the righteous will be resurrected for an everlasting life. For the Torah itself will
stand by each one of those who have occupied themselves in the study of the
Torah, recounting his merits before the Almighty.’ R. Simeon said: ‘All the words
of the Torah, and all the doctrine of the Torah to which a man devotes his mind
in this world, are ever before the Almighty, and at that time the Torah will
recount how the man devoted himself to the Torah in this world, and thereat
such men will all rise for everlasting life, as we said already.’ Thus, “the ways of
the Lord are right, and the just do walk in them; but transgressors do stumble
therein.”

14. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death.

There are many references in the writings of the sages regarding death being
swallowed up at this time:

Midrash Rabbah, Deuteronomy 2:30 - God said: ' In this world, because the
Evil Inclination is present, men kill one another and die, but in the time to come I
will uproot the Evil Inclination from your midst and there will be no death in the
world,’ [as Scripture says], He will swallow up death for ever (Isaiah 25:8).

Again, "hades" may be a term used for a Hebrew concept, possible "Sheol" as
shown here:

Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 26:2 - And the upright shall have dominion over
them in the morning, and their form shall be for the wearing away of the nether-
world on account of His habitation (ib.)3: this teaches that Sheol [the nether-
world] will be destroyed.

15. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of
fire.

Midrash Rabbah, Ecclesiastes 3:23 - ‘What, then, is the meaning of the text,
AND THE SPIRIT OF THE BEAST WHETHER IT GOETH DOWNWARD TO THE
EARTH?’ He replied, ' It refers to the souls of the wicked which descend to
Gehinnom below, as it is stated, In the day when he went down to the
netherworld I caused the deep to mourn and cover itself for him’ (Ezekiel 31:15).

A person's relationship with Torah in their life impacts what happens to them
upon death, as expressed so eloquently in this portion of the Zohar:

Zohar, Bereshith 184b,185a - AND THEY TOOK HIM AND CAST HIM INTO THE
PIT . R. Judah here discoursed on the text: The law of the Lord is perfect,
restoring the soul (Psalm 19:8). ‘The study of the Torah’, he said, ‘procures for a
man life in this world and in the world to come, so that he gains the two worlds;
and even he that studies the Torah for worldly motives and not purely for its own
sake as he ought to, gains a good reward in this world, and escapes punishment
in the other. The Scripture says: “Length of days is in her right hand; in her left
hand are riches and honour” (Proverbs 3:6). There is, indeed, length of days for
him who devotes himself to the Torah for its own sake. For such a one there is
length of days in the other world, where days are indeed days. And further: “in
her left hand are riches and honour”, which means good reward in this world.
Moreover, if a man has devoted himself to the Torah for its own sake, when he
departs this world the Torah goes before him and proclaims his merit, and
shields him against the emissaries of punishment. When a man's body is laid in
the grave, the Torah keeps guard over it; it goes in front of his soul when it soars
upwards, breaking through all barriers until the soul reaches its proper place;
and it will stand by the man at the time when he is awakened at the resurrection
of the dead, in order to defend him against any accusations. Thus Scripture
further says: “When thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou
awakest, it shall talk with thee” (Ibid. 4:22). The “Iying down” is an allusion to
the time when man's body is lying in the grave and is being judged there; the
Torah will then protect him; whilst “when thou awakest”, that is, when the dead
will rise from the dust, “it shall talk with thee”, that is, plead thy cause.’ R.
Eleazar interpreted the clause “it shall talk with thee” to mean that when they
rise from the grave the Torah will not be forgotten of them, but they will know it
much as they did when they left this world. For their Torah will be preserved
from that time, will penetrate within them, and will talk, as it were, within their
very inwards; and moreover, they will be more adept than they were previously,
so that points which formerly baffled them in spite of all their labour will now be
fully comprehended by them, the Torah itself speaking within them. Hence:
“when thou awakest, it will talk with thee”.’ R. Judah said: ‘In a similar way,
whoever devotes himself to the study of the Torah in this world will be privileged
to study in the world to come; and so we affirm. On the other hand, the man who
fails to study the Torah in this world, and so walks in darkness, when he leaves
this world is taken and cast into Gehinnom, a nethermost place, where there will
be none to pity him, a place called “tumultuous pit, miry clay” (Psalm 40:3).
Hence, of him who has not devoted himself to the study of the Torah in this
world, but has besmirched himself with the offscourings of this world, it is
written: “And they took him and cast him into the pit”, that is, into Gehinnom, a
place where those who have not laboured in the Torah are brought to
judgement. “And the pit was empty”, in the same way as he was empty: why so?
“Because there was no water” (i.e. Torah) in him. Observe, too, how great is the
punishment for neglect of the study of the Torah, seeing that Israel were not
exiled from the Holy Land save for having abandoned the Torah, as it is written:
“Who is the wise man that may understand this?... Wherefore is the land
perished?... And the Lord saith: Because they have forsaken my law, etc.”
(Jeremiah 9:11).’ R. Judah derived the same lesson from the verse: “Therefore
my people are gone into captivity, for want of knowledge” (Isaiah 5:13), that is,
because they have not applied themselves to the study of the Torah, which is
the foundation of the upper and the lower worlds, as it says: “Were it not for my
covenant enduring day and night, I would not have appointed the ordinances of
heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25).

1. For more on this concept, see Derech Hashem, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997, pp. 121-125.

2. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/WeeklyTorah/MysticalClassics/King_with_a_Purpose.asp

Revelation 21:1-27
Last update: January 30, 2008

1a Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth had passed away...

John's vision passes from the Millenial Kingdom into the Olam Haba - the world to
come. Unlike the seventh Millennium, which remains largely a physical existence,
the Olam Haba, beginning with eighth millennium (the number 8 having to do
with the Sefirah Binah and that which is beyond the physical) is likened to Gan
Edan, and not revealed to us.

There is little in the writings of the sages on this subject - as the Talmud tells us:

Talmud, Berachoth 34b - All the prophets prophesied only for the days of the
1
Messiah, but as for the world to come, ‘Eye hath not seen, oh God, beside Thee’

1b ... and there was no longer any sea.

The absence of the "sea" in this verse is indicative of the "disappearance" of the
"mixed realm," the world of Yetzirah (called the "sea" or "watery realm" - see
preevious studies.) This is the world of angels that served to "connect" the upper
spiritual world of Beriah (the "throne room" of God) with our physical world
(Asiya).

With regard to the unification of the Name of God (yud-hey-vav-hey), the world
of Yetzirah is represented by the letter vav, in between the first hey (Beriah) and
the second hey (Asiyah).

Yud Hey Vav Hey

Atzilut Beriah Yetzirah Asiyah
We find in the following text (based on the teachings of the Ari) this idea of the
lack of necessity of this intermediate realm (the sea) and a direct connection
between God and man coming after the soul is released (from hades/sheol, its
"temporary abode") and resurrects.

This is spoken of in terms of the letter vav (the "sea") no longer being necessary:

In the Ultimate Future, after the soul returns from its temporary abode in the
afterlife and is resurrected in the rectified physical world, there will be no need
for the soul to experience such "processed" divine consciousness, i.e. there will
be no need for the name Havayah to be spelled out. The hei's of the name will
be able to experience the yud and vav directly, and in fact the vav will not be
necessary. In the Future, the name Havayah will be spelled yud-hei-yud-hei,
indicating that both thought and speech will be able to express divine
consciousness in its fullest form. This is alluded to in the verse, "On that day, G-d
[yud-hei-vav-hei] will be [spelled yud-hei-yud-hei] one, and His Name will be
one." (Zechariah 14:9) 2

The following text eloquently speaks of the dramatic change from our current
existence to that of the Olam Haba:

Zohar, Bereshith, 124a - For that grade that intones the chant, for on that
grade He supports Himself, as it were, by His right hand and by His left hand.
When will that Psalm (98:1) be chanted? When the dead will come to life and rise
from the dust; then there will be something new that had never yet been in the
world.’ Said R. Jose: ‘When the Holy One will avenge Israel on the nations, then
will this Psalm be chanted. For after the resurrection of the dead the world will
be perfectly renewed, and will not be as before, when death prevailed in the
world through the influence of the serpent, through whom the world was defiled
and disgraced. Observe this. It is written, “And I will put enmity between thee
and the woman” (Genesis 3:15). The term ebah (enmity) is akin to a similar word
in the verse, “they are passed away as the ships of ebeh” (Job 9:26), for on the
great ocean there float numerous ships and boats of many kinds, and those in
which the serpent sails are called “ships of ebeh” (enmity). The “woman”
referred to here is the God-fearing woman; “thy seed” refers to the idolatrous
nations; “her seed” to Israel; “he shall bruise thy head”, to wit, the Holy One,
who will one day destroy him, as it is written: “He will swallow up death for ever”
(Isaiah 25:8), and also, “and I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the
land” (Zechariah 13:2). “In the head” means in the time to come when the dead
will come to life; for then the world will be the “head”, since it will be established
by the “head”, that is, the supernal world. “In the heel” means now in this world,
which is merely “heel” and not endowed with permanence, and so the serpent
bites and mankind is in disgrace. See, now, a man's days were created and are
located in the supernal grades, but when they draw to the end of their term,
when they reach the Scriptural limit of threescore and ten (Psalm 90:10), there
remains then no grade any more for them to abide in, and so “their pride is but
travail and vanity” (Ibid.), and they are as nought. Not so the days of the
righteous.

2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

One may ask, If the "bride" is associated with the Sefirah of Malkut and the "New
Jerusalem in Heaven" is associated with the Sefirah of Binah, then why is Binah
also called the bride?

The answer is that the Shekinah, the Divine Presense, has both an "earthly"
(Malkut) and heavenly (Binah) aspect to it, often called "the lower and upper
mother," among other names.

The following texts all discuss this idea in various contexts:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 159b - For the Shekinah is both here below and on
high. The Shekinah on high abides in the twelve holy chariots and the twelve
supernal Hayyoth; the lower Shekinah is among the twelve holy tribes, and thus
the upper Shekinah and the lower Shekinah are intertwined, and both operate
together and simultaneously.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 25a - The glory of the Lord is the lower Shekinah;
“his place” is the upper Shekinah.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 29b - WHICH SHALL GO UP AND COME INTO THINE
HOUSE. R. Simeon quoted here the verse: “A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, because they
were not” (Jeremiah 31:15). ‘The Community of Israel is called “Rachel”, as it
says, “As a sheep (rahel) before her shearers is dumb” (Isaiah 8:7). Why dumb?
Because when other nations rule over her the voice departs from her and she
becomes dumb. “Ramah” (lit. high) refers to the Jerusalem which is above.
“Rachel weeping for her children”: as long as Israel is in exile, Rachel weeps, for
she is their Mother. “She refuseth to be comforted over her children for he
(singular) is not”: it ought to be “they are not” (enam); why is the singular used?
Because it refers to Israel's Spouse (God), who is her “Voice”, and has departed
from her and they live in separation. It was not once only that Rachel wept over
Israel, but whenever they are in exile she weeps over them so.

This next citation expresses the union of the upper and lower Shekinah in terms
of the union of the bride and groom coming at the time of the seventh
millennium:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 50b - R. Simeon further gave an exposition of the

verse: The Lord said unto my lord, Sit at my right hand until I make thine
enemies thy footstool (Psalm 110:1). “The Lord saith unto my lord”: ‘to wit, the
upper grade said to the lower, “sit at my right hand”, in order that the West
should be linked with the South and the Left with the Right so as to break the
power of the Gentiles. Or again, “The Lord” is (the celestial) Jacob, and “to my
lord” is “the ark of the covenant, the lord of all the earth” (Joshua 3:11).
According to another explanation, “the Lord” refers to the Jubilee and “my lord”
to the Sabbatical Year (cf. Exodus 21:5, “I love my lord”). The words “sit at my
right hand” are appropriate, because the Right is located in the Jubilee, and the
Sabbatical Year craves to be linked with the Right. When it first came into being,
the Sabbatical Year was not linked securely (to the supreme power) through
either the Right or the Left. So when it sought to secure itself, the supreme
power stretched forth its right arm to meet it and created this world. It is
because it is from the side of the Left that it has no sure basis till the time of the
seventh millennium, when at length it will be linked through the Right. Then the
Sabbatical Year, between the Right and the Left, will be securely based, there
will be a new heaven and a new earth, and it will not depart from there for ever.
According to this explanation, we must take the words “sit at my right hand” to
refer only to a specified period, viz. “till I make thine enemies thy footstool”, but
not in perpetuity; for when that event has come to pass, it will not depart from
there for ever, as it is written, “for thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand
and on the left” (Isaiah 54:3), all being united. Similarly we can interpret the text
“the heavens and the earth” to mean that the higher Shekinah and the lower
Shekinah will be joined in the union of male and female; this has already been
explained, as the colleagues have noted.’

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is
with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself
will be with them and be their God.

The connection between the union of spiritual Bride and Groom and the union
between God and His people is described in this section of the Zohar:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 8a - R. Simeon opened his discourse thus: The

heavens declare the glory of God, etc. (Psalm 19:2). He said: ‘The inner meaning
of this verse is as follows. When the bride awakes on the morn of her wedding
day, she begins to prepare her ornaments and decorations with the aid of the
companions who have rejoiced with her all that night, as she with them. On that
day there assemble in her honour hosts upon hosts, awaiting each one of those
who have helped in her adornment on the previous night. As soon as the bride
beholds her spouse, “the heavens declare the glory of God”. “The heavens” are
the bridegroom, who enters under the bridal canopy. “Declare” (meSaPeRim)
signifies that they radiate a brilliance like that of a sapphire, sparkling and
scintillating from one end of the world to the other. “The glory of El” (God)
signifies the glory of the bride which is called El (God), as it is written “and El
(God) hath indignation every day” (Psalm 7:12); all the days of the year it is
called El (God), but now when she enters under the bridal canopy it is called
Glory. It is also at the same time still called El (God), signifying glory on glory,
splendour on splendour, and dominion on dominion. Thus, at that time when
heaven enters into the canopy and irradiates her, all those companions who
joined in her adornment have their names recorded there above, as it is written,
“and the firmament showeth his handiwork” (Ibid. 19:2), the words “his
handiwork” being an allusion to those who have entered into a covenant with the
bride. The confederates of the covenant are called “ the works of his hands”, as
we read “the work of our hands establish thou it” (Psalm 90:17) This is an
allusion to the covenant that is engraven on man's body.’

4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

With the flow of blessing unhindered (by evil, the mixed realm, etc) all is
restored. This is directly related to the "return" of the "River of Eden" which is
discussed in chapter 22.

Soncino Zohar, Vayikra, 15b - ‘We have learnt as follows. From the side of
the Mother issue emissaries of punishment who are armed with the clubs of
Geburah (Severity), and prevail over Mercy, and then the worlds are defective
and there is conflict between them. But when men amend their ways below,
punishment is mitigated and removed, and mercy is awakened and prevails over
the evil which arose from stern judgement, and then there is joy and consolation,
as it is written, “And the Lord was comforted of the evil” (Exodus 32:14). When
judgement is mitigated, all the Crowns return to their places and the keys are
restored to the Mother, and this is called repentance (teshubah, lit. returning),
and the world is forgiven, since the Mother is in perfect joy.

5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he
said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and
the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of
the water of life.

The Unity that was at the beginning ("Alpha" - Hebrew: Aleph) and the Unity
found at the end ("Omega" - Hebrew: Tav) come "full circle." As it is said, "Keter
is in Malkut, and Malkut is in Keter."

This concept of completion is similar to the soul's journey from its spiritual root,
into this world, then back:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 236a - R. Eleazar put the following question to R.

Simeon. ‘Since it is known to God that men will die, why does He send souls
down into the world?’ He answered: ‘This question has been discussed many
times by the teachers, and they have answered it thus. God sends souls down to
this world to declare His glory and takes them back afterwards. This mystery can
be explained from the verse: “Drink water from thy cistern and flowing streams
from the midst of thy well” (Proverbs 5:15). As we have laid down, the term
“cistern” designates the place from which the waters do not naturally flow. But
they do flow when the soul is perfected in this world and ascends to the place to
which it is attached, for then it is complete on all sides, above and below. When
the soul ascends, the desire of the female is stirred towards the male, and then
water flows from below upwards, and the cistern becomes a well of flowing
waters, and then there is union-and foundation and desire and friendship and
harmony, since through the soul of the righteous that place has been completed,
and the supernal love and affection has been stirred to form a union.’

7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my
son.

The Zohar, commenting on Exodus 15 (the "Song by the Sea"), discusses the
"double meaning" of that verse and its future application to those who overcome
at the end of days inheriting all with God:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 57b - THY RIGHT HAND, O LORD, GLORIFIED IN

POWER, THY RIGHT HAND DASHES IN PIECES THE ENEMY. The form “ne'ddari”
(glorified) instead of “ne'ddar” suggests a plural, referring as it does to the
joining of the Left Hand with the Right. Said R. Simeon: ‘It is as we have
explained. Just as man was divided physically, in order that he should receive a
wife and both together form one body, so the Right Hand was divided, as it were,
in order that it might take unto itself the Left and both become one, and
therefore it is that God smites and heals with one and the same Hand. Note that
this whole song has a reference both to the time of its composition and to the
future; hence it does not say “hath dashed”, but “dashes” (tirtaz, lit. will dash),
i.e. when the Messiah shall arise. The same applies to the following verse: “In
the fulness of thy majesty thou wilt overthrow (taharos) thine opponents; thou
wilt send forth (teshalah) thy wrath; it will devour them like stubble.” Thus the
words, “Thy right hand, O Lord, glorified in power”, refers to this time, to this
world; the words “Thy right hand will dash the enemy” to the time of the
Messiah; “ln the fulness of thy majesty thou wilt overthrow thine opponents” to
the time of Gog and Magog; “Thou wilt send forth thy wrath, it will devour them
like stubble” to the time of the resurrection, of which it says, “and many of them
that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and
some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). Blessed are those who
will be left in the world at that time. And who will they be? None will remain,
except the circumcised who have accepted upon themselves the sign of the holy
covenant and have entered into this holy covenant in its two parts, [Tr. note: i.e.
the actual circumcision and the peri'ah, or folding back of the flesh.] as we have
pointed out, and have guarded the covenant against contact with an alien
sphere. These will remain and their names will be written “to life eternal”, as it
says: “And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called ‘holy’, even everyone that is written to
life in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 4:3). “Zion” and “Jerusalem” symbolize the two grades
(Foundation and Kingdom) into which he who will be circumcised shall enter.
Such shall remain at that time, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will renew the
world with them and rejoice together with them. Concerning that time it is
written: “May the glory of the Lord remain for ever; may the Lord rejoice in his
works” (Psalm 104:31).’

8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually
immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place
will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

The idea of "categories" of sinners within Gehenna is illustrated in this text:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 150b, 151a - Gehenna has seven doors which
open into seven habitations; and there are also seven types of sinners: evildoers,
worthless ones, sinners, the wicked, corrupters, mockers, and arrogant ones;
and corresponding with them are the habitations in Gehenna, for each kind a
particular place, all according to grade. And over each habitation a special angel
is appointed, all being under the direction of Duma, who has thousands and
myriads of angels under him, to punish sinners according to their deserts.

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues
came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and
showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
The concept of "as above so below" (i.e., Jerusalem) is expounded in this text
which discusses the hidden meaning of the cave of "Machpelah":

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 128b - R. Eleazar asked his father, R. Simeon, for
an explanation of the term Machpelah (lit. “twofold”, or “folded”). ‘How is it,’ he
said, ‘that first it is written “the cave of Machpelah”, and subsequently “the cave
of the field of Machpelah”, implying that the field and not the cave was
“Machpelah” (doubled)?’ R. Simeon replied: ‘The term Machpelah belongs
properly neither to the cave nor to the field, but to something else with which
both were connected. The cave belongs to the field, and the field to something
else. For the whole of the Land of Israel and of Jerusalem is folded up beneath it,
since it exists both above and below, in the same way as there is a Jerusalem
both above and below, both of the same pattern. The Jerusalem above has a
twofold attachment, above and below; similarly the Jerusalem below is linked to
two sides, higher and lower. Hence it is folded in two; and that field partakes of
the same character, seeing that it is therein situated. The same reference is
contained in the passage, “as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed”
(Genesis 27:27), to wit, both above and below. Hence its name, “field of folding”,
but not “folded field”. Further, the esoteric implication of the term Machpelah
relates it to the Divine Name, in which the letter He is doubled, though both are
as one. It is, indeed, true that the cave was a twofold one, a cave within a cave,
yet the name “cave of the field of Machpelah” has a different connotation, as
already explained. Abraham, on his part, who knew its true character, in
speaking to the children of Heth called it simply “cave of Machpelah”, as if to
imply merely “double cave”, which it also was in fact. Scripture, however,
describes it as “the cave of the field of Machpelah”, this being its true
description. For the Holy One has disposed all things in such a way that
everything in this world should be a replica of something in the world above, and
that the two should be united so that His glory should be spread above and
below. Happy the portion of the righteous in whom the Holy One finds pleasure
both in this world and in the world to come!’

11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very
precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the
gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south
and three on the west.

14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of
the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

All in fulfillment of the prophet Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 48:32-35 - And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the
tribes of Israel; three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah,
one gate of Levi. And at the east side there is a measure of four thousand and
five hundred; and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin,
one gate of Dan. And at the south side there is a measure of four thousand and
five hundred; and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one
gate of Zebulun. At the west side there is a measure of four thousand and five
hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of
Naphtali. It shall be eighteen thousand measures around; and the name of the
city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.

The twelve "gates/foundations" are found expressed as adornment of the Matron

(Jerusalem) in this passage:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 240b - Observe this. The twelve tribes are the
adornment of the Matron. When Jacob was about to depart from the world, and
saw that he was perfected on every side, with Abraham at his right, Isaac at his
left, himself in the centre, and the Shekinah in front of him, he called his sons
round him in order that both the lower and the upper might be fitly adorned.

The number twelve is well associated with Israel and the ideas of "stones,"
"foundations" and fourfold division (according to the cardinal points). This is seen
in the following texts, relating to a number of varied concepts:

Creation:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 24b - ‘Fire, air, water, and earth are originally all
united one with the other, and there is no separation between them. But when
the earth-dust began to generate its products were no longer united like the
supernal elements, as it says: “From thence it was parted and became into four
heads” (Genesis 2:10). In this was separation; for the earthy, when it generated
in the power of the three upper elements, brought forth four streams, where
precious stones are found. These precious stones are twelve in number,
distributed in all the four cardinal directions, and corresponding to the twelve
tribes of Israel: “And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel,
twelve, according to their names” (Exodus 28:2I). Observe that though all these
supernal sides of which we spoke are united and bound up one with another, and
form the foundation of things above and things below, yet is air (spirit) superior
to them all, as it is the substance of all, without which nothing would live, and
the soul exists only through the spirit, for if the air were to fail, even for a
moment, the soul would not be. This is hinted in the words: “Also when the soul
is without knowledge it is not good” (Proverbs 19:2): soul without spirit “is not
good”, and cannot exist. Note, further, that those twelve stones correspond to
the twelve oxen under the sea of brass which was in the Temple (I Kings 7:25).
Therefore the princes, the heads of the tribes, sacrificed twelve oxen (Numbers
7:3). All this is a deep mystery, and he who comprehends these words
comprehends a mystery of the supernal wisdom, in which is the root of all
things.’

The Community of Israel:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 242a - According to another explanation, the
“daughters of Jerusalem” are the twelve tribes, as we have learnt that Jerusalem
is established on twelve rocks, three on each side (wherefore it is called Hayah
(living one), and these are called “the daughters of Jerusalem”, and they testify
to the King concerning the Community of Israel, as it is written: “The tribes of
the Lord are a testimony unto Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord”
(Psalm 122:4).

The High Priest:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 229b,230a - Now, these supernal twelve holy

tribes were symbolized by the twelve sacred stones. For the twelve tribes below
were the counterpart of those on high, and their names were all engraven on
those stones, so that they were carried by the High Priest. When Jacob was on
his way to Haran, Scripture says of him, “and he took some of the stones of the
place, and put them under his head” (Genesis 28:11). These were the twelve
sacred stones, which were made into one, as we read later, “and this stone”
(Ibid. 22). All the twelve stones were absorbed in the one supreme sacred stone
that is over them all, of which it is thus written, “and this stone which I have set
up for a pillar, shall be God's house” (Ibid). Hence the High Priest had to put
them on his heart as a perpetual reminder of them, as Scripture says: “And
Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel... upon his heart... for a
memorial before the Lord continually” (Exodus 28:29). In all this the number
twelve is of recondite significance: there are twelve stones of a supernal order in
the upper world, concealed in a profound and holy mystery. These form the
essence of the Torah; proceeding from a small, still voice, [Tr. note: Binah.] as
said elsewhere. There is an order of another twelve hidden in a lower world, [Tr.
note: The world of Creation.] after the pattern of the former, but which proceed
from a different voice, designated Stone, as hinted in the words “from thence,
from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel” (Ibid. 49:24). This is also the inner
significance of the verse: “And thither were all the flocks gathered, and they
rolled the stone... and put the stone again... in its place” (Ibid. 19:3). By the
“stone” here is meant the Shekinah, called “tried stone”, “the stone of Israel”,
which Israel roll along and take with them into exile, “and then put the stone
again in its place”. And so, after the name of the Shekinah all Israel are termed
“stones”. There are, moreover, stones and stones. There are stones which form
the foundation of a house, of which Scripture says, “And the king commanded,
and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house
with hewn stone” (I Kings 5:31); and there are precious supernal stones, to wit,
those twelve stones. These are ranged in four orders, of three each, toward the
four directions of the world. After the same pattern was the arrangement of the
standards in the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness, where the twelve
tribes were formed into groups of three each on each of the four cardinal points.
Observe that when the High Priest was wearing the twelve stones fixed on the
breastplate and the ephod, the Shekinah hovered over him. These twelve stones
had engraved on them the names of the twelve tribes, each stone bearing the
name of one of them. The letters were sunk, but when the stones shone they
stood out and became luminous, spelling out what was required. Now, in all the
names of the tribes the letters heth and teth were not to be found, for the reason
that the tribes were without sin (H e T).’ Said R. Hezekiah: ‘This is reasonable as
regards the heth, but not so in regard to the teth, since it is the initial of tob
(good); and, further, we have learned that the letter teth seen in a dream is a
good omen, since at the beginning of the Torah it is written, “And the Lord saw
the light that it was good” (Genesis 1:4). Why, then, is that letter absent from
the names of the tribes?’ R. Hiya said in reply: ‘It is because these two letters
adjoin each other (in the alphabet), and, further, the teth is a letter hidden and
withdrawn, as it is symbolic of the light that is above other lights, of the light of
which it is written, “And the Lord saw the light that it was good”. Hence it is the
light of all the tribes together, and it could not be engraven on any of them. And,
in addition, all the twelve tribes sprang from a certain undisclosed Apartment
which is symbolized by the letter teth, and so, symbolizing as it does the
undisclosed, this letter could not be made to be seen among them. Observe that
all those stones possessed miraculous powers. Thus, when they became
luminous, the face of the High Priest was likewise illumined, and at the same
time the luminous letters stood out. The shining of the High Priest's face was a
sign for all that the luminous letters were of a favourable significance; thereby it
was known whether the High Priest was righteous or not.’

Jacob and the order in which he placed his sons:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 235a,b - Observe that Reuben and all the rest of
the twelve tribes were linked with the Shekinah, and when Jacob saw the
Shekinah by him, he called to his twelve sons to join it. From the beginning of
the world there was never so perfect a couch as that of Jacob when he was about
to depart from the world. Abraham was on his right, Isaac on his left, and he was
Iying between them with the Shekinah in front of him. When Jacob saw this, he
called his sons and placed them round the Shekinah and arranged them in
perfect order, so that the gathering was complete and many supernal chariots
encompassed them. They then exclaimed: “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and
the power and the glory, etc.” (I Chronicles 29:11), whereupon the sun joined the
moon and the east drew near to the west, and the moon was illumined and
attained fullness, and so, as tradition tells us, “Jacob our father did not die.”
When Jacob saw such perfection as had never been vouchsafed to any other
man, he rejoiced and praised God and blessed each of his sons with the
appropriate blessing.

The lower world being patterned on the upper:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 155a - Observe further that all the twelve tribes
are the integral parts of the Community of Israel in this world, to give full
strength to the supernal light, enveloped in blackness, and restore the root
principle of the Whole to its place. All the worlds are built on the same pattern;
and through this relation the lower world was completed on the pattern of the
upper world.

The upper and lower Shekinah:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 159b - For the Shekinah is both here below and on
high. The Shekinah on high abides in the twelve holy chariots and the twelve
supernal Hayyoth; the lower Shekinah is among the twelve holy tribes, and thus
the upper Shekinah and the lower Shekinah are intertwined, and both operate
together and simultaneously. Now, when Israel is in exile, the upper Shekinah is
not complete because the lower Shekinah is not complete, and that is what is
meant by the Shekinah being in exile when Israel is in exile. It is like a king who
has lost a son, and who as a sign of his mourning turns over his couch and
spreads thistles and thorns on its underside and then lays himself down on it.
Similarly when Israel went into exile and the Temple was destroyed, God took
thorns and thistles and put them underneath Him, as it were, as it is written:
“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst
of a thorn-bush” (Exodus 3:2), the reason being that Israel was in exile.

Spiritual connections between various stones:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 231b - That stone we have mentioned is a goodly

stone, and it is hinted at in the verse “And thou shalt set in it a setting of stone,
four rows of stone” (Exodus 28:17), because there is another stone of which it is
written “And I shall remove the heart of stone, etc.” (Ezekiel 36:26). The two
tablets of stone were also hewn from this stone; and this was also called “the
stone of Israel” (Genesis 49:24), as has been explained. R. Hizkiah quoted the
verse: “And the stone shall be according to the names of the children of Israel,
twelve” (Exodus 28:21). He said: ‘These are the precious supernal stones which
are called “the stones of the place” (Genesis 28:11). They were “according to
the names of the children of Israel” because just as there are twelve tribes
below, so there are twelve tribes above, which are twelve precious stones; and
therefore it is written: “Whither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, for
a testimony unto Israel” (Psalm 112:4), the reference being to the supernal
Israel. Further, just as there are twelve hours in the day, so there are twelve
hours in the night, in the day above and in the night below, each corresponding
to each. These twelve hours of the night are divided into three sets, to each of
which belong hierarchies of angels, which take their portion first. Hence, at
midnight two ranks stand on one side and two on the other, and a celestial spirit
goes forth between them and then all the trees in the garden break forth into
song and God enters the garden, as it says: “Then do all the trees of the wood
sing for joy before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the earth” (I Chronicles
16:33), because judgement enters among them and the Garden of Eden is filled
therewith. Then the north wind springs up, bringing joy in its train, and it blows
through the spice trees and wafts their perfume, and the righteous put on their
crowns and feast themselves on the brightness of the “pellucid mirror”-happy
are they to be vouchsafed that celestial light! The light of this mirror shines on
all sides, and each one of the righteous takes his appropriate portion, each
according to his works in this world; and some of them are abashed because of
the superior light obtained by their neighbours.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 147b,148a - AND HE TOOK OF THE STONES OF

THE PLACE . This is an allusion to the twelve precious and wondrous stones of
the upper layer, of which it is written, “Take you... twelve stones” (Joshua 4:3),
and underneath which there are thousands and myriads of hewn stones. Hence
it says “of the stones”, and not simply “the stones. AND PUT THEM UNDER HIS
HEAD (lit. heads). The plural form shows that we should refer the “his” not to
Jacob but to the place, and understand the “heads” to be the four cardinal points
of the world: he arranged the stones three to the North, three to the West, three
to the South, and three to the East, and that place or spot was above them so
that it should be established on them. Thereafter he LAY DOWN IN THAT PLACE
TO SLEEP , for now that the couch was properly arranged, he, namely the sun,
lay down on it.

15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the
city, its gates and its walls.

16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the
city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high
as it is long.

17 He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement,
which the angel was using.

The expansion of Jerusalem in the World to Come is a common theme in Hebraic

writings:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 220a - They shall recognize each other, and God
will clothe every one in embroidered garments; and they will all come and offer
up thanksgiving to their Master in Jerusalem, where there will assemble
multitudes upon multitudes. Jerusalem itself will spread out in all directions, to a
further extent even than when the exiles returned there. When they assemble
and offer up praises to their Master the Holy One, blessed be He, will rejoice in
them. So Scripture says: “And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion,
and shall flow unto the goodness of the Lord”, etc. (Jeremiah 31:12), namely,
every one to his portion and the portion of his ancestors. And the possession of
Israel will extend till it will reach Damietta of the Romans, and even there they
will study the Torah. All this has already been stated, and it is in harmony with
the Scriptural passage, saying: “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust”, etc.
(Isaiah 16:19). Blessed be the Lord for evermore! Amen and Amen!’

Midrash Rabbah - The Song of Songs 7:11 - Jerusalem will one day expand
on all sides until it reaches the gates of Damascus, and the exiles will come and
rest under it, to fulfil what is written, ‘And Damascus shall be His resting-place’;
as if to say, As far as Damascus is His resting-place. What does R. Johanan make
of the verse, And the city shall be builded upon her own mound (Jeremiah
30:18)? [He replies]: It will be like a fig-tree which is narrow below and broad
above.1 So Jerusalem will expand on all sides and the exiles will come and rest
beneath it, to fulfil what is said, For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand
and on the left (Isaiah 54:3). This proves expansion in length. What is the proof
for breadth? Because it says, From the tower of Hananel unto the king's
winepresses (Zechariah 14:10). R. Zakkai Rabbah said: Up to the pits of Ripa; up
to the winepresses which the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be
He, pressed. So much for the length and breadth of it. What about the height?
Because it says, And the side-chambers were broader as they wound about
higher and higher (Ezekiel 41:7). It was taught: Jerusalem is destined to expand
and ascend until it reaches the Throne of Glory, until it will say, ' The place is too
strait for me; [give place to me that I may dwell]’ (Isaiah 49:20).1 R. Jose b. R.
Jeremiah said: We have still not learnt the whole of the glory of Jerusalem.
Whence do you learn its full glory? From [what is said of] its walls, as it says, For
I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about (Zechariah 2:9).

18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious
stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third
chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth
beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the
twelfth amethyst.

21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The
great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are its temple.

The purpose of the Temple was to make the connection between the physical
world and the spiritual worlds. As this division no longer exists, there is no
purpose for a temple.

23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God
gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

This "light of the Bride" comes with the arrival of Messiah, resurrection of the
dead and return of the River of Eden:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 54a,b - THEN SANG MOSES AND THE CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL THIS SONG UNTO THE LORD. Said R. Abba: I have examined all the songs
which Israel sang unto the Holy One, and I find that all of them began with
“then” (az) (Cf Joshua 10:12; I Kings 8:12; Numbers 21:17.) The reason for this is
that all the wonders, and all the mighty deeds which were done to Israel when
the light of the Holy Ancient One shone in His crowns, are engraved in the letters
Aleph and Zain[Tr. note: Aleph symbolizes the first Sephirah, and Zain the
seventh (after the first three), and when the light of the Crown-the first Sephirah-
illumines the seventh, namely Malkuth-Kingdom, the power of God is
manifested.]. Then there is song, the song of all sides. “Yashir” (lit. will sing): the
tense suggests that this song fitted that occasion and will also fit the future
Redemption, when it will again be sung by Israel. The expression “Moses and
Israel” proves that the righteous of the past ages, although they have entered
into the highest regions and are united with the “Bundle of life”, will all rise
again in bodily form and behold the signs and mighty works which the Holy One
shall show to Israel, and sing this hymn.’ R. Simeon established this fact by the
following verse: “And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his
hand again the second time to recover the rest of his people” (Isaiah 11:11). ‘
“The rest” ‘, he said, ‘are “the remnant”, the righteous, like Eldad and Medad,
who “remained” in the camp (Numbers 11:26), the righteous of whom it has
been said that the world is sustained by them, who make themselves mere
“remainders”, as it were. It is they who will be brought to life again at the future
Redemption. And why? Are they not already bound up with the “Bundle of life”?
Why bring them down to earth again? Let the experience of the past give the
answer. It has pleased the Holy One, in former time, to send down to earth those
spirits and souls who belonged to the highest supernal grade. Should He not,
then, let the spirits of the righteous men come down again in the future when He
will make the crooked straight (i.e. redeem the world)? For, indeed, “there is not
a righteous man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes
7:20). And even the sinless ones who only died because of the “counsel of the
Serpent” [Tr..note: T. B., Sabb. 55b, Benjamin, Amram, Jishai, and Kaleb, David's
son, were sinless and died not for their own sins, but because of the “serpent's
counsel”, i.e. of “original sin”] will arise and be counsellors to the Messiah.
“Moses and the children of Israel will sing this song.” The same is implied in the
words: “As in the days of thy going out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him
marvellous things” (Micah 7:15), where the “him” refers to Moses. Also: “I will
show him the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:24); “I will show him my salvation”
(Ibid. 91:16). Moses and the children of Israel will then sing “this song unto the
Lord”: the song of the Matrona to the Holy One, blessed be He. We have been
taught that every one who sings this hymn daily with true devotion will be
worthy to sing it at the Redemption that is to be, for it refers both to the past
world and to the future world; it contains confirmations of faith and mysteries
relating to the days of the Messiah. The Shekinah will sing this song to the Lord,
because the King will receive Her with a radiant countenance. R. Jose said that
the Shekinah will praise the Lord for all the concentration of light and holiness
which the Holy King shall direct towards her. Said R. Judah: ‘If this is the song of
the Shekinah, why does it say that Moses and the children of Israel sang it?
Blessed were they that they knew how to praise Him for all the power and might
which the Shekinah receives and shall receive from Him, the Holy King!’
According to R. Abba, the singing is to be directed, not to any of the emanations
of the Deity, but to the Holy King in His very essence, as it says, concerning the
song of Moses and the children of Israel, that they sang “to the Lord”.R. Jose said
that the words “this song to the Lord” refer to the “river that issues forth from
Eden” (Genesis 2:10), from which all the abundance of oil issues to kindle the
lights; whereas the words “I will sing unto the Lord” (Ibid.) refer to the Supernal
Holy King. AND SPAKE, SAYING.: this repetition denotes that it is to be sung in all
generations, in order that it should never be forgotten, for he who is worthy to
sing this song in this world shall be worthy to sing it in the world to come, and to
declare praises with it in the days of the Messiah, when the Community of Israel
will rejoice in the Holy One. “Saying” means saying at the time of the Exodus,
saying when Israel was in the Holy Land, saying in exile, saying when Israel will
be redeemed, saying in the world to come. I WILL SING UNTO THE LORD. As
stated above, they spoke in the name of the Shekinah, hence the singular. “To
the Lord”-to the Holy King. For highly exalted is He (gaoh gaah): He ascends to
be crowned with His crowns in order to dispense blessings, and perform
wonderful works, and to be exalted in and through all; exalted in this world,
exalted likewise in the world to come; exalted in order that He may crown
Himself with His crowns and be glorified in perfect joy.

The light of God illuminates existence as it was from the time of Creation:

The future kingdom that we hope for has to be one where the people are ”with
the king,” and together with the king we are all in a state that is before the
contraction of God’s infinite light." 3

... to give light on earth. (Genesis 1:17) Rabbi Yitzchak said: It is written, "The
light of the moon will be like the light of the sun; the light of the sun shall be
sevenfold the light of seven days." (Isaiah 30:26) Which "seven days" are these?
The seven days of Creation. According to this view, the verse from Isaiah
explains that the light of the moon which will be revealed in the future (see
Zohar I, p. 45b; III, p. 93a) will equal the light of the sun now, whereas the light
of the sun will be seven times greater than the light which was revealed during
the seven days of Creation. Accordingly, the moon will still be subservient to the
sun. Rabbi Yehuda said: This refers to the seven days of inauguration [miluim, of
the First Temple]. Accordingly, in the future, the light of the moon will equal the
light of the sun, and both will be sevenfold the light that was revealed during the
inauguration of the First Temple. Accordingly, the moon will not need to receive
its light from the sun, for it too will be a luminary. Certainly [the verse refers to]
the seven days of inauguration, for then the world will be completely rectified
and the moon will return to its fullness without blemish [just as it was in the days
of the First Temple] Note that the word miluim literally mans "fulfillment". And
when will this be? At the time of which it is written, "He will destroy death
forever" (Isaiah 25:8) [and life will be eternal]. "On that day G-d will be One and
His Name One." (Zachariah 14:9) 4

24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their
splendor into it.

25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful
or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Nothing impure can enter as nothing impure exists any longer. Anything not
found in the "Book of Life" has been done away with - the energy from its nefesh
being redistributed in some fashion - as mentioned in the previous chapter
notes.
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 38a - The Holy One, blessed be He, built Jerusalem
below as a counterpart of the Jerusalem above. He made the walls of the city
and the gates thereof holy. None may enter the city unless the gates be opened
for him, nor ascend unless the steps of the walls are firm.

1. See also: http://www.kabbalaonline.org/MajorConcepts/messianicera/Stages_in_Redemption.asp

2. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/WeeklyTorah/Ari/Caves_and_Kingship.asp

3. From http://www.inner.org/times/kislev/yatkislev/68-0319.php

4. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/WeeklyTorah/Zohar/Shining_Like_the_Sun.asp

Revelation 22:1-5
Last update: August 2, 2008

1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal proceeding

from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

As mentioned in the previous chapter notes, the completeness of the unification

of the Name YHWH (as spoken of in Zechariah and symbolized by the
uninterrupted connection between the first letter Yud and the last letter Hey) is
linked to the return of the "River of Eden."

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 95b - …when the Yod is united with the He, they
produce "the river which issues from Eden to water the Garden"

The return of this river is associated with the "Day of the Lord" and viewed in
terms of a thousand year period of time:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 145b - The Day of the Holy One, blessed be He, is a
thousand years, and this number symbolizes also the River which goes out of
Eden.

The term for the "Godly sustenance" provided by this river is called "Shefa." In
his introduction to Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto's book on the third Temple,
Mishkney Elyon (Dwellings of the Supreme), Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum explains
"Shefa" as follows:

In Mishkney Elyon and Kabbalah generally, Shefa refers to the spiritual

influences which emanate from the higher levels of creation in order to sustain
the lower and help bring them to their destiny. The word "creation" here refers
to all the different "worlds" and levels brought into being by God. These created
worlds encompass not only this material World of Asiyah (Action) in which we
live, including the Earth and all it contains, and all the planets, stars and galaxies
to the outer limits of the physical universe but also the spiritual worlds that exist
in the metaspace that is "above" our World of Asiyah. These are the World of
Yetzirah (Formation), world of the angelic hosts that sustain and govern the
stars, planets and other natural phenomena of Asiyah, and the World of Beriyah
(Creation), world of the higher angels, the "officers" that govern the angelic
hosts of Yetzirah. The World of Beriyah is also known as the "World of the
Throne". Beyond Beriyah lies a realm of Godly unity that is the source of all
these created worlds: this realm of unity is the World of Atzilut (Emanation), from
which the light of the Ten Sefirot shines forth to create, sustain and govern all
the lower worlds. Creation is not only a single past act. It is also a continuing
process in which all the worlds are governed in such a way as to bring all things
to the ultimate goal, the complete revelation of God on all levels of creation. To
accomplish this goal, there is a continuous influx of various kinds of "power" or
"energy" into creation. These "powers" sustain and govern all the different levels
of creation, spiritual and physical, so as to bring all things to the ultimate goal.
This flow of power and energy is called Shefa.

The ultimate goal of creation is the end point to which everything is moving. The
reason why everything is "going" in that direction is because that is where God is
making everything go. To make something go is to drive it, as when one drives
an animal or car. The Hebrew word for "driving" is Hanhagah, from the root
Nahag, which means to drive or make something go. The kabbalistic concept of
Hanhagah refers to the way the worlds are actually governed in order to bring
everything to the ultimate goal of creation. Creation is seen as being "driven" by
God, somewhat as a chariot (Merkavah) and the animals pulling it are driven by
the charioteer. The "animals" of the divine "Chariot" are the Chayot, the higher
angels that are the vital forces of creation. As the Chayot "draw" the Chariot, the
Ofanim (literally "wheels") go round and round: these are the lower angels that
govern the great wheels or cycles of creation. The Hanhagah or "driving" is
ultimately determined by the One sitting "in the driver's seat", this being the
Throne of Kingship. From it the King governs all His "armies" or "legions" – the
souls, angels and other orders and levels of created beings. All these "hosts" are
God's "armies" sent to accomplish His purpose, and He sustains them and
provides all their needs according to their different levels, spiritual and physical. 1

This connection between the letter Yud and the final letter Hey (in YHWH) and
the River of Eden is also spoken of in terms of "Upper Wisdom" and "Lower
Wisdom." This explains why Wisdom is referred to in a feminine context in places
such as the book of Proverbs. The axiom is, "When the daughter is connected to
the father, she is called Wisdom"

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 141b - WISDOM CRIETH ALOUD IN THE STREET,

SHE UTTERETH HER VOICE IN THE BROAD PLACES (Proverbs 1:20). ‘This verse’,
he said, ‘contains a deep mystical teaching. The term hokhmoth (lit. wisdoms)
implies the superior Wisdom and the lesser Wisdom which is included in the
superior Wisdom and abides therein. The superior Wisdom is an essence most
recondite and concealed, unknown and unrevealed, as Scripture says: “Man
knoweth not the price thereof, etc.” (Job 28:13); and when it expands into a
source of light, its illumination is that of the world to come, and that world is
created by it: for so we have learned, that the world to come was created by the
Yod, and there Wisdom remained hidden, the two being one. When God was
crowned, it was through the mystery of the future world, as already said. There
was joy at this illumination, but all was in silence without a sound being heard
abroad. Wisdom then willed it to expand further, so that from that space there
issued fire and water and air, as already said, from which there sprang up a
voice which issued forth abroad and was heard, as already said. From that point
onwards all is exterior (huz), whereas in the interior the voice is silent and not
heard abroad. Once, however, the secret force has become audible, it is called
“without” (huz). Hence it is incumbent on man to be zealous in searching after
wisdom “in the wide places” (ba-rehoboth). This refers to the firmament, which
contains all the luminous stars, and which constitutes the fountain of perennial
waters, referred to in the verse: “And a river went forth from Eden to water the
garden” (Genesis 2:10). And there “she uttereth her voice”, both the superior
and the lower Wisdom, which in truth are one.

Author Aryeh Kaplan states the following in his classic "Waters of Eden":

Water is the primary connection we have with the Garden of Eden ... Even
though a person cannot reenter the Garden of Eden itself, whenever he
associates himself with these rivers - or with any other water - he is
reestablishing this link with Eden 2

Rivers, water and wells are all associated with the idea of Wisdom (and with each
other). Thus we see numerous mentions of wells in Scripture. The Zohar further
connects wisdom and water with the idea of resurrection and the world to come.

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 141a - AND ISAAC DIGGED AGAIN THE WELLS, ETC
. R. Eleazar said: ‘In digging these wells Isaac acted fittingly, for he discerned
from his knowledge of the mysteries of Wisdom that in this way he could attach
himself more firmly to his faith. Abraham likewise made a point of digging a well
of water. Jacob found the well already prepared for him, and he sat down by it.
Thus they all looked for a well and strove through it to preserve their faith pure
and undiminished. ...

Hence our ancestors strengthened themselves in the true faith in digging the
well, symbolic of the supernal well, which is the abode of the mystery of perfect
faith.’ AND HE REMOVED FROM THENCE, AND DIGGED ANOTHER WELL. R. Hiya
discoursed on the verse: And the Lord will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy
soul in brightness, and make strong thy bones (Isaiah 58:11). ‘The true
believers’, he said, ‘have derived strength from this verse, where promise is
made to them of the world to come, for the word "continually" includes both this
world and the world to come. Again, the term "continually", which seems
superfluous, is an allusion to the continual burnt-offering which is offered at
dusk, and is held firm underneath the arm of Isaac and is symbolic of the world
to come. The term "guiding" is similarly used by David in the verse: "He guideth
me in straight paths for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:3). "And satisfy thy soul in
brightness"; this is the "clear mirror" from the contemplation of which all souls
obtain delight and benefit. "And make strong thy bones": these words do not
seem to harmonise with what has gone before, which we have interpreted of the
souls of the righteous ascending on high. We interpret them, therefore, to allude
to the resurrection of the dead, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will
reconstitute the bones and restore the body to its former state. The soul will
then derive stronger illumination from the "clear mirror", so as to illumine the
body to the full extent of which it is capable. Hence: "And thou shalt be like a
watered garden" (Isaiah 58:11), that is, like the celestial garden whose supernal
waters never fail, but flow on for ever and ever; "and like a spring of water,
whose waters fail not" (Ibid.), alluding to the river that issues from Eden and
flows on for all eternity. Observe that the "well of living waters" is a symbol
within a symbol for guiding faith. There is the well which is the very source of the
waters, and there is the well which is fed by that source of water. There are thus
two grades, which are, however, really one with two aspects, male and female,
in fitting union. The well and the issue of waters are one, designated by the
name of "well", it being at once the supernal never-ceasing fountain and the well
that is filled by it. And whoever gazes at that well gazes at the true object of
faith. This is the symbol which the patriarchs transmitted in digging the well, in
such a way as to indicate that the source and the well are indissoluble.

2a ... In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of
life ...

The following passage of the Zohar further connects Wisdom, the River of Eden
and the Tree of Life, whose fruit brings everlasting life:

Soncino Zohar, Shemot 2a - It is written: And the wise shall be resplendent as

the splendour (zohar) of the firmament, and they that turn many to
righteousness shall be like the stars for ever and ever (Daniel 12:3). “The wise”
are those who penetrate to the real essence of wisdom; “they shall be
resplendent”, i.e. illumined with the radiance of the supernal Wisdom; “as the
splendour”, this is the flashing of the Stream that goes forth from Eden (Genesis
11:10), this being alluded to as “the firmament”. There are suspended the stars,
the planets, the sun and the moon, and all the radiant lights. The brightness of
this firmament shines upon the Garden of Eden, and in the midst of the Garden
stands the Tree of Life, whose branches spread over all forms and trees and
spices in fitting vessels. All the beasts of the field and all the fowls of the air
shelter beneath the branches of this Tree. The fruit of the Tree gives life to all. It
is everlasting. The “other side” has no abode therein, but only the side of
holiness. Blessed are they who taste thereof; they will live for ever and ever, and
it is they who are called “the wise”, and they are vouchsafed life in this world as
well as in the world to come. The Tree rises to a height of five hundred
parasangs, and its circumference is six myriads of parasangs. Within this Tree is
a light [Tr. note: Tifereth.] out of which radiate certain colours: they come and
go, never being at rest save in the Tree.

The Zohar goes on to associate the River with the letter vav and the "central
column" (another reference to the role of Metatron, as mentioned in earlier
studies). The Tree of Life has dominion over the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil, which is lined to the power of the mixed multitude:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 26a - AND THE LORD GOD CAUSED TO GROW. The
two names may be referred to the Father and the Mother; “every pleasant tree”
refers to the Zaddik; “good to eat” refers to the Central Column, through which
He provided food for all, and from which alone the Zaddik is nourished, as the
Shekinah from him. These have no need of the lower world, but, on the contrary,
all below are nourished from him. For in this period of captivity the Shekinah and
“the Life of the universe” are only nourished by the eighteen blessings of Israel's
prayer, but at the time he will be food for all. AND THE TREE OF LIFE. This means
that at that time the Tree of Life will be planted in the Garden, so that “he shall
take also of the Tree of Life and eat and live for ever” (Genesis 3:22). The
Shekinah will no longer be in the power of the “evil influence”, i.e. the mixed
multitude who are “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, and shall no
longer receive into itself anyone unclean, to fulfill what is written, “the Lord
alone shall lead him and there shall be no strange god with him” (Deuteronomy
32:12). For this reason proselytes will no longer be admitted in the days of the
Messiah. The Shekinah will be like a vine on which there cannot be grafted any
shoot from another species, and Israel shall be “every tree pleasant to see”, and
their former beauty shall be restored to them, of which we are told: “He cast
from heaven to earth the beauty of Israel” (Lamentations 2:1). “The tree of the
knowledge of good and evil” shall be thrust from them and shall not cleave to
them or mingle with them, for of Israel it is said: “and of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil ye shall not eat”. This tree is the “mixed multitude”,
and God pointed out to them that through mixing with them they suffered two
losses, of the first and of the second Temple, as it is said: “and on the day that
thou eatest of it thou shalt surely die”. They caused the Zaddik to be left
parched and desolate by the loss of the first Temple, which is the Shekinah in
heaven, and by the loss of the second Temple, which is the Shekinah on earth.
Hence it is written, “and the river shall be drained dry”; i.e. the river vau shall
dry in the lower he, so as to deprive it of the flow of yod issuing from En-Sof. But
as soon as Israel shall go forth from captivity, that is, the holy people alone, then
that river which was dried up shall become “the river that goes forth from Eden
to water the garden”. This river is the Central Column; “goes forth from Eden” is
the supernal Mother; “to water the garden” is the Shekinah on earth. In
reference to that time it is said of Moses and Israel, “Then thou shalt delight in
the Lord”, and the words shall be fulfilled, “then Moses shall sing” (Exodus 15:1).

2b ... which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The
leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

The Tree of Life is once again made accessible to human beings. Originally, this
tree was not prohibited to Adam. Only after the sin with the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil did the Tree of Life become prohibited. This sin is compared to
removing the bride from the groom (or the Sefirah of Malkut from the rest of the
Sefirot) thus causing a "separation" in the Name of God. Access to the Tree of
Life only comes through the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which is
rectified only when the name of God is made "one" again with the final "hey"
(Malkut, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) reunited to the Tree of Life (see
verse 1 notes above).3

The reference to twelve fruits and leaves healing the nations shows the
relationship of the Tree of Life to Israel and Israel's to the nations. The latter is
often expressed in terms of the numbers twelve and seventy and related to the
wells and palm trees in Elim from Exodus 15:27.

Just as there were twelve and seventy below at Elim, there are twelve and
seventy in the spiritual worlds as one is patterned on the other:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 62b - It has been said at that hour Israel was
perfected below according to her prototype above, for it is written, “and they
came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water and threescore and ten palm
trees” (Exodus 15:27). Now the Holy Tree [Tr. note: Tifereth.] spreads to twelve
boundaries on the four quarters of the earth, and to seventy branches closely
intertwined, so that what was above should have here its counterpart below.

The twelve wells/fruits (Israel) provide for all the nations.

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 64b - Blessed are the Israelites who “sow beside
the water”-the water which is under the branches of the Holy One's Tree, a Tree
great and mighty, containing food for the whole universe. This Tree is
encompassed by twelve frontiers and adjoins all four sides of the world, and has
seventy branches, and Israel is in the “body” of the Tree, and the seventy
branches encompass her. This is symbolized by the “twelve wells of water and
the threescore and ten palm trees”, as we have often explained.

The following texts mirrors the end of verse 2 (above) closely:

Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, 58b-59a - ‘There is a mighty and wondrous tree in

the celestial sphere which supplies nourishment to beings above and below. It
has twelve boundaries and stretches along the four sides of the world which
encompass it. Seventy branches ascend from it and imbibe nourishment from its
roots. Each branch, as the time arrives for it to be dominant, endeavours to drain
the whole life of the tree, which is the essence of all the branches, and without
which they would not exist. Israel clings to the main body of the tree, and when
its time comes to be dominant, it endeavours to protect the branches and to
give peace to all. This is also symbolized by the seventy oxen offered on the
feast of Tabernacles. Therefore it says: “Who is like unto thee among the gods
(elim), O Lord?”; elim in the sense of “trees”, as in the passage, “for ye shall be
ashamed of the elim (terebinths) which ye desired” (Isaiah 1:29). “Who among
these is like unto Thee, Who hast pity on all? Among the surroundings of the tree
is any like unto Thee, eager to be the guardian of all, even when it dominates
them”, not wishing to destroy them? “Who is like unto Thee, glorified in
holiness?” Namely, in that supreme power called “Holiness”, “power of the
Lord”, “pleasantness of the Lord”, as already stated.’

3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall
be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

The return to Eden reverses the effects of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil.
Regarding the idea of the Lamb being in the throne, refer to the section "The
Divine Jacob" in our notes to Chapter 14 verse 1a where we highlight the idea in
multiple Jewish sources of Jacob (the primary messianic figure in the Torah)
being in, on or under the heavenly throne. The key source for a compilation of
citations on this idea is Elliot Wolfson's book, "Along the Path." 4

Some examples are:

• Numbers Rabbah 4:1:

There is a Scriptural text bearing on this: Since thou art precious in My sight, and
honourable, etc. (Isaiah 43:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: Jacob,
thou art exceedingly precious in my sight. For I have, as it were, set thine image
on My throne, and by thy name the angels praise Me and say: Blessed be the
Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting (Psalm 41:14).

• From Midrash Yelammedenu:

The angels descended and saw his (Jacob's) image. They said, "Certainly this is
the form (surah) and this is the image (demut) engraved upon the throne of
glory." All of them responded and said, "Bless the Lord, God of Israel."

• From a liturgical poem of Moses ben Eleazar ha-Darshan:

... the Biblical expression "majesty of Israel" (from Lamentations 2:1) is

transformed into a symbol for the icon of Jacob engraved on the throne.

Wolfson also shows that the angelic figure, Metatron, is seen as being engraved
in the Throne and that the term "angel of the Lord" is used in conjunction with
Metatron.

Metatron, the angel of the countenance (sar ha-panim) is identified as Jacob who
is said to be inscribed upon the Throne and upon the heart of Metatron. 5

Additional insight on the nature and role of Metatron will be provided in the final
section of this study. (Rev. 22:6-22)

4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.

The curse (verse 3) from Eden results in "the Face" of God being hidden. Its
removal results in a new level of relationship between God and man.

(See http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Chasidism/bescht/When_G-d_Hides.asp for

additional insight on this idea.)

There is of course a reference to many of Israel seeing God in the Torah in

Parsha Mishpatim (Exodus 21:1-24:18). It is interesting not only in the reference
to God being "seen" but also that those who saw God did not die. Compare this
to Exodus 3:6 when Moses did not dare look at God and also Exodus 33:20 where
God makes it clear that to see His Face would result in death. (Also see Isaiah 6:1
where the prophet "sees" God in His Throne.)
Even seeing an angel is shown to be fraught with danger as shown later in the
Tenakh when Samson’s father Manoach after seeing an angel said, “We shall
surely die, for we have seen a divine being!” (Judges 13:22)

In Parashat Mishpatim, not only do Moses and others see God and live, they end
up enjoying a meal in God’s presence! This would seem to be a foreshadowing of
the great banquet destined to occur at the time of the Olam Haba.

In the Future to Come, the Holy One blessed be He, will make a banquet for the
pious in the Garden of Eden. 6

Rabbi Elazar said, "The banquet of the righteous in the Future to Come will be as
it is written, 'And they beheld God and did eat and drink' (Exodus 24:11)." 7

5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the
Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

The aforementioned "banquet" is the time of great light throughout the world:

In the Future to Come, the Holy One blessed be He, will bring the pious to the
Garden of Eden ... the Holy One blessed be He hearkens unto them and enters
with them into the Garden of Eden. And as soon as the Holy One blessed be He
comes there, the pious stand up on their feet, and the whole world becomes
filled with light ... He says to them, "My sons, since the day that I created the
world, I never withheld anything from you except my Throne of Glory ... but now
I give you a share even in my Throne of Glory. 8

There is a connection between the "Face" of God in verse 4 and the light
mentioned here in verse 5 and the state of total mercy expressed in verses 1-3
beforehand:.

Whenever you see the words "light" and "face" in the Torah (i.e., Proverbs
16:15), their essence is contained above where the gates of the realm of great
mercy are opened and all the Spheres are full of mercy and life, and all the
worlds are filled with compassion and mercy and no prosecutor has the power to
harm any creature through harsh judgment or punishment at all. 9

Humanity enters a new and miraculous time:

In the Era of the Redemption, even the miracles which are enclothed in the
natural order will be revealed. That is, mankind will be able to perceive these
miracles. In addition, this will indicate a higher level of the miracles themselves.
At present, the natural order conceals the miracles because the natural order
represents the very opposite of the miraculous [even when a miracle is
enclothed with it]. This is because a miracle represents a deviation from the
natural order, a change from its ordinary functioning. Therefore [in the present
era, the uniqueness of] the miracles which transcend the natural order is more
apparent. In the Era of the Redemption, however, the miracles which are
enclothed within the natural order will also be revealed, as it is said, "I will show
you wonders". The reason for this difference is that in the Era of the Redemption,
the natural order will be elevated, and it will also be a suitable medium for the
revelation of the infinite dimensions of the light of the Ein Sof which will be
enclothed within it. Therefore, the miracles which are enclothed in nature will
also be overtly revealed.

Thus the new dimension implied by the prophecy "I will show you wonders" - that
the wonders will be perceived - will be reflected in the wonders themselves. At
present, the miracles enclothed in nature are such that even after the revelation
of the infinite dimensions of the light of the Ein Sof through the miracle, the
existence of the natural order remains unaffected. In addition, its thrust is
directly opposite to the revelation of infinite light (except that the revelation of
the infinite light controls it and compels its course to follow the dictates of G-d's
will). In the Era of the Redemption, by contrast, the miracles that are enclothed
within the natural order will possess both advantages: 1) the revelation of light
of the Ein Sof will be expressed within the natural order; and 2) there will be no
entity whose existence runs contrary to the revelation of [G-d's] infinity, for even
nature will be a medium [for the expression of] the infinite dimension of light of
the Ein Sof. 10

1. Secrets of the Future Temple (Mishkney Elyon), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, translated by Avraham Greenbaum, Temple Institute and

Azamra Institute, Jerusalem, 1999, p.28-30.

2. Waters of Eden, Aryeh Kaplan, 1976, NCSY, Brooklyn, NY. p.35

3. Fully explained in Sha'are Orah (Gates of Light) Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, English translation by Avi Weinstein, Altamira Press, London, 1994,

p. 219-220.

4. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics, Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany,

1995 pp. 1-62

5. ibid., pp.19, 20, 142 and numerous other references.

6. Numbers Rabbah 13:2, as cited in The Messiah Texts, Raphael Patai, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 1979, p. 238.

7. Mid. haNe'elam, Zohar 1:135b, as cited in The Messiah Texts p. 244.

8. S'udat Livyatan BhM6:150-51, as cited in The Messiah Texts p. 240.

9. Sha'are Orah (Gates of Light) Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla, English translation by Avi Weinstein, Altamira Press, London, 1994, p. 353, 354.

10. From http://www.kabbalaonline.org/MajorConcepts/messianicera/Perceiving_Miracles.asp

Revelation 22:6-21
Last update: September 22, 2008

The primary theme in this final chapter in the Oneness of God and Creation. The
main character in this final section is a mighty angel, referred to by seemingly
different titles such as the angel of the Lord God of the holy prophets, the angel
of Yeshua, as well as a the fellow servant with John who is "of his brethren."

At times the text is unclear whether it is this angel or Yeshua who is speaking to
John. This angel is traditionally known as Metatron and has been mentioned
throughout this study. Here, we will look further into the mystery of this angel.

In reviewing this final chapter, two principles should be kept in mind:

 • References to beings or objects being likened to God in the text of the
Bible and extra-biblical texts are a means of describing the relationship
between God and His creation, and are not describing the essence of God.

• There are many such beings and objects and they function at different
levels and have complex inter-relationships often resembling each other.

Two recommended books on these subjects are Through a Speculum that Shines
and Along the Path by Elliot Wolfson. We will cite from these texts in this section.

Wolfson explains the above concepts as follows:

The paradox that the deus absconditus (hidden God) appears to human beings in
multiple forms, including, most significantly, that of an anthropos (man) is the
enduring legacy of the prophetic tradition that has informed and challenged
Judaism throughout the ages ... The prophetic tradition, epitomized in Hosea
12:11, that God can be represented in images served as an exegetical basis for
certain mythic ideas that evolved in the aggadah from the formative period of
rabbinic Judaism The most significant of these is that God assumed
"incarnational forms" at critical moments in Israel's sacred history: at the
splitting of the Red Sea he is said to have appeared as a young warrior and at
Sinai as a merciful elder; he is sometimes further described as a scribe teaching
Torah. 1

Representing God anthropomorphically in auditory imagery is not theologically

offensive, for that mode of representation does not violate the basic principle of
God's irreducible otherness. Indeed, it is alone the speech of God that bridges
the gap separating humanity and the divine. Thus one finds a verbal/auditory
emphasis affirmed in many prophetic revelations that conform to the
Deuteronomic restriction on iconic representation yet preserved the lived
immediacy of biblical religion ... Anthropomorphic expression can be
appropriated as a meaningful mode of discourse if it is circumscribed within a
linguistic field. 2

Specifically regarding angels in prophetic vision he cites ...

It is customary for God to clothe the thoughts of His decrees, to show them to
the prophets so that they will know that God has set His decrees. The prophet
knows His thoughts according to the vision that he sees. At times this vision is
called an angel. 3

6 Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of
the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must
shortly take place.

7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the

prophecy of this book.”

8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down
to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant,
and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book.
Worship God.”

The verse is very similar to 19:10. In this chapter, the angel is associated with
prophecy in verse 9 and with messiah in verse 16. For more on the relationship
between prophecy and messiah and the concept of unification, see our notes on
Revelation 19:10.

Verse 9 adds a peculiar dimension as the angel identifies himself as being of one
of John's "brethren the prophets," seemingly identifying himself as human. The
text presents a clouding of the distinction between the spiritual and physical -
not atypical of Hebraic mystical literature, such as 3 Enoch where Enoch is
transformed into the angel Metatron, who occupies a throne next to the throne of
God. (Compare also to verses in chapters 5 and 22 which speak of an entity on
the throne and one in the midst of a throne [also in the midst of the four
creatures and the elders] as well as a mention of a throne of the Lamb and
throne of God.)

As in verse 19:10, here is an angel with a presence in John's vision so strong it

inspires this reaction. The idea of the angel of the Lord ("God's angel," "angel of
the Presence," etc.) being viewed as almost "godlike" is found throughout
Hebraic writings.

Author Wolfson provides several insights that relate to this, again mentioning the
idea of the "blurring of the distinction" between God and Metatron in the
prophetic vision, often in terms of the Shekinah:

It may be said that the medieval Jewish mystics recovered the mythic dimension
of a biblical motif regarding the appearance of God in the guise of the highest of
angels, called "angel of the Lord" (mal'akh YHWH), "angel of God" (mal'akh ha-
Elohim), or "angel of the Presence" (mal'akh ha-panim), which sometimes
appears in the form of a man. ... This tradition of angelophony figured
prominently as well in the literature of both the German Pietists and the
Provencal-Spanish kabbalists. In both cases we find evidence for the
identification of, or the blurring of the distinction between, the glory and an
angelic being, the anthropomorphic manifestation of the divine revealed to the
prophets and mystics. More specifically, in some of the earliest kabbalistic
sources the Shekinah is identified in one of her aspects as Metatron ...

In some literary units of the Hekhalot literature, it is very difficult, if not

impossible, to differentiate between God and his angel. The attribution of divine
characteristics to the highest angel also underlies traditions about Metatron, the
demiurgical angel in ancient Jewish esotericism. The confusion is especially
evident with respect to the name of God and Metatron. 4

The verse said, "I am sending an angel before you" (Exodus 23:20) . This refers
to the Shekinah, for the word mal'akhi ("My angel") ... has a numerical value of
Shekinah (=385). 5
The following text explains how God can be referred to in many ways, citing the
specific example of the burning bush:

Thus it is established in the secret of the Chariot (sod ha-merkavah) that the
Holy One blessed be He, is mentioned as an angel in the secrets of the angels, (a
sphere) in the secret of the spheres, and that is the throne. All of these are
emanations that emanate from the splendor of His great infathomable and
limitless light. Thus it is written in Exodus (3:2), "An angel of Adonai appeared to
him in a blazing fire out of a bush," and immediately after it is written, "God
called to him out of a bush," and it is written, "for he was afraid to look at God.
Therefore the word mal'akh (angel) numerically equals ha-'elohim (the divine). 6

Wolfson cites an ancient text in pointing out the relationship in the gemmatria
(314) between not only Metatron and the God-name Shaddai (as is well known
and mentioned earlier in this study), but also to a phrase often associated with
Elohim Himself:

The Prince of the Countenance is called Metatron, he is all-powerful (ha-kol

yakhol). Thus the numerical value of Metatron (=314) is equal to the expression
'he who governs the whole world; (ha-manhig kol ha-olam = 314). This is the
numerical value of Shaddai (=314) 7

Further, we know that "he who governs the whole world," does so from the
Heavenly Throne. The following citations show relationships between multiple
entities in the spiritual worlds:

We begin with the unity between the four creatures of the Ezekiel's chariot:

"The principle form of the four creatures, which collectively comprise one entity,
is that of an anthropos (a man), also identified as the cherub ... 8

This relationship between the anthropos (man) and the cherub is associated with
the relationship between Joseph and Jacob:

This is to teach that the faces of Jacob and Joseph are engraved upon the throne,
for the face of an anthropos resembles the face of Jacob, and the face of a
cherub is small like the face of Joseph. Just as the face of Joseph resembles the
face of Jacob, so too the face of the cherub resembles the face of an anthropos. 9

It is possible that the celestial image of Jacob is a mythic portrayal of the the
demiurgic angel who is most commonly referred to as Metatron in Jewish
esoteric sources. 10

Just as the image of Jacob (and that of Joseph) is seen as being in or on the
throne, so is this cherub. This cherub is not only in the image of God, it can be
seen (by the prophets) in different ways. In the following passage, note the
interesting reference to Moses and the prophets being "enthroned" by the angel
all the while maintaining a separateness from Elohim Himself (i.e., "the children
are not like the father"). Compare to Revelation 5 where the lamb is "amidst the
throne" along with the four creatures and the elders.
The cherub sits on the throne and it is the image (demut) of the Holy One,
blessed be He, as long as His shadow is upon him, and this is (the import of)
what is said, "in the hands of the prophet I was imaged (Hosea 12:11) ... This is
the cherub that changes and is seen in all these aspects ... It is always called a
cherub when there is not an abundance of the emanation of the Presence
(hamshakhat ha-shekhinah) upon it, even though all is one. Therefore it is called
"king of kings" (melekh malkhe ha-melakhim), Moses our master, and his
disciples, i.e., prophets who were like him, for the Presence rested upon the
angel of the countenance (sar ha-panim) and the prophets, and through his
influence it enthroned them, but God forbid that the children should be like the
father. 11

Taking it still further, the Olam Haba (World to Come) of which John is
prophesying in this chapter is directly tied to both Jacob and Metatron - again
stressing the idea of unity (i.e., "everything is one power"):

"... above that world (of angelic beings) is another realm of existence referred to
by the technical rabbinic eschatological term "the world to come" which is also
identified as the "palace of Jacob," the palace of Metatron, for the souls of the
righteous from the lower world come there. Metatron is the Active Intellect, and
this is the power of Shaddai, everything is one power.... 12

Citing a very ancient text, we find Metatron and Jacob associated with "sar ha-
panim," the angel of the countenance (of God):

Metatron, the angel of the countenance (sar ha-panim), is identified as Jacob

who is said to be inscribed upon the throne and upon the heart of Metatron. 13

Taking all of these citations into account, we see there is a close connection
between;

• the heavenly throne

• the anthropos (image of a man)

• the cherub (an angel)

• the face of Jacob (and/or Joseph)

• the image of Jacob (and/or Joseph) on the throne

• Metatron

• the Shekinah

• the Name "Shaddai"

• the angel of the countenance (sar ha-panim).

This last title ("sar ha-panim") is particularly interesting.

Examining a text on the subject of Rosh Hashana, we find a connection between
the blowing of the shofar and mercy coming from the throne of Jacob:

Therefore, by means of the blowing of the ram's horn, He sees the image of
Jacob and changes into His mercy. "He mounted a cherub" (2 Samuel 22:11),
Psalm 18:11), from Jacob (mi-ya'aqov). "A ruling of the God of Jacob" (Psalm
81:5). The glory above the glory ...

Eleazar identifies the image of Jacob with the God of Israel and the cherub, but
here he adds the motive that this image is the personification of the attribute of
mercy. Specifically, when Israel blows the ram's horn below, the divine glory
looks upon the image of Jacob and is filled with mercy. The idea that the blowing
of the ram's horn effects a transformation of God's attribute of judgment to
mercy is a standard rabbinic theme expressed in classical midrashic sources. 14

All of this leads us to an extraordinary text. Continuing on the subject of Rosh

Hashana, Wolfson cites author Yehuda Liebes who refers to a connection in the
Rosh Hashana section of a prayer book that mentions Yashua (by name) in the
context of "sar ha-panim" and Metatron:

Also relevant is another study by Liebes where he argued for a possible Jewish-
Christian background of the image of Yashua Sar ha-Panim found, together with
Elijah and Metatron, in one of the prayers in the standard Ashkenazi liturgy for
Rosh ha-Shanah. The immediate context to locate this liturgical formulation is
one of the main circles of German Pietists, the group responsible for the
commentary on the names of Metatron published under the name "Sefer ha-
Hesheq," but, according to Liebes, the Sitz im Leben ("setting in life") of the
image foes back to an ancient Jewish esoteric tradition that preserved this
Jewish-Christian belief regarding the angelic status of Jesus. 15

Yashanet has attained a copies of this prayer book and has scanned in the
relevant sections.

Click here to view images of this very interesting text. Updated

10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for
the time is at hand.

11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still;
he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy
still.”

12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every
one according to his work.

A transition seems to have occurred over verses 10 through 12. The speaker in
verse 10 continues to be the angel from previous verses. Verse 12 however
seems to be Yashua speaking, both from the content of the verse as well as the
continuation in verses 13 and 16 below. As we are showing in the texts by Elliot
Wolfson, this is consistent with Jewish mystical literature.
The time for performing acts of righteousness comes to a close at the end of the
millennial kingdom and entry into Olam Haba - the World to Come. One's status
for eternity is sealed at this point. 16

13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the
Last.”

Though this verse would appear to be associated with Yashua, the divergent
characteristics of "beginning and end" and "first and last" are (not surprisingly)
found regarding Metatron.

Citing the 13th century kabbalist Abraham Abulafia, author Wolfson shows that
these opposite characteristics (beginning and end, etc.), are found in Metatron
and resemble the combination of Israel and Jacob, found in a single person:

In the ontological scheme of Abulafia,, based on Maimonides, Metatron is the

Active Intellect or the last of the ten separate intellects. On the other hand,
Metatron is also described as the first of the created entities outside the divine.
Abulafia alludes to this dual status of Metatron in his comment that the angel of
God "is the end of the angels, but he is still the beginning." The two aspects of
Metatron are alluded to as well in the names Israel and Jacob.; the secret of the
former is conveyed in the transposition of the consonants "yisra'el" to form the
word "le-ro'shi" (to my head), and the latter in he letters ya'aqov that are
transposed into "aqevi (my heel). The aspect of Metatron as the first is conveyed
in the physical image of the head, and as the last, in the image of the heel ... Just
as Israel and Jacob are two names for one and the same person, so too the two
aspects are unified in the one angelic personality. Metatron is described
therefore, as possessing opposite qualities, the first and the last, beginning and
end ... 17

14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right
to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

As mentioned previously, the denial of access to the Tree of Life is fundamentally

related to the sin of separating the bride from the groom. This may also be
expressed in terms of division between YHWH and Adonai. (See our Study Chart
on the Name of God.) Thus the tikkun of the the bride/groom (or YHWH/Adonai)
and access to the Tree of Life, is directly tied to the keeping of the
commandments of the Torah. (See comments on uniting the bride and groom in
notes to 19:10.)

As mentioned earlier in this study ...

Furthermore, one of the special paragraphs said in advance of a mitzvah, to

focus us on the purpose of the mitzvah (found in most prayer books) is: [I hereby
do this mitzvah] for the sake of the unification of The Holy One, Blessed is He,
and His Divine Presence, in fear and in love, to unify the Name of yud-h'eh with
vav h'eh in completion, in the name of the entire Jewish people. 18
The Zohar offers the following regarding keeping of the commandments. Note
yet another dichotomous reference to Metatron from whom come both life and
death:

Soncino Zohar, Bereshith, 27a - AND THE LORD GOD TOOK THE MAN AND
PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ETC. From whence did he take him? He took
him from the four elements which are hinted at in the verse "and from there it
parted and became four heads". God detached him from these and placed him in
the Garden of Eden. So does God do now to any man created from the four
elements when he repents of his sins and occupies himself with the Torah; God
takes him from his original elements, as it is said, "and from there he parts", i.e.
he separates himself from the desires which they inspire, and God places him in
his garden, which is the Shekinah, "to dress it", by means of positive precepts,
"and to keep it", by means of negative precepts. If he keeps the law, he makes
himself master of the four elements, and becomes a river from which they are
watered, and they obey him and he is their ruler. But if he transgresses the law,
they are watered from the bitterness of the tree of evil, which is the evil
inclination, and all his limbs are full of bitterness; but when the members of the
body are kept holy from the side of good, it may be said of them that "they came
to Marah and were not able to drink waters from Marah, for they were bitter"
(Ex. XV, 23). Similarly, the study of the Talmud is bitter compared with that of
the esoteric wisdom, of which it is said, "And God showed him a tree" (Ibid.); this
is a tree of life, and through it "the waters were sweetened". Similarly of Moses it
is written, "And the staff of God was in his hand." This rod is Metatron, from one
side of whom comes life and from the other death. When the rod remains a rod,
it is a help from the side of good, and when it is turned into a serpent it is
hostile, so that "Moses fled from it", and God delivered it into his hand. This rod
typifies the Oral Law which prescribes what is permitted and what is forbidden.
When Moses struck the rock God took it back from him, and "he went down to
him with a rod" (II Sam. XXXIII, 21), to smite him with it, the "rod" being the evil
inclination, which is a serpent, the cause of the captivity. A further lesson can be
derived from the words "and from there it parted": happy is the man who
devotes himself to the Torah, for when God takes him from this body, from the
four elements, he is detached from them and ascends to become the head of the
four Hayyoth, as it is written, "and they shall bear thee on their hands" (Ps. XCI,
12).

15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and
idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

16 “I, Yeshua, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the
congregations. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning
Star.”

Here we have Yeshua referring to "his angel." The idea of a specific angel being
associated with messiah ben Joseph is found in several sections of the classic
text, Kol Hator (Voice of the Turtledove):
Yosef is still alive. -- The independence of Mashiach ben Yosef is related to three
categories: a) the Mashiach ben Yosef from above is Metatron, the Minister of
Interior; as is known, Yosef is Metatron. Both of them are from the light from
above, and both are in the sefira Yesod ,,, b) In every generation one Mashiach
ben Yosef from below appears. He is a righteous person, a foundation of the
world, who because of his deeds and the root of his soul, merits acting for the
salvation of Israel, carrying out helpful deeds and glorifying the Torah through
his dedication. Thus he reaches to the high level of Mashiach ben Yosef, ....c)
Mashiach ben Yosef who is present in every house of Israel in general, according
to what is revealed by the words “remnant of Yosef” which was said about all of
Israel in general and regarding every man of Israel in particular ... 19

“For a bird of the skies will carry the sound, and some winged creature will relate
the matter” -- This was said about Metatron, the Minister of Interior, as brought
in Tikunei Zohar. He is the Angel of Mashiach ben Yosef. 20

“The angel who redeems me” -- “The angel who redeems” is the Angel of Yosef.
This means that as soon as Yosef was born, Jacob was able to overpower Esau.
As known, the redeemer is in Yesod. 21

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say,
“Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water
of life freely.

18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If
anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in
this book;

19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.

The warning is strict, as the sages teach that even the slightest actions of one
person can cause a "ripple effect" with profound negative results for many:

Do not be surprised by the fact that an individual person, through his or her
deeds, can cause an elevation or degradation of the whole world.... 22

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Yeshua!

21 The grace of our Lord Yeshua haMashiach be with you all. Amen.

1. Through a Speculum That Shines: Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish

Mysticism, Elliot R. Wolfson, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1994, p.8

2. ibid, p.15

3. ibid, p.206, citation from Sefer ha-Shem, Rabbi Eleazer ben Judah of Worms
4. ibid, p.255

5. ibid, p. 257, citation from Sefer ha-Hokhmah, Rabbi Eleazer ben Judah of
Worms

6. ibid, p.257

7. ibid, p.259, citation from Sefer ha-Hokhmah, Rabbi Eleazer ben Judah of
Worms

8. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,

Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 10

9. ibid, p.122, citation from The Commentary on Ezekiel's Chariot, R. Jacob ben
Jacob ha-Kohen of Castile

10. ibid, p. 19

11. ibid, pp. 11,12

12. ibid., p. 19

13. ibid

14. ibid, p. 52

15. ibid, p. 68

16. For a detailed explanation of this concept see Derech Hashem (The Way of
God), Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, translated and annotated by Aryeh Kaplan,
Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem, 1997.

17. Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and Hermeneutics,
Elliot R. Wolfson, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995, p. 21

18 From http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5760/vaeschanan.html -
Parshas Vaeschanan/Nachamu, Pleading in Comfort, by Rabbi Pinchas Winston.

19. See http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/1.htm

20. See http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/2.htm

21. See http://www.yedidnefesh.com/kaballah/kol-hator/2.htm

22. See
http://www.kabbalaonline.org/Society/nonjews/The_Inner_Aspect_of_the_World.as
p